Thursday, July 21, 2011 launched the recall effort for Rep. Paul Scott from District 51. I don't live in his district, but many of my colleagues do, and I think this man has done more to damage public education than any other current legislator. I am helping in the recall effort! This is the first time I have participated in something so political, but I feel compelled to do so.
I volunteered to work collecting signatures yesterday at Grand Blanc High School (ironically, Paul Scott graduated from Grand Blanc High). One of my colleagues and her sister have been very active in the Recall Snyder campaign. We had petitions to recall Rep. Paul Scott, Gov. Rick Snyder, and a petition to repeal the Emergency Financial Manager law (Public Act 4). The weather was muggy and rainy. Other volunteers said that business at this location had been very steady throughout the day. There seemed to be a lull because of the rain. I grabbed an umbrella and a sign and stood on the side of Saginaw trying to bring people in to sign petitions. Many vehicles honked their horns at us; others would wave or give a thumbs up as they drove past. I felt very encouraged by all of this! One woman slowed her car down and proceeded to shake her head at me. I could only imagine what she was saying to me. This didn't matter because I realize that not everyone is unhappy about how the state is currently being run.
I held the sign for about an hour. A slow stream of vehicles turned into the high school parking lot to sign. The rain had stopped and the sun was peeking out from the clouds. I was asked to take over collecting signatures because one of the volunteers had to leave. Business was picking up because many people were on their way home from work.
What I found interesting was listening to what people had to say as they approached the table. There were so many who were very angry at Rep. Scott for the arrogance that he has displayed. Some people shared stories of coming in contact with Rep. Scott when he was campaigning , or one of the times he visited schools. One mother told of a story when Rep. Scott visited her daughter's school to speak and brought candy, but he didn't bring enough candy for everyone. Her daughter was really upset! I gave her a recall Paul Scott sticker. Another citizen who was an older gentleman came up to the table and said, "I want to know why he didn't marry the woman he got pregnant!" I know these stories have nothing to do with Paul Scott's politics, but they do reveal the level of animosity the public is feeling toward his character. They are signing the petition.
Some people don't agree with what we are doing and want to voice their opinion. One older man pulled his car into the parking lot but didn't get out. When we went up to talk to him, he just wanted to complain about what we were doing. Another younger voter stopped by and actually approached the table. He wanted to argue about the cost of public pensions. We told him to have a good evening and he left. For every head shake or complaint, there were at least twenty-five others who wanted to sign. I left yesterday evening feeling like I had really made a difference.
We collected hundreds of signatures yesterday. It was only the second day, and we were only one location. We have until August 5, 2011. I'm not sure if we can get the required 8,000 signatures, but at least I will know that I tried. I will volunteer more during the next two weeks. If you live in Rep. Scott's district and you want to sign, join the recall Paul Scott Facebook page to find out locations of petitions. If you want to get involved, you can also volunteer. We need all the help we can get!
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