ASHLAND —
The struggles of the U.S. Postal Service are well known and documented. It has affected us here at home with the closure of the main processing plant in Ashland and the shuttering of other small post offices throughout the Tri-State area.
But did you know that Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe received $384,229 in compensation last year?
Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, was shocked to learn how much top postal executives make and said it is time they consider cutting their own salaries and bonuses as they move to cut mail delivery services and shutter postal plants, laying off tens of thousands of workers.
We agree. The postal executives should realize the sacrifices being made throughout the agency and willingly take some cuts of their own.
Donahoe received a base salary of $271,871 in 2011, according to a November filing by the service with the Securities and Exchange Commission. But he also made another $81,954 in pension and deferred compensation. And he benefited from $30,404 in “other” compensation, including security costs, life insurance premiums, parking and financial planning services.
All of the top officers at the U.S. Postal Service had annual base salaries topping $200,000, according to the filing. Does that seem right given the dire situation the U.S. Postal Service appears to be in today? We agree with Sen. Tester on this one. It’s not right.
“To date, not a single executive has offered to forgo bonuses or reduce his salary during this difficult time,” Tester wrote.
Meanwhile, the Postal Service has already announced plans to close more than 200 plants that could come at a cost of 32,000 jobs. The agency is trying to get out of major debt caused by declining first-class mail volumes and a congressional mandate to prefund retirement health care benefits. The service reported a $5.1 billion loss for the year ended Sept. 30.
Postal executives are sending the wrong message by continuing to accept high salaries and lucratve benefits while the postal service is drowning in red ink. Sacrifices should be shared by all.
Opinion
Wrong message
Postal Service executives not making sacrifices like others
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In Your View
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On the increase
It’s certainly good news that a new report by Kentucky’s Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet has found the economic impact of tourism grew by 5.2 percent in eastern Kentucky in 2012, outpacing the overall statewide growth rate. However, we would be more excited bout the report if we had more confidence in how tourism spending is calculated by state government.
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After the crash
Like thousands of other Kentuckians, we remember well May 14, 1988, when a drunken driver traveling the wrong way on Interstate 71 near Carrollton struck a church bus returning home to Radcliff after day at King’s Island, causing one of he most deadly vehicle accidents in this nation’s history. The horrific crash killed 27, many of them teenagers, and injured 34 others.
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High price tage
Much has been said and written about the rapid and dramatic decline of air passenger service at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport. Much less has been said and written about the tremendous economic impact the loss of air service has had on the entire region.
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Return of pencils
It is a question asked by all of us whose lives and jobs are dependent on computers with email and Internet access, fax machines, cellphones and other other electronic essentials of this modern age: What do you do when the electronic devices fail?
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Banned
If you live in Boyd and Lawrence counties and are thinking of burning trash, wood, leaves or other debris outdoors, here’s a word of advice: Don’t even think about lighting that match. If you do, it could cost you dearly.
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In Your View
Letters to the editor
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Few citations
When the 2011 Kentucky General Assembly approved a bill banning texting while driving and cellphone use for drivers younger than 18, there was widespread public support for both restrictions.
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Booming times
Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergran Grimes has launched a statewide tour to gauge public support for allowing more voters to cast their ballots before Election Day. While other states have enacted laws to allow early voting, the biggest obstacle to the proposal in Kentucky is the state’s history of widespread voter fraud.
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Step backward
We agree with Larry Brown, the lone member of the Ashland Board of City Commissioners to oppose a motion requesting City Attorney Richard “Sonny” Martin to draft an ordinance changing the time for all commission meetings to noon
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