Main Street

Volunteers from All Stages of Life Dedicate Themselves to Recalling Scott Walker

By Carrie Geenen – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Gov. Scott Walker’s attack on working families may have divided Wisconsin and polarized the two sides, but it also motivated us to not only speak out, but to take action. Working America members feel pretty strongly about what Walker is doing to our state, and most of our members agree that the Governor is hurting working families.

Our members from all stages of life, have been putting in the effort to recall Governor Walker. Lois from Oshkosh is a retiree whose family members are now struggling to make ends meet because of his cuts. Lois is not only collecting signatures in her free time, but also regularly calls the local recall office to asking what food and supplies are needed.

Scott from Bay View is a contractor who has been out of work for about a year. He is using his free time to collect signatures and has personally collected more than four hundred. Julia from Milwaukee owns a local daycare center; she has noticed a drop in attendance since Walker took office as parents lose their jobs or state assistance for child care. Julia has been circulating petitions amongst the parents at her daycare to help with the recall effort.

Ron from Milwaukee, also retired has also been collecting signatures in his spare time. He told us that despite living on a limited income, “I’m down to eating peanut butter sandwiches right now, but I want to get this guy out and that’s more important than me going out to some restaurant for a fancy dinner.” Ron understands that the recall is about more than just collective bargaining rights; he thinks that access to education and health care are top issues, and Walker’s treatment of teachers, cuts to education, and restrictions on BadgerCare don’t sit well with him.

Mary from Racine displays the kind of selflessness and generosity Wisconsin is known for; she is living on disability payments to make ends meet, but does what she can to give back to the community. Mary regularly donates clothing and food to those in need, she had this question for politicians like Scott Walker, “if I can give back while my Medicare gets cut then why can’t the wealthiest 1 percent share in the sacrifice as well?” She has been helping in whatever way she can with the recall to show Scott Walker that all people, regardless of wealth, matter to Wisconsin communities.

Political hands on both sides concede that removing Governor Walker is a tall order. Even before an election is scheduled, organizers must gather over 540,000 signatures before January 17, and the Wisconsin winter doesn’t make the collection process any easier. Walker and his wealthy allies are already bombarding the airwaves with pro-Walker TV ads. But this recall effort has been held together by the optimism of those who are out there pounding the pavement for signatures, donating to their local recall offices, and the thousands of citizens who are signing the petition. The tenacious recall volunteers have already proved their dedication and effectiveness, collecting 300,000 signatures in just 12 days.

Clearly, the people of this state believe that by working together we can help move Wisconsin Forward again.

Image by DailyKos user noise of rain.

Tags: Corporate Accountability, Education, Health Care, Jobs, Scott Walker, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Recall