USPS begins banking program pilot

[lady_*nix]

Yes for real.

https://prospect.org/economy/usps-begin ... t-program/

I can't put into words how huge this is, and how radically progressive vs. the usual bullshit. Here's to hoping it spurs greater (and more successful) efforts to fund the USPS.

[Rommie]

The funny one is this is normal in a lot of countries- even now pretty fascist Hungary always had banking services at the post office, which can make going there confusing if you just want to mail a thing, but whatever. (The postman would also literally deliver my grandma's pension every month in cash, which I thought was wild.)

Hope it catches on here, but I guess there will be powerful forces interested in making this not succeed.

[lady_*nix]

The funny one is this is normal in a lot of countries- even now pretty fascist Hungary always had banking services at the post office, which can make going there confusing if you just want to mail a thing, but whatever. (The postman would also literally deliver my grandma's pension every month in cash, which I thought was wild.)

Yeah it's kind of astounding how backwards the US is in terms of economics and social support systems. The (non)response to COVID in particular puts us in the "failed state" category IMO. A lot of that was on Trump and his people, but not nearly all of it.

Hope it catches on here, but I guess there will be powerful forces interested in making this not succeed.

Yupppp. Here's to hoping enough Democrats understand they'll lose their seats in 2022 if they just sit around doing nothing... But I do not have that much hope right now.

[Rommie]

Yeah, a lot of it is just we tend to not have long memories on these sorts of issues. Like, it turns out we do have one government-run bank in the USA... in the state of North Dakota- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_North_Dakota

Very conservative state, but founded by progressives a century ago and low interest rates on loans, great student loans, etc. My one ND friend says it's weird, but insanely popular.

[Loresinger]

With the current idiot at the helm of the Post Office, I trust nothing. That guy MUST go, and there are ways to do it. Biden just needs to make some different appointments.