* I forgot to post this because I was on break at the time, but a longtime reader was waiting in line at Springfield’s Best Buy on Thanksgiving night and sent me a couple of pics. From his e-mails…

Paid circulators last night at Best Buy in Springfield working the line for term limit petitions. Looked like the amendment Rauner is backing.

The lady told me that she was getting 75 cents a signature, plus a bonus for complete pages. She said her stack was worth $500 when completed.

There were two of them working their way through the line until they let us into the store. They got to me right as we were getting into the store so pics had to be taken quick.

* The pics…

       

58 Comments - Orland (D) - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:16 am: A guy had a table outside Daley Center in Chgo.a few weeks back. When I walked by I heard him saying things like “sign here to get rid of Madigan.” - Anonymous - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:17 am: Asking for more “school’s” and more “teacher’s” sure uses more apostrophes. LOL - Yossarian Lives - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:17 am: Where do I sign for unnecessary punctuation limits? - Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:18 am: “More Apostrophe’s!” Seriously, yeah that is pretty good money for passing petitions. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:19 am: $ .75? Yikes! Margins must be tight for the Company getting the signatures? lol - Just Me - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:21 am: Less taxes but more schools and teachers? How do they think schools and teachers are funded? - Stones - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:24 am: I’m guessing very few of those folks (except for the guy / gal taking the photo) are registered or vote. - Roadiepig - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:29 am: I guess this answers my questions of why “farmer” Bruce was pouring so much money into that term limits PAC. I was hit up by another one if these paid “volunteers” at a local shopping center a couple weeks ago. When I told the woman I didn’t want to sign her petition she asked me ” Why not? Do you like what Madigan has done to our great state?” She must have really needed that 75 cents… - PhoenixRising - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:29 am: Good paying gig/C.O.D. only please - Wensicia - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:33 am: I support a raise in the minimum wage for signatures, from 75 cents to a dollar. - Eve - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:34 am: I signed this petition being passed by a guy in the Target parking lot in Springfield so I could have a conversation with him. He didn’t seem to know who he was doing it for, but then he asked to flip the clipboard to page two to sign a Michael Webster for SoS petition, an opportunity which I declined. - flea - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:34 am: Many years ago I got 25 cents for putting up yard signs for “our” guy and 50 cents for taking down “their” guys yard signs. I thought it was good money for the work… - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:35 am: “Look, I won’t get out of bed for less than $1 a signature.” To the Pictures, How fun, the poster is worse than when I think I know how to spell. I guess “school’s” or “teacher’s” would be ones I would proofread(?) - Frank - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:35 am: Fitting that as I read this post, Rauner’s paid Capitolfax banner ad was right next to it in the center column featuring a photo of him holding a sledgehammer — cross-armed…proving he’s never actually swung a sledgehammer in his life. A real vest-wearing man of the people. - Nonplussed - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:36 am: A very nice lady has had a table set up at the Ogilvie Metra Station (where the French Market is, not in Citicorp Center). She has been there on and off for several weeks. - Levois - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:38 am: Last week I had signed a petition on the L for a guy who wanted term limits for senators on the ballot. He also claimed he was getting paid to collect signatures. It’s like he had a speech. - dupage dan - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:38 am: The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe…… - DuPage Dave - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:39 am: They had young people at the suburban train stations who were pretty uninformed about the amendment they were collecting signatures for. There was also a table in the concourse of the Ogilvie station for about a week. The individual I spoke with there seemed to think the amendment was some sort of libertarian, less-government-is-better proposition. You can’t blame people for taking a job, but if I were running that railroad I would at least give them a set of talking points on a postcard. - Joan P. - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:40 am: There’s a place for signs like that one: http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/ - Rich Miller - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:46 am: Thanks for another Zappa reference, DD. Made my morning. - Anonymous One - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:50 am: Last time I looked, the way schools are funded and personnel paid is with taxes. Until that changes, decreasing taxes isn’t gonna buy anything. What planet do some people live on? - Hyperbolic Chamber - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:51 am: When are the petitions due? That is going to be one massive endeavor to check/challenge those signatures. (I wonder. Do they get paid per “good” signature or per signature? I hope the circulators aren’t getting screwed - ‘Sorry! no bonus for you on this page because that person is not registered to vote’. Oh, the joys of being an “independent contractor.”) - dupage dan - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:53 am: Thank you, Rich. Zappa’s metaphors have kept us all wondering for years, no? To the post - who cares if the collector knows what the issue is about. Does it make the issue any less legitimate? It should stand or fall on the merits. Since power doesn’t evaporate in the political arena, merely shifting to some other entity, where does the power of the incumbent go when term limits apply? Some here have suggested it shifts to aides and lobbyists, who hand around long after the politicians have “retired”. - Carl Nyberg - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:53 am: The level of ignorance in US society is appalling. Eddie Winters spoke at Northside DFA on Tuesday and got asked about single-payer health care. His answer left people feeling like he didn’t know what single-payer health care is. This is a guy who has run for state legislature three times. He’s been a state rep. The district includes pockets of affluent voters. The discussion of public policy is not penetrating into the general population. And that works to the advantage of people trying to manipulate the public with ideas that benefit the 1% at the expense of the rest of us. - dupage dan - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:53 am: That would be “hang” not “hand”. - Cincinnatus - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:55 am: Economic Development - Rauner style. - Give Me A Break - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:58 am: There were a group of these folks trying to get people to sign outside our Church on Thanksgiving Day. The church is in Springfield and we were serving a free meal to those in need. The group trying to get people sign heard a lot of comments like “stop doing this on Thanksgiving, what is wrong with you people?. - Makandadawg - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:59 am: So they get paid for piece work and a bonus too. Sounds like a great way to pay state workers. - Grandson of Man - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 9:59 am: “Paid signatures” “Strikers” who were protesting recently to raise the minimum wage were accused of being paid activists, and that few actual workers were “striking.” That’s the way it goes, I guess. Either way, raising the federal minimum wage is another very popular policy that won’t get enacted. I helped a campaign collect petitions around two months ago, but it was for a progressive income tax. I didn’t get paid, but I got some unexpected press coverage. “pretty uninformed about the amendment” The people with whom I colleted petition signatures were very aware of what we’re asking for. In my opinion, there is a real connection between unions and other like-minded organizations and their activists, as opposed to the billionaire-funded tea party and many of their supporters. Rauner is trying to drive a wedge between ordinary union members and their leaders, but we’re overwhelmingly on the same page. - Michelle Flaherty - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:01 am: Best Buy, buy one ” get one ” free. And don’t miss our Black Friday door buster deal on misplaced apostrophes. Yet another example of why public education needs more resources. - ChrisB - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:02 am: If my friends and I were more musically inclined, we would start a band named The Inappropriate Apostrophe’s. - dupage dan - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:03 am: Maybe we need to invent a magic marker that employs spell check. - dupage dan - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:04 am: Call the band the “Comma Chameleons”. - GOPgal - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:21 am: Note the sign promising more schools, more teachers and no tax increases. The proposed referendum addresses no such things. This would be more of the same from the company hired by Rauner for his petition drive. The company has been spanked repeatedly before for similar misleading acts and misrepresentations, see e.g. the gay marriage petition drive in California. Arno is the company. Doesn’t anyone know how to Google? Shame on Bruce Rauner. Yeah he’s turning the tables alright. Sheesh. - Roadiepig - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:32 am: DD- great band name, but please don’t hire a Boy George impersonator for lead vocals - walkinfool - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:33 am: Who wouldn’t sign a petition for less taxes and more teachers? What’s term limits have to do with it? What’s a term limit anyway? The ignorance of some voters is only matched by that of the petition passers. I don’t mind them spreading a little cash around to those who need it for the Holidays. - CircularFiringSquad - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:35 am: Sounds like the work of a true outsider to us We are sure these signatures should stand up very nicely Thanks FarmerBrucey for crushing our hopes of putting terms limits on the ballot so staff and lobbos can take full control - Nearly Normal - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:39 am: I think I heard Sister Mary John rotate in her grave in Sinsinawa, WI when I read that sign and saw all those misapplied apostrophes! - Not A Fan - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:39 am: The two women came in to my church in Springfield on Thanksgiving Day. The younger woman came in alone. She was looking for food because she hadn’t eaten in a day. I didn’t recognize her as one of our regular clients, so I asked if she was new to Springfield. She said she was in town collecting signatures for a petition for term limits. After she found out we would give her a hot meal and place to warm up she went and brought the older woman back. Because I knew they were collecting signatures for Rauner, I asked them why they didn’t have money for food. They told me there were 6 of them in town collecting signatures and they weren’t given much money. They stayed at the Shamrock Hotel, which speaks volumes. I asked who they were working for. The younger woman didnt’ know. The other one said the Committee for Reform and Term Limits. Neither seemed to know that a billionaire who made money the easy way was behind the petition. I explained to them who Bruce Rauner was and what he stood for. - Siriusly - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:44 am: Is that sign the Rauner campaign platform? I saw a paid circulator recently. I asked the guy “So you are working for Bruce Rauner right?” and he said “yes”. I sure hope that “my buddy Bruce” doesn’t think this is actual job creation. - Arthur Andersen - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:45 am: #Hammer’ And’ Shake’ - A guy... - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:58 am: I’m not sure this is any different than collecting signatures at a Train Station, a grocery school, a parade or just outside of a high school football game. I’ve seen all of those things take place by lots of candidates and referendums. Not my style, but not unusual. I imagine it was .75 ea. or a buck each if you completed a page. Like a few others, I hope some folks who really needed the $ benefited from the effort. I wish every candidate would pay to take signs down afterward, that would be a great economic plan. lol - Thomas - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 11:29 am: Stones is right…if you’re passing petitions at Best Buy you’re gonna get a lot of crappy signatures. But the number of signatures filed is going to be so high it will be very labor intensive to challenge all the invalid ones. Will Madigan dedicate dozens of foot soldiers to that task over several weeks? Or will he just count on the Supremes find this referendum unconstitutional, as they did when Pat Quinn tried to put it on the ballot 20 years ago? - Hyperbolic Chamber - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 11:47 am: Thomas - MJM is nothing if not meticulous and thorough. Yes. He will dedicate the resources to challenge the petitions. - Anon. - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 12:14 pm: ==Less taxes but more schools and teachers? How do they think schools and teachers are funded?== Their gonna higher more “teacher’s” buy cutting waist. Duh! - olddog - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 12:38 pm: So this is how the job creators do it — 75 cents a signature, a bonus and no defined benefit pension plan. - GOPgal - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 12:43 pm: Surprised Rauner doesn’t just give them an $18 watch. - A guy... - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 1:07 pm: olddog, in my experience, it’s how a lot of incumbents do it. Only, as pointed out, the going rate is a buck. But they do have to pass the “registered” test. - Norseman - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 1:38 pm: Now we see the Raunerbo job creation program first hand. Does it include health benefits to pay for the medical costs of treating pneumonia? I suspect not! - RNUG - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 1:45 pm: This year I’ve ran into signature takers who clearly misrepresented who / what they were collecting the names for. When I took the time to check the form and challenge them, they admitted that it was for the person / reason listed … and I declined. Some of them acted like they didn’t have a clue on the issues. - KEVIN - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 3:10 pm: Since the majority seem to dislike this selfless attempt to break up this corrupted political machine by allowing citizen taxpayers to vote for term limits, one might assume the majority of commentators are a large part of the problem. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 3:13 pm: - KEVIN -, So the “if you don’t agree, you are part of the problem” schtick is the answer to all this? Life is so simple with that thought, whe can we all visit there too? - Rich Miller - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 3:22 pm: Thanks, KEVIN. It’s always nice to hear from the Raunerbots. - Pensioner - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 3:42 pm: Rich folks getting the have nots to enrich themselves? Business as usual. Has he no volunteers? - Demoralized - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 5:20 pm: @KEVIN: Ever heard of voting. It’s a term limit option you already have. - Just The Way It Is One - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 5:33 pm: Bruce…it may be legal but it’s just not nice to use some desperate folks trying to earn a few bucks and who likely don’t even believe in that cause, to do your dirty work for you while you’re busy somewhere fund-raising for a few more hundred thou$and and winding up that $18 watch on your wrist–which the young lady at work in the picture probably couldn’t afford even AFter you use and pay her a pittance…tsk tsk!! - Johnny Justice - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:34 pm: 75 cents a signature is pretty chintzy, especially for a gazillionaire, like Rauner. I understand he has hired company from CA that specializes in this. They had petition passers at both the pro and anti same sex marriage bill rallies. They know what they’re doing! - Norseman - Thursday, Dec 12, 13 @ 10:46 pm: === 75 cents a signature is pretty chintzy, especially for a gazillionaire, like Rauner === Yes, but it’s always about the profit margin for the rich guys. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.