Do Not Call!

It never seems to fail that as soon as we sit down to eat, watch our favorite TV show, read a book or write a new blog post, the phone will ring. In too many instances the voice on the other end is asking that we send money to some charity we never heard of, soliciting our opinion on any number of unimportant matters or interrogating us about our preferred candidate in an upcoming election.

So, why are we still getting these annoying calls after registering all of our phones with the Nation Do Not Call Registry? As reported on its website, the FTC and FCC have a dirty little secret:

“Placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop most telemarketing calls, but not all. Because of limitations in the jurisdiction of the FTC and FCC, calls from or on behalf of political organizations, charities and telephone surveyors would still be permitted.”

Citizens have to admire the honesty of their government in admitting that they are powerless to stop the most belligerent forms of telemarketing.

 It gets even more interesting when we more carefully scrutinize each category.

Instead of curing fatal and debilitating diseases, protecting children, advocating for persons with disabilities or preventing animal abuse, charities are busy generating donations to pay for the telemarketers they employ to annoy and dupe individuals who always want to support a good cause. The guilt method will still motivate generous Americans to open their wallets. But don’t feel bad because after the telemarketers are financially compensated, there is still plenty of money left for the high paid executives.

Surveyors are particularly interesting because the same corporations that are prohibited by the Do Not Call Registry from using telemarketers to directly sell us goods or services very often retain surveyors for that very purpose. Does it seem as if the system is being manipulated? Political campaigns will also hire surveyors, which means that candidates for office and elected officials get to victimize us twice.

How many of you reading this have the home or cell numbers of your elected officials or the candidates seeking office? Not many people reading this are able to answer that question in the affirmative. Elected officials and politicians won't make their home numbers public because they want to protect their privacy. Yet they have no problem trashing our privacy with bothersome, unwanted intrusions. It's a great example of “chutzpah.”

It’s time to turn the tables. Call your elected officials and let them know that “Do Not Call,” means "Do Not Call.”