Those incentives being sought in court for Tribune executives amount to $13.5 million, Bloomberg reports.

A reported $2.5 million goes to pay severance the company owes to former employees.

The company needs the $13.5 million to reward the managers “for their extraordinary contributions during an exceptionally difficult year.” (Laying people off is difficult.)

Maybe I’m becoming a socialist, but I think the “extraordinary” contribution is coming from those folks who lost their careers in the name of “right-sizing” the industry. They are likely to be having “an exceptionally difficult year” next year, and the year after.

My vote then: Let the managers feel some of the pain they won’t have to watch their former co-workers feel during the “right-sizing” process.

(I am sure some of my colleagues at the Courant are among those whose bonuses were lost. This is nothing personal, I hope they understand.)