Sen. Don Harmon and Rep. Camille Lilly took it on the chin Sept. 12 from a crowd of 60 or so town-hall listeners in a Galewood church.

In a meeting of just over an hour, assorted cries from the heart filled the air while Harmon and Lilly responded civilly but as the evening wore on, less so, even testily, with Lilly fairly shouting at one point, talking over questioners.

Harmon was optimistic at the start. The state, he said, is turning the corner.” There has been “no borrowing for last three years.” The pension problem is not as dire as some of the media say. Pensions are not the issue but growth of benefits.

This didn’t satisfy a retired teacher, who asked why her benefits were on the line.

They aren’t, Harmon said. “It’s that they don’t grow at the same rate.”

Limiting rate of growth reduces what I receive…

Attended my first meeting last night, at the library. Was welcomed, encouraged to join up. Took a seat up front, 2nd row, looked about me and saw maybe 35 people, including one other man, he seated with a woman maybe his wife.

Speakers hit on domestic workers’ plight. These do scut work so other work can be done: home care to the disabled and otherwise incompetent, watching children, housekeeping. Our age of the working woman means outside the home. In come the free-lance domestic, or household, workers, to fill the gap.

They aren’t unionized and not about to be so. Not enough money involved. Union dues? Forget it. Some or many struggle to keep their own bodies and souls together while changing bed clothes and nannying and scrubbing floors for “working women,” many for $2 or more under minimum wage. Food runs out in their own households, bills are paid…