Editorials
Time to pass a law banning political robo-phone calls
TBO.com
Published: February 8, 2012
No wonder so many people are sick of politicians playing by their own set of rules. These politicians feign outrage and claim basic rights are being overlooked or trampled for all kinds of things. Then they flood our home phones and cell phones with text messages and recorded missives on why they are the best choice in an election. It's time for that nonsense to stop.Published: February 8, 2012
Politicians pay a lot of money for lists of phone numbers so they can carpet bomb states leading up to elections. Former Gov. Mitt Romney was the biggest violator by tapping our cell phones for calls and texts.
The Do Not Call Registry doesn't protect us one bit. And there's little anyone can do to stop it. Campaigns hit fast and don't necessarily play by the rules. By the time anyone complains it's too late.
On cell phones, some plans have limited numbers of minutes each month, and then the customer will be charged for anything extra. Most importantly, citizens should have the right to not get calls from anyone soliciting anything if they so choose.
About one-third of Americans no longer have home phones, choosing instead to use their cell phones. The Do Not Call Registry only works for home phones, and even then every time you give your phone number for special offerings or to support non-profits, or even while registering to vote, you are allowing your phone number to be called.
No fine print should be allowed when signing up for anything that allows this kind of thing. If someone wants to opt-in to political calls or surveys or whatever, that's fine. But citizens should have the right to decide that, not politicians breathlessly seeking an edge during an election.
Banning political calls to people who don't want them is a no-brainer. There's no good argument for it. A federal law should be passed broadening the Do Not Call Registry to include any kind of call we don't want. Abusers should face big fines if they violate it.
Come on, members of Congress. Constituents want you serve them, not yourselves. If a citizen doesn't want to receive campaign calls, then don't call them. It's that easy. No worthless political sound bite will make up for the fact that they are violating people's privacy by calling at all hours. Do the right thing and stop this practice.