Yet again Palo Alto and manager Shikata take the easy road, digging us (and everyone living in Palo Alto in the next 50 years) further into the debt of unfunded, defined-benefit pensions. Not a single company in the U.S. would guarantee such unfunded pensions, because (1) it would be ruinous to the future of the company and (2) it would be illegal!

Every time the contract with the unions needs to be renegotiated is an opportunity to move away from this disaster. We missed it again. And consider the immorality of saddling people in the future with liabilities for services rendered to us that we don't pay for. This fits the definition of a Ponzi scheme, and that is why it would be illegal for corporate America to engage in this nasty practice.

This has been going on for over 20 years, since the management reign of Frank Benest. Everyone knows it is not sustainable. Why don't our representatives on City Council act to stop the bleeding?

I'm embarrassed to say I missed the local media's coverage of the negotiations, i.e., the union demands, how they would impact the city budget, the city's offers, etc.