I think the OP's title is a bit misleading.

The importance is in stopping the privatization of everything. Democrats are not wholly innocent in this process...

She spoke about all of the infrastruction that the post office has that the private sector is salivating to gain control of. Prime real estate, the largest vehicle fleet in the country, etc.

I don't want to only have UPS and FedEx as my choices. Her advice: try to use USPS whenever possible!

I belong to an international forum that discusses goods being shipped from the US to other countries. Mind you, these are relatively small items that are part of a craft subscription, with a new surprise package being sent out every other month. Not worth a huge amount of money, just something fun for the recipients.

It often takes weeks, sometimes even months, for people in other countries to receive their packages, and it's not due to extended delivery times. It's due to customs. The packages get stuck there, and somebody eventually decides how much to charge the recipient for their mail. Sometimes, customs lets the package get delivered without fees. Sometimes, an identical package gets levied a fee that's more than the value of the package. If the customs people are feeling lazy, there are no punishments for them. Just unhappy customers waiting for their mail.

When I order items from other countries, the postal service delivers it without delays, without holding it for ransom, and without any hassles.

What's not to love?

I have a post office branch two blocks from my home, so I use it frequently. Its Priority Mail service is still the best way, imo, to mail a package reliably and cheaply. They can also sell me stamps, packing materials (aside from the free priority and express boxes and envelope mailers), have a nice assortment of greeting cards, and will give me cash back on a debit card. At the larger branches that are not very much farther, they have passport application centers and other services.

I love the older ladies who work at my P.O.: they're smart, efficient, and friendly. It's nice to chat with them. I can send a package from Chicago to Southern California for under $8 and be assured it will always arrive within 2 days.

Go to your local FedEx location (usually connected with a Kinko's) and there are rude teenagers there who don't always know what they're doing, and you'll be hard pressed to understand why the fee is so high.

I propose that to "save" the Postal Service we start a campaign urging the big Internet shippers like Amazon to send a certain amount of their shipments via USPS instead of UPS. There's no reason why the postal service can't get some of that business. A few years ago I ordered 60 yards of upholstery fabric from a small business in North Carolina, and they sent this huge, heavy 5-foot-long package via the US Postal Service; it arrived beautifully and on time at our upholsterer's shop.

I insist on USPS delivery when I buy online.