No One Calls Me Anymore . . .

[Cindy C.]

. . .  and I am *thrilled* about it!

In the past, the telephone drove me nuts most of every day.  I
received an endless stream of calls from telemarketers.  When the
phone rang, I would either pick up and hear a sales pitch, or I would
stumble all around the house trying to find a phone with caller ID
before the answering machine picked up.  If I took a chance and just
answered the phone when it rang, it was often one of those annoying
recorded sales pitches.  Or there would be no one on the line because
it was one of those annoying recorded sales pitches that hangs up when
a live person answers.

Worse, far worse, were the telemarketing faxes which burned up my
expensive toner cartriges.  Finally, I just took the paper out of the
fax machine.

But now we have the National "Do Not Call" list.  Since October 1, I
have received *not one* telemarketing call.  When the phone rings, it
is someone who wants to talk to *me,* not my wallet.

So here's my question.  Obviously, the direct marketing association
fought the "Do Not Call" list as hard as it could, but it lost the
fight spectacularly.  Why, then, did the special interests lose this
fight?

Also, I understand there is registry (run by the Direct Marketers
Association) for people who do not wish to receive junk mail.  You
have to pay $5, but it would be worth it to avoid all of the junk
mail, which is bound to spike now that telemarketers can't hound us
anymore.  Has anyone registered for that?  I'm afraid I'll send them
$5, and they'll add my address to a list of *suckers* who will believe
anything.  ;-)

Cindy -- who doesn't fully understand the free speech challenge the
telemarketers made, but is reasonably confident their free speech
argument is bogus