With all the current political demands for fewer and fewer government regulations upon American corporations and businesses, it is possible that we may have lost sight on why those regulations were originally put in place.  Upton Sinclair's THE JUNGLE is a truly horrifying exposure of the American meat industry of the late 1800s and early 1900s, when the meatpacking industry was entirely self-regulated, and diseased meat was regularly sold to the unknowing public -- when dead rats and mice were regularly thrown into the meat grinders -- when the safety of the over-worked employees was of less importance than the profits of the owners.  (Full disclosure:  I worked in a meat-packing plant from 1970 through 1973; and, while many regulations were religiously enforced, many as well were not -- you just needed to know whom to bribe, to look the other way.)

Shipping charges include postage (including USPS Tracking on domestic shipments), packaging materials, labor & fuel (the nearest post office is 14 MILES away!); but I do combine shipping charges on multiple items -- so fill up that cart NOW an' save some $$$!