Not a car owner himself yet, he asked a straightforward question as we put away tools and got ready to fire up the rig, "What other jobs in fixing a car can you not do alone?" We talked about the type of jobs to avoid doing alone.

For a very long time, the City of Gilroy has been flush in green. Where there is a fat wallet there are happy people. Back then, if you wanted to keep firefighters happy you either built everything out of concrete or gave 'em a shiny new truck every couple of years. Keeping police officers happy was as simple as retirement and sufficient officers to keep a simple patrol east of Monterey from resembling the Spartans at Thermopylae. Money flowed, MOU's were made, and everyone was happy. As the old saying goes, and is lived in the daily lives of all Americans, "What goes up must come down." Plain and simple.

Gilroy's financial crisis, as my distributor was, isn't a job for Council or the unions alone. Public employees won't pay for this alone although they want us to believe they will.

In reality, it is Gilroyans bearing the entire brunt. We live with the results of collective bargaining. We are the ones forced to live with a result from these groups we have zero control over. After the Council demands cuts and police officers leave and fire stations are closed, it will be residents left holding the bag long after this Council and these union negotiators are nothing but a memory. It's really too bad Council and the unions seem to have forgotten this.

Along with police cuts Council should demand from gangs reduced guns, membership, and crime. Might be more successful. Maybe not.

Gilroyans are mad. We have the right to be. Are we being taxed any less because our city services have been cut to save money? No. As residents we pay the same in utility usage, property, and consumption taxes regardless of the level of service provided by the city. We are the only fixed part of the equation.

We pay taxes at a consistent rate and yet are the ones who stand to lose the most. I guess it really pays better to be higher up on the food chain.

The City Council's inability to get their house in order begs a plethora of questions, far too numerous to list here. The main one I've got is: When will you start getting your own house running fiscally sound and accountable? You've had enough time!

Can Gilroyans be compensated or made whole when Gilroy's crime level increases due less sworn officers and we incur losses? No. Can we as residents make claim against the city for damages suffered due to reduced fire and police protection that only nine months ago was enough to protect us adequately? Nope. Did our representatives (Council) have our best interests in mind when budget issues seemed big but were ignored? You decide.

In recent history only two Councilmembers voted against a deficit budget - Dion Bracco and Craig Gartman. The police have the POA. Fire has Local 2805. We have Council. Can they hear us now? We need to hope so.

Council has a tough job right now, and really has had for the last 18 months. Yeah, even before this crisis there has been a smattering of disgruntled residents no matter what Council does. That's expected. What Council hasn't had to deal with before is the visceral disgust evidenced by comments from residents on the Dispatch Web page.

The five bargaining units aren't alone in attempting to reach an agreement. Not a lot of gang bangers work where cops live. Not a lot of arsonists live near a fireman.

Maybe union negotiators and Council should remember residents the next time they point fingers at one another. Hopefully Council will finally get it when they aren't re-elected and unions when binding arbitration is repealed. Residents are the paying customers after all.

Ben Anderson is a longtime Gilroyan and father of two fantastic teens. His column is published weekly.

Ben Anderson Columnist Ben Anderson is a long-time Gilroyan and father of two fantastic teens. You can reach him at column@heyben.us. His column is published weekly.