I hate it when I agree with you, Joel. It makes me think I've misunderstood something. ;) But seriously, I agree with almost everything you just said. The exceptions:
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feel free to list the many good government agencies that have on private competition.
Well, off the top of my head, other than the USPS, the DOT in most states is excellent. NOT the DMV, mind you, or the corresponding state agency that deals with car registrations and driver's licences, but the dudes who get out there at 3 AM and plow the roads and fill the potholes. NY sucks, but they're all weird and mobbed up. Every other state I've lived in has been very responsive and diligent in their response to weather emergencies, including Washington, despite the fact that they kept me from Marlene's funeral. Mother Nature still trumps all.

Also, the US military is unquestionably the best in the world, despite Bush's efforts to demoralize, delegitimize, and cripple it. It's an amazing balance of morality and kickassedness. They have competition, like Blackwater, but clearly Blackwater has thrown morality to the wayside, so the governmental agency wins.

I could probably think of others, but it's pretty late.
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They [Wal-Mart] take good care of their employees compared to other businesses who would hire the same employees.
Yeah, that's simply untrue. There IS good and bad in Wal-Mart, but the good is NOT directed at the employees. The customers (who know what they want) get GREAT money-saving deals, but they screw their employees over on a regular basis. They have an unending line of lawsuits against them by their employees or former employees. They are not the paragon of ethical employers. But DAMN! The savings are non-stop.