[Poohbah]

My point, and I'm not surprised folks disagree, is that govt had NO right to become the arbitrator of this.

Actually, they do. Please read Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.

The financial consequences of this thing actually having gone through would have been truly massive.

It will go through in one form or another.

It's a question of whether it goes through in the form of a national DNC list, or a nationwide vigilante movement that firebombs telemarketers.

Which one do YOU prefer?

If you don't want to be called, just do some fairly simple things and problem will be solved.

I did all those things, AT MY OWN F***ING EXPENSE, and the calls ended...for about a month.

And then the telemarketers modified their systems to defeat my countermeasures.

[NittanyLion]

It's a question of whether it goes through in the form of a national DNC list, or a nationwide vigilante movement that firebombs telemarketers.

LOL.

[steve-b]

I did all those things, AT MY OWN F***ING EXPENSE, and the calls ended...for about a month.
And then the telemarketers modified their systems to defeat my countermeasures.

Yes, and these modifications ought to be treated as legally equivalent to lock-picking for the purpose of trespassing.

Spam should be treated the same way -- send all the e-mail you like, but do not use any techniques that can be definitively identified as measures designed to defeat anti-spam filters. That would end the problem without even remotely infringing on free speech.