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Sean Flynn, an economics professor at Vassar, promised to send me a copy of his book Economics for Dummies (hey, you never know when you'll need intellectual ammunition on CNBC). But it turns out there was a little problem with the post office...

I just got back from vacation to find that the copy of Economics for Dummies that I sent you early last week had been returned to me by the post office with a shiny sticker reading as follows:

We regret that your mail was not collected or is being returned to you due to heightened security requirements. All mail that bears postage stamps and weights more than 13 ounces MUST be taken by the customer to a retail service associate at a Post Office.

This really ticks me off. I can no longer just stick what I want into a Priority Mail envelope and send it off at the flat rate. I must now determine whether it is more or less than 13 ounces in weight and then take it in person to the Post Office where I am asked to produce no ID while sending off what might be a bomb. This is idiotic, especially in a world where jerks can get everyone all freaked out by simply mailing far less than 13 ounces worth of white powder that might be mistaken for anthrax.

And may I add that the shiny sticker telling me about the new rule was helpfully headlined, "Important Customer Information."

Billions of dollars in subsidies just to keep getting worse and worse relative to FedEx and UPS...

In any event, my threatening best seller is heading your way.

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