"[Scott] Walker implies recall workers are paid."

"I’ve assumed all along that between activists and paid circulators, if they paid enough people they’d ultimately be able to get that number."

IN THE COMMENTS: Don't Tread 2012 said:

Being paid for something is the result of a simple business transaction between 2 parties. Last time I checked it is not illegal.

Questionable and illegal are different.

If a person exchanges his/her time for pay collecting signatures I have no problem with it, provided the signatures are valid.

It (used to be?) is the American way.

Fine. Work for pay is honorable, even in politics. A political campaign isn't carried out entirely through volunteers. But money in politics matters. In fact, Scott Walker's antagonists lambaste him for his connection to monied interests. Some folks stress getting the money out of politics. They rail about Citizens United and so forth. That's one way to go, the wrong way I think, because it's not going to work and it violates freedom of speech. But part of freedom of speech — key to the majority's opinion in Citizens United — is the public's interest in receiving information. In this light, what is crucial when it comes to money in politics is that we the public receive information about who's spending the money and where.

Thus, what I want is to know to what extent signature-gatherers are being paid. Who is being paid, how much, and by whom? I want to follow the money.