Is every phone call in the United States being recorded, a possibility recently pondered by Harry Lewis? (Don’t stop blogging, Harry!)

We don’t know yet—but it looks increasingly likely. The NYT reports that every single piece of mail that flows through the United States Postal Service is being recorded in case anyone decides, after the fact, that it’s worth looking into…

“It’s a treasure trove of information,” said James J. Wedick, a former F.B.I. agent who spent 34 years at the agency and who said he used mail covers in a number of investigations, including one that led to the prosecution of several elected officials in California on corruption charges. “Looking at just the outside of letters and other mail, I can see who you bank with, who you communicate with — all kinds of useful information that gives investigators leads that they can then follow up on with a subpoena.”

Investigators don’t have to go through a judge to get access to USPS records; they just have to fill out a form….

Naturally this secret power is already being abused; Arizona “sheriff” Joe Arpaio used it to spy on and harass a political opponent.

Now you know why the government will never stop funding the post office…