Saturday coffee.

John Dillon discusses Executive Director Richard Ingram. Is Ingram a victim of Stockholm Syndrome?

We are one hour earlier here across the Lake. So my radio interview on WCPT (“Chicago’s Progressive Talk”) that was scheduled for 7AM was 8AM for me.

Shower. Made some coffee.  I took care of Ulysses. Let him out for his morning piss. Fed him. I had to delay his morning walk until after the radio show.

I was only on for less than ten minutes. The host asked a question about the Constitutional Amendment that will be on the November 6th ballot, and I was off. Non-stop. I talked about the pension protection clause of the Illinois Constitution. I talked about how this amendment would make contract settlements more difficult, creating the conditions for more teacher strikes, more labor unrest. I talked about how the problem was revenue, not benefits. I talked about how this might affect COLAs, punishing current seniors. I talked about how this amendment would make it impossible to fix the two-tier pension system that the General Assembly created in 2010, requiring new teachers to work longer and get less of a pension. And I talked about how this wold do nothing to address the $85 million unfunded pension liability that the state owes.

Whew!

All before walking Ulysses and my second cup of coffee.

It will be cloudy and rainy all weekend here in Union Pier. But the gray skies seem to make the golden and red maple leaves all the more brilliant. This area of Michigan along the Lake, mostly a ghost town during the week, gets a little more busy on the weekend.

Rosie’s in New Buffalo was busy. That’s where Anne and I had breakfast and my third cup of coffee. There was a bunch of tables with old guys who were filling up on biscuits and gravy before heading for the Notre Dame game an hour east in South Bend.

The rest of the day will be lazy. Another walk with Ulysses if it isn’t raining. This evening we may head over to Three Oaks for an open mic at the Acorn Theater. Before that we are thinking about a stop at the local distillery for some small plates and taste some of their small batch whisky. Or maybe pot roast at the Elm Street Bistro.

We only have one more week out here.

Then it is back to the City. Gotta make plans for Thanksgiving.

Retirement ain’t bean bag, you know.