A random thought: I mentioned the other day that I was switching from Comcast to CenturyLink for Internet. <\/p>\n
C’Link will be an Internet-only contract. The Comcast package included the first land-line I’ve had in years. Didn’t really want it, but it came with the deal. I opted for a non-published number, then signed on to the national “do not call” list. I knew that list was dubious, but since it has pretty much replaced the earlier and better private “do not calls,” I went ahead figuring it would at least be of some help.<\/p>\n
The catch is that the fedlaw governing the list specifically allows politicians, pollsters, and charities to continue calling anybody they please. And doesn’t allow the poor telephone owner to opt out.<\/p>\n
Help? Hardly. Putting my number on the “do not call” list was like signing up to be swarmed by nuisance-call locusts. Although I don’t answer any of those calls, their ringing blasts disrupt my days and evenings. I’ll be thoroughly glad to have the pesky land-line gone.<\/p>\n
But here’s one of those questions to ask anybody who still imagines that the fedgov serves “the people” rather than special interests. If you were designing a “do not call” list for people who really hate nuisance calls — would you assume that everyone requesting “do not call” really, really, really wants to go on hearing from political campaigns, fundraisers, and poll takers?<\/p>\n
Would you assume people requesting “do not call” wanted so much<\/i> to hear from politicians, poll takers, and fundraisers that they wouldn’t even want to have any specific opt-out options? Not even the ability to ask those particular nuisances please and pretty please<\/i> not to call, just as a courtesy, even if the request isn’t fedthug-enforceable?<\/p>\n
Nooooo, I didn’t think so.<\/p>\n
Okay, I grant you this is hardly the most pernicious manifestation of government “help.” After all, you can put your phone number on the “do not call” list and not be murdered by uniformed thugs, “taken out” by a predator drone, jailed, or asset forfeited. That’s something. But for the people …? Huh. That depends on which<\/i> people you’re talking about. <\/p>\n
The worst have been government pollsters, federal and otherwise. My Beloved State “randomly selected” me to take part in a poll and their cloying robo-voice left messages almost daily for two weeks demanding that I go to some website and type in some code to acknowledge their persistence. You just know I’m going to do that, right?<\/p>\n
Ahhhhh, but as of last night the Vile Instrument of the Devil is GONE! (Unfortunately, I don’t mean the vile instrument aka government. Just the telephone. But that’s progress.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A random thought: I mentioned the other day that I was switching from Comcast to CenturyLink for Internet. C’Link will be an Internet-only contract. The Comcast package included the first land-line I’ve had in years. Didn’t really want it, but it came with the deal. I opted for a non-published number, then signed on to the national “do not call” list. I knew that list was dubious, but since it has pretty much replaced the earlier and better private “do not calls,” I went ahead figuring it would at least be of some help. The catch is that the fedlaw…<\/p>\n