Only $1, But Come On! Is It Really Needed?

So yeah, I went to the Post Office's website to change my address because I am moving and in order to "prevent fraud," the Post Office needed a credit/debit card. In order to verify I am who I say I am, they charge me $1. But is $1 really needed? I mean, PayPal was a heckuva lot easier. They actually gave me money when I confirmed my card. (In that instance, they put two deposits through, both for under a dollar.) Now sure, the Post Office won't want to give people money, but couldn't they charge like a penny or something? If the whole point is to prevent fraud and check the accuracy of a bank account as ID, wouldn't 1 cent be the same as 1 dollar?

Alas, I don't quite believe this is for "fraud" prevention. Call me cynical, but I just have this hunch that this is just a way to rip-off customers. The Post Office figured that this was an easy way to get more money out of people. Perhaps it wouldn't be that bad if we didn't have to use the Post Office, but since we are required, why should I have to pay $1 to change my address online? Aren't there better ways?

Oh well. I have done what I could to avoid the Post Office as much as possible anyway. Eventually the Post Office's monopoly will be revoked, competition will flourish, and letters will travel for a lot lower price. You didn't think stamp prices were based on the Post Office actually requiring that much money do ya? The Post Office is the third largest employer, behind only the Dept. of Defense (aka the military) and Wal-Mart. Do we really need that many postal workers? Every time the price of a stamp goes up, email looks prettier and prettier. With national banks, money is easily sent. Packages can be sent by UPS or FedEx. What else do people normally ship? (For those people still sending cards, realize that if you actually do care about someone, it is the thought that counts right? A thoughtful e-card, while not able to sit on a desk, is still pretty dang caring and a heckuva lot cheaper. Those who would demand cards honestly don't care about the people trying to save money. Now who is being thoughtless?)