Back to the issue at hand, I believe that Retired Citizen has a point and if there is an honest study available, I would be willing to look at it and weigh it against what seems logical. Which for most citizens would be that they would rather take a pay cut and keep their job than to lose it altogether or have a friend or co-worker loses theirs? Yes even I a mean hearted, cold blooded capitalist, working hard for a publicly traded company that has at its head a CEO that makes more than you think is fair have willing taken a pay cut to assure the survival of our company and help reduce the chances of us having to lay off employees.

I agree that the city has tough decisions to make, and that the sins of our past are being visited upon us now. The answer is not always “raise taxes” just like the answer is not always “cut taxes” and “We the People” need to back off and let the people we elect do the job we elected them for. If at election time, we do not believe they are doing a good job we need to get off our collective behinds and vote for someone that we believe will, and hold them accountable for their performance. Oh, that almost sounds like capitalism, and I know that is a bad word now. By the way, if you are going to be upset about the income of CEO’s and other executives, please check the salaries of your favorite basketball & football teams and players. Maybe the President needs to appoint a salary Czar for them too.

We all know you can slant an evaluation to reflect the outcome you want.

An honest study is needed, I don’t see that this has been accomplished.

As Colvin states, 60 – 90 percent of something is better than 100% of nothing. But I see only ‘services’, which affect citizens, suggested. Just like the before election threat of cutting Pioneer Museum or Rockledge etc. etc. adressed..

Yeah, let’s cut taxes too. Who cares if 94% of the Colorado Springs economy depends on taxes. Peterson, Norad, Air Force acad, Fort Carson, they are all private enterprises of course.
Home building almost entirely depends on the military. What? The military gets funding from taxes?
I thought they were a private enterprise! McDonald Douglas, Boeing, all the high tech companies get funding from the Defense budget. Gee, where does the Defense get there money? Taxes, oh it couldn’t be.

Well maybe socialism isn’t so bad after all. Here people reading this article wish they had a city job. And they are pissing about their capitalist, private sector job. Hmmm, seems like the capitalist job system is working just fine. You know, make as much as you can, screw everyone else. You know, send all possible jobs to other countries. If you have a $40 Million management position God has “blessed” you.
Can I hear an “Amen”???? Ah, the wonderful capitalist system!!!

You need a job? Oh, screw you, you whiner. The capitalist system says you should just go die and starve because you can not work for as cheap as Indians.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Don’t widen streets where future growth is in question at this time. In the tech bust, GoG Rd was widened between Agilent Technologies (then HP) and Intel. Those parking lots are almost empty. Why widen the road? Traffic on Woodmen Rd., west is not that heavy. Why spend the money to widen that road?

Not to attack city employees, but when I worked at Agilent Technologies, they thought nothing of cutting my pay 10% to help save jobs. 90% of something is still better than 100% of nothing. Now a city employee may say, “it’s easy for me to dictate…” Right now I’m at 60% of my pre-tech-bust pay, even after having my wife go back to work. 60% of something is still better than 100% of nothing. We don’t like it, but we’re surviving in these tight times right now.

Make it inviting for corporations to move to Colorado Springs. Get some primary industry in the area. Get some diversification on that primary industry. The secondary industries in this area (plummers, electricians, movie theaters, Wal-Mart, insurance agents, and other service related industries) can only feed on each other for so long (two ticks and no dog). Without an additional influx of cash, Colorado Springs will continue to have to tighten its belt. Get more diversified. Sure, we have defense and high tech. High tech feeds off of defense, and defense off the government. When (not if) Obama starts transferring tax dollars away defense towards social (communistic) programs and the defense industry starts to lay off, we’ll really feel it. That unthinkable thing happened in the early 90s in Silicon Valley. Let’s diversify our primary industries. Let’s make it profitable to manufacture things in Colorado Springs. Lets turn this area into a business friendly community.

That’s my two cents. It’s only worth what you paid for it.