No "spread the wealth" for you!"
Posted on 11/06/2008 8:03:41 AM PST by NorCoGOP
Indianapolis - Lines were long and tempers flared Wednesday not to vote but to get paid for canvassing for Barack Obama. Several hundred people are still waiting to get their pay for last-minute campaigning. Police were called to the Obama campaign office on North Meridian Street downtown to control the crowd.
The line was long and the crowd was angry at times.
"I want my money today! It's my money. I want it right now!" yelled one former campaign worker.
A former spokesman for the Obama campaign said 375 people were hired as part of the Vote Corps program and said people signed up to work three-hour shifts at a time. Three hours of canvassing got workers a $30 pre-paid Visa card.
The workers showed up to get their cards Wednesday morning at 10:00 am.
"There was a note on the door saying 1:00 pm and then at 1:20 pm everybody was like why is nobody here. They just got here and they're trying to get it organized," said Heather Richards, a former campaign worker.
The large gathering of around 375 people prompted police to call in extra officers and set up temporary barricades. The barricades helped keep the crowd from spilling out onto Meridian Street. Police say the several hundred people in line were for the most part orderly.
"No arrests. Some of the people were upset at first because the line wasn't moving as fast as they thought it should. But we really haven't had any problems," said Major Darryl Pierce, Metro Police.
Eventually people did start getting paid, but some said they were missing hours and told to fill in paperwork making their claim and that eventually they would get a check in the mail.
"Still that's not right. I'm disappointed. I'm glad for the president, but I'm disappointed in this system," said Diane Jefferson, temporary campaign worker.
"It should have been $480. It's $230," said Imani Sankofa.
"They gave us $10 an hour. So we added it. I added up all the hours so it was supposed to be at least $120. All I get is $90," said Charles Martin.
"I worked nine hours a day for 4 days and got paid half of what I should have earned," said Randall Waldon.
Some people weren't satisfied with filling out a claim form for money they felt was still due to them.
"They say that they gonna call you or they going to mail it to you, but I don't know. We'll see what happens," said Antron Grose.
"Talking about they'll mail it to us. I ain't worried about that, man. They're not going to mail nothin'," said Martin.
Note: The comments tool has been disabled for this story. It is WTHR.com's policy to approve all comments before they are posted because we aim to maintain a civil dialogue on our site. However, because of the large volume of comments generated by this story, we do not have the time to approve them - therefore they have been turned off. We are sorry for any inconvenience. While our goal is to encourage interactivity on our site, in this case, we simply do not have the staff to devote the time to approving comments.
This is only the beginning...how many other promises will he break?
Or, will it be shorter to see how many promises he keeps?
Obama and his advisors will hypnotize them again and they will forget all about it.
He’s just spreading their wealth! What’s the problem?
This is called and “Aha” moment.
What?! You mean to tell me that those people WORKED and expect to receive ALL the money they earned? They should truly be patriotic and donate back some of that money they earned. Obama needs it more than they do.
Socialism sucks doesn’t it...
The dumbasses wanted change, they got CHANGE! (but not the kind they can put in their pockets)
What do they expect, obama hasn’t had time to confiscate our cash yet!
these ppl need to stop being selfish and think only of themselves. they were surpose to be working for free
I’m sure this will be all over the network “newscasts” tonight - NOT!
Why are they complaining? He’s taking out half to share with those who didn’t get up and work for the money - get with the program folks - share the wealth!
“I want my money today! It’s my money. I want it right now!”
LOL...
The battle cry of liberals everywhere. ‘I want YOUR money..It’s MY money and I want it NOW!!
>>
“I want my money today! It’s my money. I want it right now!” yelled one former campaign worker.
<<
Whatever happened to spreading the wealth?
We want pie! We want pie!
They won’t learn.
It’s like an abused wife or a beat dog. They’ll come back and eat his puke.
He is just redistributing the money.........
Just spreading their wealth around.
ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!
Joke’s on them!!!!! And they are TOO STUPID to get it!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
What the hell are they complaining about? After all, they won’t have to worry about paying their mortgage or filling their gas tank, and the besides that, the seas have stopped rising.
Awwwwww. Poor widdle tings with their hands out. Somebody isn’t getting their pie now are they?
They act so surprised, like, they actually believed him.
BWWWWAAAAAAH!
Alright, this cannot be true!/s I watched Anderson Cooper last night and one of the panalist (the supposed R one) said that Bama was paying his staff and medical throughout the remaining year so they would have time to find another job. He was a fine man for doing so, something they have never seen.
It was quite sappy.
What? They got stiffed ... by a socialist? Value system crumbling alert!
People in Indiana aren’t used to being treated like dirt the way they do folks in Chicago. You voted for it. Live with it.
You fools got him elected!! Get use to this.
His hands are going to be your pockets for the next four years!!
Well, ya know, we need to spread the wealth around.
Still true.
“Obama and his advisors will hypnotize them again and they will forget all about it.”
And if that doesn’t work then you get the Civilian Defense Squad to come down there to kick some ass.
uh, $30 visa cards for 3 hours of work; I am sure they paid the proper payroll tax correct?
Maybe that is how I should pay my employees
Hey......they got what they asked for ........live with it.
I thought he had so many "volunteers" that he didn't need to pay people to campaign for him (other than the typical higher responsibility staff).
Back to the W-2's . . . Seriously, is there an exemption for small amounts? Or are these employees considered self-employed contractors? Those of you in the know, enlighten me, please.
Maybe he is redistributing it???
What about taxes, social secuirty and medicare? If they are paying in gift cards, how are they being collected?
Well, don’t forget that the Obama campaign doesn’t really have much money. $10 / hour is a lot to ask when they’re so strapped for cash...
Obama to Campaign Workers: “Useful Idiots!”
This guy doesn’t give his own aunt money, and they expected to get paid?
Michelle Obama: “Pass me some more of that Iranian caviar, would you dear?”
No, they have merely chosen (for the good of the people) to pay these drones in loafs of "day old bread"! After all, if the really gave cash it would be spent on booze and lottery tickets!
thats just the obamareich’s “surplus army of the unemployed.” (sarc)
“Three hours of canvassing got workers a $30 pre-paid Visa card.”
Being stiffed by the Obamassiah: Priceless!
Uhh . . I thought you guys believed in "spreading the wealth." YOUR money? That is so 2008. Don't you know that Obama NEEDS that money to ensure social justice? Don't you know that we ALL have to make sacrifices now to create a just America? That money belongs to the people now.
Well guess what? Ya been had! Ya been took! Ya been hoodwinked! Bamboozled! Led astray! Run amok!
Turns out you have to bend over and take it up the tuchus just like the rest of us. Have a nice day, sucker. Thanks for playing.
I am sure all appropriate gov’t taxes were withheld from these “payments for work”. Maybe that’s just their net pay..... from the new tax structure.
Doh! Barry tactic #12: Use em’ and lose em’. Does anyone know if these Mensa members will be taxed on their earnings?
They are just not Patriotic!
They have been paid in liberal coin — warm and fuzzy feelings.
No "spread the wealth" for you!"
It's taxes, Charles, taxes. Don't you feel patriotic now?
If they made less than $600 no 1099 forms are required to be sent to the IRS, by the campaign. The income is still taxable, though, but they would pretty much be on the honor system, especially for the prepaid Visa cards, as opposed to the checks which would leave a trail if a worker was audited.
I wonder why they used prepaid Visa cards? Could they have been leftover from Obama’s campaign money laundering scheme?
What??? They got paid...I thought they would do it for free for their messiah!
LOL! And I understand they were also underpaid in comparison with McCain workers.
Go figure.
It appears b> Hussein Obamanation is NOT quite the person a lot of people thought he was.
BTW, let’s keep this bumped!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.