$4 million might seem insurmountable, but it is little more than a rounding error for the tech giants based in Mountain View (and their very handsomely paid executives). Rather than try to put the blame on the easy-to-malign, allegedly overpaid and overbenefited public employees who already have to struggle to make it in high-cost Mountain View, why not target fees from the titans of industry who already benefit the most from city services? But, no, let's go after those evil unions that have the audacity to demand fair compensation for their members. That'll learn 'em.

Here we go again! Those who are city employees with very generous, but unsustainable pensions vs. the tax paying citizens of Mtn. View who pay these fees and are struggling to make a living, let alone trying to save for a retirement someday.

For years the City manager and City Council rubber stamped the unions demands for higher pay and benefits in order to avoid confrontation. This, the head in the sand approach, worked as long as revenues were increasing in the boom years. Now that we are in a down cycle we are seeing the effects of failing to push for a building of reserves in good years to offset shortfalls in lean years. The citizens of Mountain View are being called on to sacrifice for the errors of the City Manager and City Council and the greed of the Police, Firefighters and other city workers.

Tax the corporate giants and they will leave. Taking our jobs elsewhere. Consider incentives for employers to stay and grow locally.

Last time I checked everything in the Library is on the internet with free access from Google. It's 2010, we should look at letting go of some costly government services available at home.

Middle aged kids come home after loosing home. Higher fees for them? A bad idea. Let's live with less. Let the shrubs in the park be shabby. Let the library be open three days a week. Live within our means.

The City Council just approved a silly study for the downtown area which will cost about the same as the fees will raise, what kind of people are our so called leaders that would do this to us. Cancel the fees and cancel the studies. Next take a little money from our reserves (this is the time to use a little of our reserves) and then work with the unions to cut overtime and lower compensation a little and if that doesn't work some people will have to be laid off so the other workers can live big for awhile longer. Later we will just have to cut back on union demands when the contracts or over.