A pick-up truck pulled into the location with two burly men inside, as I approached and said “How ya doin’ today guys” I could see that the driver was wearing an I.B.E.W. cap. To my surprise the driver (Frank) asked if they could sign the petition and then said “We’re union electricians, but we don’t stand with these lazy bums that work for the government.” His passenger (Stan) added “I’ve got a neighbor who works for the highway department, before all this stuff happened he used to brag about what a big scam they had going and how he almost never had to do any work.”
The next vehicle to pull in provided a bit of comic relief for the afternoon. The young woman in the car was named Kimberly, she wanted to sign the petition so I handed her the clip board and a pen. As she filled out the petition she was rambling on about Governor Walker’s attack on the unions, the damn Republicans and how as a home health care worker (SEIU) she knew how the proposed budget cuts were going to wind up killing people. She handed back the clipboard and I asked her if she had any idea what our recall petition was for. “Isn’t it to kick out Walker?” she asked. I pointed to the four large and prominently displayed “Recall Wirch” signs and said “No, this is to recall Senator Wirch. Would you like me to cross out your signature?” I was stunned as she said “No, he should be fired too.” I could only laugh as she drove away.
