Well, it finally happened. The late night unsolicited phone calls, the lawn signs, the brochures that clogged our mail boxes, and the interminable television and radio commercials have finally come to an end. Now whether you will be mourning or celebrating your voting choices this week one thing is clear ? we will all be in a ‘robo call free zone? at least for the next year or so. Despite your political leanings, I think all of will agree that this is something all of us can support.
I suspect that a lot of us have subscribed to the ‘Do Not Call Registry? which is supposed to curtail any unwanted calls to our home phones and our cell phones. Of course the politicians who constructed this edict not surprisingly allowed some caveats to the law, mainly that political calls and charitable calls are excluded from the registry.
Several years ago we purchased a ‘phone call zapper? which is a small device hooked to the phone line that automatically disconnects any computer generated calls. It works just fine except somehow it allows political and charitable calls to come through. I guess there is a reason for the charitable calls but I have to be brutally honest ? we have never donated to a charity that contacts us via a phone call and I suspect that a lot of you have done likewise. We donate to many charities and recently sponsored several people in cancer fund raisers. But don’t call me at home and expect a donation ? it just won’t happen.
Speaking of political calls, I wonder how many of us actually listen to the entire message. And in so far as those daily election polls that measure who the voters favor, I am skeptical of the results. Who are the folks that actually spend the time speaking to the pollsters ? certainly not us. Exit polls are also under suspicion as far as I am concerned because I think a fair percentage of people fudge their voting preferences just to fool with the pollsters.
So here’s my bottom line ? don’t call me about a particular candidate or issue ? keep my name off the list of charitable calls ? and don’t ask me who I voted for when I exit the voting booth. Now if only my ‘phone call zapper? was portable so I could use it on those people standing outside the polling booths. Wouldn’t that be a hoot.
Bill Kalmar
Orion Township resident