DEADLINE FOR THE MET: Looks like the City of Fresno is going to be in the museum business. Bee reporter George Hostetter has been keeping on top of the ongoing story of the Fresno Metropolitan Museum's financial woes as a Wednesday deadline for the museum to repay a $15 million loan approaches. An agreement hammered out between Mayor Ashley Swearengin and museum director Dana Thorpe involves the city paying off the loan, assuming title to the land and building, and charging the Met rent. (But only $1,000 a month for the first year.) The deal has to be approved by the City Council at Tuesday's meeting. There have been some interesting reader comments left on George's story. On one side of the issue, a reader writes:

Those that support the continuation of support of museums, etc., don't mind taking the money of other citizens, by force, to accomplish their dream of "utopia" ... If YOU like the museum than YOU should support it, not vote for citizens who do not even speak English to support a facility that they cannot afford to visit and do not visit. To do anything else is rape of the poor by the upper class. Museums are nice if you like them. If you like them, support them. I don't like them and I do not believe that I should be forced to pay for your interests ... This is an example of the tyranny of the majority--the majority of voters voting to take the money of the minority to pay for services that benefit only the most educated and those most enamored of museums.

On the other:

This isn't really that uncommon, you know. Lots of museums nationwide are subsidized in part or in whole by their cities. We've been - lucky isn't the word, but fortunate to not be paying tax money for our museum to this point. Many cities do. The bottom line is the Met does a world of good things, I loved it as a child, my child loves it, and this city needs a great museum. With a little help for a few years, we're going to have it, and the Met's going to pay the money back, or the city will get the money back based on property sales. I can't see how that's a bad thing.