Re the post office: obviously the post office is facing reduced demand by virtue of electronic and private alternatives, but one of the problems the post office faces is that it has had to fund itself ever since the Reagan administration but it suffers from the inflexibility of having to answer to Congress. That's being in the worst of both worlds. In the business world, the post office is vital but often taken from granted service and the value of service one receives for the price of a stamp is second to none.

Re Trek hate: From the responses, I'm starting to think that Trek is to bikes what Metallica was to metal in the late 80s. Metallica hit this interesting middle ground - they were the heaviest band a person that wasn't into "heavy" heavy metal could appreciate, and the lightest band the "heavy" heavy metal fans found acceptable. A person into Warrant and Guns-n-Roses could enjoy Metallica, as could the Slayer fan. That wide appeal obviously translated into great sales. But it also meant that proclaiming Metallica to be your favorite band made you a suspect poser - and at the very least, somebody with pretty generic and un-adventurous taste.

Trek, from the thread, it seems is the best bike that's accessible and appreciated by the entry level market and is also still acceptable by the higher end market. That makes it a common bike, the possible mark of a noob, the possible mark of somebody trying to buy their way into a more elite crowd than their ability would otherwise allow. So, to the budget bike set (of which I include myself), Trek can be a signal that the rider is a bit of an elitist with a superiority complex. To the racer, Trek can be a signal that the rider is less than the sum of his gear.

Re: "made in America" - Import bikes cost significantly less than American or European made bikes of the same quality. Those savings are coming from somewhere, whether they be from exploitative wages, the externalization of environmental hazards or cutting corners on workplace safety. Obviously, that's the world we live in and we all do the best we can. But here's an interesting fact: American wages haven't kept pace with inflation, meaning that American make and expect lower wages comparative to the overall value of the dollar than they did back in 1970s - a time when a hobbyist could walk into JCPenny and buy an affordable Roadmaster or Murray. And if you wanted to spend a little more money, you could buy a Scwhinn or a Trek. And of course you could buy an elite American or European made bike if you desired such an extravagance. Today, the only market that American made bikes serve is the highest end - and that's in large part because having an American made bike is prized extravagance in and of itself to the point that its like have a fashionable high end name on your bike - you're paying for the value bestowed by the label. It easy to say that's because American workers priced themselves out of their jobs. But the reality is that American firms made profits selling bikes across the spectrum of the market while paying their workers higher real wages than they'd have to pay them now.

The profits just weren't as big as they could be when you work people on slave wages, in dangerous condition, and/or dump your waste into the stream and air without check.