The USPS is not "the government". It has certain government mandates, and postal workers are classed as federal employees but to just call it "the government" is not quite right.
They're facing financial difficulties because of pensions and health care plans from another (more civilized) era and not because of bad service.
I don't know if banking is going to work out for the USPS. It makes sense that it's a "pilot program". If it puts slimy check-cashing and payday-loan joints out of business, that would certainly be a good thing.
The idea of the USPS becoming a third party identity service provider has been tossed around before, and they could certainly provide other miscellaneous bureaucratic services. Whatever happens USPS will need to make deep changes, I think, in order to survive.
How is the USPS not "the government"? Unless we're playing British English games where "the government" means the party in control of Parliment and there's some other word for things the State does.
The USPS exists to serve a constitutional mandate, has its operations overseen by Congress, and 9 out of 11 board seats are appointed by the president. It is a government agency. Or you can read the establishment law, which states it's an establishment of the Executive branch https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/39/201
Yes, you're right, it is a "dumb question".
The USPS is not "the government". It has certain government mandates, and postal workers are classed as federal employees but to just call it "the government" is not quite right.
They're facing financial difficulties because of pensions and health care plans from another (more civilized) era and not because of bad service.
I don't know if banking is going to work out for the USPS. It makes sense that it's a "pilot program". If it puts slimy check-cashing and payday-loan joints out of business, that would certainly be a good thing.
The idea of the USPS becoming a third party identity service provider has been tossed around before, and they could certainly provide other miscellaneous bureaucratic services. Whatever happens USPS will need to make deep changes, I think, in order to survive.