&gt;&gt; Does the Washington Post count as credible?<p>It does count as credible, but neither that WaPo article nor the link in your 2nd edit even mention the word &#x27;subsidy&#x27;.<p>(My earlier comment already acknowledged the impact of postal charges.  I was asking specifically about the &#x27;subsidies&#x27; which I&#x27;ve seen mentioned repeatedly, but without any specifics to lend credence to the claim.)