Post Office restrictions

I've told some people about a few of the loopholes mentioned on the list about the new post office restrictions on airmail packages. What's disturbing is that none of the people I'd talked to, all of whom are at least reasonably intelligent, had thought or heard, for instance, that PanAm103 only took 12 ounces or that someone could just send two packages. How does the news media justify its existence? (Down here, it seems to be serving as a propaganda arm for the Republicans)