USPS Chief Living Large
by: Leslie K. Paige

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is fond of describing itself as a business, on par with some Fortune 100 companies. However, a recent investigation by the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) into allegations of misconduct of one of its chief spokespersons, Vice-President for Public Affairs and Communications (PAC) Azeezaly Jaffer, graphically reveals just how far removed postal business operations are from those of any well-run, private sector corporation.

Fiber Optic Waste
by: David Williams

Established in 1936 to bring electricity and telephone service to America's hinterlands, the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) completed its mission long ago. In a congressional shell game, the REA stubbornly lives on as the Rural Utilities Service (RUS). In the past, REA/RUS loans have helped to illuminate former rural outposts such as Aspen and Vail, Colo.; Hilton Head, S.C.; and Potomac, Md. Running out of hinterlands that lack basic utilities, RUS is now in the business of subsidizing broadband service in rural areas.