When our representatives to Congress finally created the National ‘Do Not Call’ Registry, they also created a couple substantial loopholes. Not surprising, they exempted themselves and all other politicos. For good measure, they also exempted charities and non-profits, pollsters and media.

As anyone who has ever gone dashing through the house to grab the phone after settling on the couch to watch a bit of TV after supper only to find it’s someone begging for votes or money can tell you, these shameful loopholes suck.

Last night I returned home to find Congressman Jeff Miller had filled half our answering machine with so much political blah blah blah. Today I called his local Pensacola office (no one answered at his Fort Walton Beach office) to ask that our phone number be taken off his call list.

The earnest receptionist didn’t seem to understand my request and lectured me insistently on the permissibility of the congressman to bother anyone he feels like, whenever he feels like it. In true politician style, the receptionist totally dodged my question, “What do you think ‘do not call’ means?” and, get this, repeated the same spiel she had just delivered! So, I asked, can I give you my phone number and have it placed on the congressman’s own “do not call” list?

Well, apparently there’s no such list. Ol’ Jeff can call me — and you — anytime he wants, and dagnabbit, he’s determined to do so.

Therefore, here’s what our politicians need to do:
1) Remove all exemptions to the National “Do Not Call” Registry. What’s so confusing about the simple request to “do not call”? It means “I don’t want you to call me.” Plain and simple. Even if you’ve allowed yourself a shameful loophole, you should still check the registry just in case I’m on it. If I don’t want someone calling to sell me a timeshare, it probably a good bet that it also means I don’t want you calling to sell me a load of political bull ca-ca either.
2) Today’s technology is pretty impressive. For those people who like receiving calls from charities and non-profits, allow them a mechanism to opt-in to receiving those calls. Same for those folks who like having pollsters interrupt their dinner hour. But make it a conscientious decision on the part of the telephone subscriber to purposefully choose to allow those calls.

So I had the bright idea that I’d call Jeff Miller at home during his supper and discuss his thoughts on telephone abuse and interruptions during quality time with the family, but — what a surprise — his insistent receptionist just said “thank you for calling” and hung up on me.

Let’s write or call our representatives and get them working on closing those National “Do Not Call” Registry loopholes. They’re being abused, and their authors are the worst abusers.

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