Day of Dislike: Intersection Solicitors

There is something very unsettling about a person approaching my car when I am sitting at an intersection.  I have purposely missed my turn and stayed in a center lane to lessen the chance of them coming to my window.  I have picked up my cell phone and had fake conversations so I can look too busy to notice them walking my way.  I know this is horribly immature.  An adult would respectfully decline their offer to take my donation and wish them a good day.  Perhaps even a "God bless" for standing out in dangerous traffic in inclement weather to support their cause.

Usually the intersection solicitors are there to collect donations for perfectly wonderful causes.  They come around toting buckets with pictures of terminally ill children on the side.  Evidently, this type of fund raising is very productive because they just keep doing it.  Really, I'm not a cold-hearted cheapskate.  I would gladly donate the change in my car to save a life but there's something about doing it this way that makes me very uncomfortable.

To further cement my discomfort, I was stopped at a red light back in February when a man approached.  I had seen him and his buddies my first time through the intersection that day.  The primaries were a week away and they were out there campaigning for somebody.  Here's what some of their signage looked like...

Anyway, the guy began to rant about how Obama was running our country into the ground.  How he was creating a socialist government with his "Nazi Healthcare."  I did my best to look like I was listening and kept glancing back to see if the light had turned green.  At first it was shocking, then amusing how angry this man was.  Then he asked for a donation to support so&so who was running for whatever seat so he could go to D.C. and battle the evil Obama.

My response, "Seriously?  I love Obama.  I think he's great."  I think I could see the blood pulsating through the veins in his face.  He walked away from my car at that point but I wanted to add, "I think a socialist government is the only answer for this country."  No, I don't really believe it but that remark would have sent his blood pressure soaring even higher.

Luckily, the light turned green and I drove home.  That's when I looked up the candidate and realized just what a wacko group supports him.  It made for an interesting read.  Needless to say, he did not do so well in the primary.  I'm saving my car coins for Juvenile Diabetes (when they catch me), not political crazies.