Pawlenty Calls for the End of the Postal Service

The Atlantic magazine's Wire website reports, "Republican presidential candidate Gov. Tim Pawlenty offered his economic plan in a speech at the University of Chicago Tuesday, calling for three flat income tax rates, cutting the corporate tax rate, and for programs like the Postal Service to be eliminated.

According to reporter Elspeth Reeve, the former Minnesota governor said government programs should be subjected to "The Google Test"--meaning if you can find a service online, the federal government shouldn't provide it. Programs failing that test, in Pawlenty's estimation, is a program like the postal service, since UPS and Fed Ex offer the same services.

In response NBC News' First Read website wonders, "Does Pawlenty realize that UPS and Fed Ex don't deliver to some rural parts of the country? How do you ensure mail for those folks? The real issue with the Postal Service is Congress' inability to allow it to make smart business decisions (like raising postage to a realistic level of say one whole dollar?!?!? Or shutting down some post offices)."

Shown above, Tim Pawlenty.

For more on this story, click here.