I know that this has been online since June but it just appeared in NewsMax in the August 2004 print version. Although American Coming Together (ACT) has said they don't see it as a problem, I DO. The fact that these felons are gathering social security numbers, addresses and telephone numbers of citizens is troubling to me.
ACT does not believe the felons it sends door to door pose a threat to the public, said Mo Elleithee, a Washington-based spokesman for the group.
"We believe it's important to give people a second chance," Elleithee said. "The fact that they are willing to do this work is a fairly serious indication that they want to become productive members of society."
Although ACT asks job applicants to cite their criminal history and hires some felons and not others, Elleithee would not reveal how many felons ACT has hired to canvass neighborhoods and register voters. They earn $8 to $12 an hour.
Elleithee confirmed that felons have been hired in Missouri, Florida and Ohio and said it was possible that felons had been hired in the other 14 states in which it's conducting its drive: Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
