"Do Not Call" Means Poorest May Lose Jobs

Cato Institute ^ | various | Various

[LowCountryJoe]

According to The Los Angeles Times, "Last summer, the federal government announced a national registry for consumers who want to block telemarketers from calling them. Americans rushed to sign up.

"Of the nation's 166 million residential numbers, 51 million are now off-limits to telemarketers. Despite ongoing court challenges, the list went into effect last month.

"The crackdown might be welcomed by consumers, but not by telemarketers like Millican, many of whom survive on the economic fringe. The nation has lost 2.6 million jobs in two years, and the 'do not call' list is expected to put hundreds of thousands more people out of work."

In "Like It Or Not, Free Speech Protects Telemarketers, Too", Cato's Robert Levy, senior fellow in constitutional studies, argues that "when government sets the rules, it must not discriminate based on the content of the calls. That's what the First Amendment means. Free speech is not subject to plebiscite, no matter how many millions sign up for no-call. [Supreme Court] Justice William Brennan got it right: 'If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.'"

[Elsie]

A telemarketer's "free speech" does not entitle him to use services paid for by others.

Indeed!

How would these pro-marketers like it if, instead of their phone, they drove down the street with a big loudspeakers on their truck with their pitch at high volume?

---

'Free Speech' remember...........

[NELSON111]

"I really was looking at it as reducing the opportunity for these people to make a decent living by limiting free speech, however after reading some of these post and juding the way some of you look at it, I am slowing changing my thinking."

Good thing. You get 3 a week? Try 4 or 5 a day! Some nights 2....some days 8-10 or more. When you have little ones that need a nap...and that solicitor wakes them up with their phone call...3 times in a two hour period or more...you want them to go away. They know the market...and they usually ask for my wife because I beleive they know she is home during the day. Days I talk off I want to rip the phone out of the wall. Saying "thank you, bye" gets old when your 17 month old (or my 4 year old) wakes up after you just get the laid down for a nap and you WERE looking forward to some peace and quiet.

It's one thing if my mother calls (I have to talk to her)...quite another when someone I don't want calling me does it.

[Darksheare]

My step-daughter died in a car accident at 10;15 AM on Friday Dec 29th 2000.
We didn't know this until around 8PM that night.
We were online via dial-up largely to avoid telemarketers.

We had more than 8 calls a day, sometimes as many as 20.

"Would you like a free cellphone?just give us access to your bank account!" (imagine that said in a quick-e-mart accent).
I hate telemarketers.

[arthurus]

so we can force the illegals out of our country

I SUSPECT THAT MANY OF THEM ARE ILLEGALS.

[Elsie]

I NEVER answer my phone but that the answering device doesn't screen it first!

I have an insulting message to telemarketers on it, and the jerks STILL play their tape recorded blurb for me!

Returning home from a vacation is REAL fun as I delete the junk off of it. Many times I've run out of record space because of these uncaring fools who are just 'making a living' loading up my machine!

[tiki]

I tell you what when they do a story alongside about the elderly who have been bilked out of their life savings and it doesn't look a lot sadder then I'll give them a second for a thought but probably not.

Don't forget, the government didn't force anyone to get on the list.

[meyer]

My provider, Verizon, has sued call spammers.

Its a good policy. But, its subject to change at the whim of Verizon. If the spammers offer enough $$, they'll reconsider that policy.

[Legerdemain]

Well, if I was a telemarketer, I think I would love the no-call list, 50 million people less that I have to hear no from. That sounds like a time saver to hear a "yes I am interested in your product". No brainer to me.

[luckystarmom]

Try 5 or more a day is how often I was getting calls.

[luckystarmom]

I'm so sorry about your step-daughter.

[palmer]

If my air time is worth that much to a spammer they are welcome to buy it from Verizon. But I doubt it is.

[Darksheare]

It's been three years since.
But if we didn't have such a sheer volume of telemarketer parasites calling, we'd have known what happened alot sooner.
We'd no sooner hang up, than we'd get THE SAME one calling again.

We got caller ID, they started not listing their number.
We blocked unlisted number, they went to 'unknown name and number' we blocked that, and they went to a listed number with unknown name.
We went on the DNCL, and haven't really had trouble since.
When the flaky court went to strike the DNCL down, we got repeated calls.
We told them not to bet the farm on the court.

But I have a special loathing in the bottom most cesspool of my liver for telemarketers.

[bluejean]

Yep. To shut up the beep on the answering machine and clear the @$#%! message.

[Held_to_Ransom]

Let me get this striaght - You're sitting here bitching about all the useless telemarketers who may lose their jobs and you complain about "bitching and moaning"? Boy, get yourself a mirror!

You ran from this before, so I will say it again in different words. What makes you think 2 million people who earned there living telemarketing were useless, either to themselves, the business community or their customers. I know why you don't answer it. You can't because you remark is stupid. I have faith that someday you too will learn this. Its no different than asking the government to help police my property against other soliciters and tresspassers.

Is there a government list for tresspassers? I think not. Aren't you going over the dep end here? You are. Guess you just don't realize it. Going to the government to solve you imaginary problems is a classic Democratic symptom. Better check your voter registration. Who knows what else you are doing while you aren't looking. Dude - listen up - its MY telephone and I don't want you or your useless deceptive telemarketers calling me at any hour. Ever! And nobody is entitled to tresspass on my property including my phone line unless I give permission. Is that such a hard concept for you to understand?

That's easy. Cut your phone line off at your property line. No problems. The telephone system is something we all share for all sorts of reasons. You just want to use the parts I use without letting others use the parts you use.

Apparently, for most telemarketers it is, since the vast majority of people in this country have turned to the government, much like they'd turn to the police, to help enforce that concept.

Yes, but I find nothing admirable in encouraging weak minded petulance.

This is no different than a do-not-solicit sign for the phone line.

Oh yes there is. As far as I am concerned, you can hang a hundred 'do-not-solicit' signs on your phone when I call. I have no problem with that. I don't care how many of those are on it when I call as long as you aren't too rude or stupid to answer your phone like a human being. Even if your aren't, I'll try some other time in the off-hand chance you have learned a little more about taking care of your self in a civilized manner.

[Darksheare]

post #183

[usadave]

The nation has lost 2.6 million jobs in two years, and the 'do not call' list is expected to put hundreds of thousands more people out of work."

Headlines from the past:

Invention of automobile expected to put thousands of buggy makers out of work.

Invention of electric lightbulb expected to put thousands of candle makers out of work.

[EDINVA]

should we post Mr. Levy's home phone and see how he really likes free speech?

[Legerdemain]

"Twisting this into an employment issue won't help - these people aren't productive members of society."

I don't like telemarketers any more than anyone else. However, saying that these people are not productive members of society is crass and baseless.

Vast numbers of telemarketing employees are young people working while attending college, single moms doing the best they can, second-job people supporting themselves while they work up the success ladder, supplemental income to retirees, etc.

The loss of this kind of employment will greatly impact the lives of those above. And its those low end workers who will be impacted the most. The telemarkting companies... well yep, you guessed it... they are taking the business to Canada and overseas. One market closes, another opens up!


Well, I betcha Wal-mart will be hiring soon after clearing out all the "undocumented citizens" are cleared out

[Legerdemain]

"Twisting this into an employment issue won't help - these people aren't productive members of society."

I don't like telemarketers any more than anyone else. However, saying that these people are not productive members of society is crass and baseless.

Vast numbers of telemarketing employees are young people working while attending college, single moms doing the best they can, second-job people supporting themselves while they work up the success ladder, supplemental income to retirees, etc.

The loss of this kind of employment will greatly impact the lives of those above. And its those low end workers who will be impacted the most. The telemarkting companies... well yep, you guessed it... they are taking the business to Canada and overseas. One market closes, another opens up!


Well, I betcha Wal-mart will be hiring soon after clearing out all the "undocumented citizens",

[sirchtruth]

It's one thing if my mother calls (I have to talk to her)...quite another when someone I don't want calling me does it.

LOL! Yeah Mom's make you do that, don't they...I always had to give the ole proverbial...YESSSS MOTHER!

Well, it definately seems quite intruding with 10 calls a day...that does kinda take it over the edge. Just as another poster put it there use to be a time when these people wouldn't call during dinner or after a certain time out of respect, but now it's full speed dial ablazin'...

btw I also like the asking for their "credit card and phone#" for using your time! That's classic!