Nationalize Amazon

Instead of letting Amazon use coronavirus to dominate even more of the economy, the company should be nationalized and reoriented to serve the public good instead of predatory capitalism.

With every passing day, it becomes increasingly clear that COVID-19 won’t allow things to go back to normal anytime soon — regardless of how intently Trump and his Republican death cult are prepared to risk millions of lives in service of the stock market. The lengthy disruption will force governments to consider novel ways to get necessary supplies to people without requiring everyone to go to the store themselves — especially those most vulnerable to the virus, and the growing numbers of poor and unemployed who simply won’t have the money.

So, where to turn? The United States Postal Service (USPS) boasts an effective logistics infrastructure but lacks the supply chain to quickly start delivering those essential goods. Yet we already have a monopolistic entity with a strong supply chain that could be repurposed to serve social goals instead of private profit: Amazon.