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Guess How Many Briefcases on ‘Deal or No Deal’ Contain More Than What The Postmaster General Got Paid Last Year?

Neither rain … nor snow … nor sleet … nor, apparently, government regulations can deter the Postmaster General from raking in a mind-boggling level of compensation for overseeing the poster child of government bureaucracy and inefficiency that is the nation’s postal system.

If Postmaster General (salute when you say that!)John Potter was on Deal or No Deal, he’d face extremely long odds of picking a case with more than his 2008 compensation since only the million dollar case would fit that bill.

P.G. Potter topped off two years of pay raises in excess of 40% to bank over $800,000 last year. All this for presiding over a system that lost three billion dollars and wants to eliminate delivering mail on Tuesdays — a 16% cut in service to accompany the new proposed higher postal rates.

Well, at least he doesn’t fly in a corporate jet.

The best part about the whole deal is that the Post Office Board of Governors, who approved the pay package, had to figure a way to circumvent the Federal rules that cap the Postmaster’s salary at 20% above what the Vice President makes.

The Governors simply funneled money into the Postmaster’s retirement account and deferred his “incentive” bonus. Neither action triggers counting the compensation as pay under the Post Office’s interpretation of the Federal regulations.

What, you may ask, did the Postmaster do to garner a 40% salary increase and a 300% bump to his base compensation?

According to records, the Board of Governors “considered Mr. Potter’s effective leadership during the difficult economic challenges of 2008, … the steps he took that strategically positioned the Postal Service to maintain its viability for the future, and his achievement of personal goals.”

I’ve got to rethink my career choices. These government jobs are better than I thought. You can get rewarded for maintaining the viability of a 234-year-old government monopoly. Way to set the bar high, Board of Governors.

Even better, you can get rewarded for achieving “personal goals.” What are we talking about here … like dropping 15 pounds and taking Spanish lessons?

Wow. All this time, the Post Office wasn’t talking about mail but rather executive bonuses when they told us, “We Deliver.”

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Playing post office…

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Photo credit: Everystockphoto.com

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