The idea of using the USPS as a simple savings account service has some merit, but if you exclude the more lucrative ways for the USPS to make at least break-even money on this, just how is it supposed to be paid for? Even in it’s simplest form, someone has to administrate it. You need to pay for all the accoutrements of running a business. I can see banning the credit card industry- USPS has problems enough. But by what vehicle do you see this happening?

Nowadays, banks either refuse small accounts or saddle them with heavy fees. Like many foreign countries, we should use our widely distributed network of post offices as a convenient savings depository. To prevent potentially corrupting mission creep by a taxpayer-subsidized competitor, we could ban the post office from lucrative sectors like credit cards and checking.