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Over at Jon Cohn’s place, Alexander Hart explains why the post office is better run than you think. Go read it. I don’t have any big axe to grind in favor of the USPS — in fact, I’m pretty annoyed at how complicated it is to calculate postage these days on supposedly “odd” size envelopes — but the fact is that they’re actually pretty efficient and pretty cost effective. I’d welcome private competition for first class mail, but just go ahead breathe the words “universal service” and see how many private sector companies are still eager to compete with the post office for 46 cents an ounce.

Anyway, Hart explains why the post office always seems so perennially broke and why this is mostly a mirage. It’s worth a quick read.

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We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

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