Even as more news surfaces that the United States Postal Service plans to make massive cuts and closures to its operations, the employees and the general public remain largely in the dark.

The fact that the USPS is losing millions of dollars each year has been a well-documented problem.

Everyone knows that changes are on the horizon. However, exactly what those changes are remains to be seen, but it is very likely that processing centers like the one in Ironton and rural post offices like those that dot Lawrence County will be closed in the near future.

Postal service officials need to be more transparent with the plans and the method of establishing those changes. Tens of thousands of jobs are at stake as well as the key functionality of an important component of our society.

No one will argue that the postal service needs to evolve but the fear is that changes of such a drastic nature are just a Band-Aid and may erode the service to such a point that it ultimately will be dissolved.

Yes, you can use the Internet for many of the same things. Yes, private shippers such as UPS and Fed Express can be used for shipping packages, but having the postal service in place helps create a competitive market where everyone keeps rates affordable.

The USPS has to change the way it operates, and although it may be painful, find ways to cut expenses. But the agency owes it to the American people to be up front with how that is accomplished.