<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Palatino, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">After the 2008 financial meltdown, and the failure of Congress to regulate “too-big-to-fail” banks, activists and progressive legislators across the country </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/10/01/should-states-operate-public-banks/many-states-see-the-potential-of-public-banking" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); font-family: Georgia, Palatino, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">began to explore</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Palatino, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;"> the idea of replicating—</span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/10/01/should-states-operate-public-banks/public-banks-are-essential-to-capitalism" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(65, 110, 210); font-family: Georgia, Palatino, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">or even expanding upon</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Palatino, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;">—the North Dakota model in other states.</span><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, Palatino, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;"><br></span></div><div><a href="http://www.thenation.com/blog/178759/vermont-votes-public-banking" style="font-family: Futura-Medium;">http://www.thenation.com/blog/178759/vermont-votes-public-banking</a></div></body></html>