> IMHO govt services make sense when private industry can't provide them effectively. That doesn't seem like the case here. Since your whole argument depends o

> IMHO govt services make sense when private industry can't provide them effectively. That doesn't seem like the case here. Since your whole argument depends on this, I think you need more than a "seems". Britain, which I'm most familiar with as I lived there before everything could be done electronically, and Europe in general, has/had several services like this available from post offices. You could pay most bills by taking the bill and cash/cheque to the post office (called "giro"), or transferring from a bank account. A while ago, you could open a Post Office bank account there; nowadays you can make deposits and withdrawals to any UK current account. You could pay fees, taxes and fines, renew a driving license, apply for a passport, and probably 50 other things. Oh, and send letters and parcels. Together, all this means the staff have to know how to check someone's identity, and are used to handling cash. 50+ years ago, this was probably a great way to help the economy. Bills paid faster, government services available in every village. The USA seems about 50 years late for that, so presumably the target is the poorest and/or most rural communities. Britain is several steps ahead of the USA on privatising government services. Nowadays, many rural or small post offices are just a counter in a convenience shop or small supermarket, as seen here: https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/local-news/little-sutton-post-office-reopens-10417255 https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/local-news/little-sutto... (and the whole "Post Office" company is privatized, like in many European countries).