Have you heard of the new “Do Not Call” list that has been created by the FTC? President Bush kicked it off on Friday, and since then over 10 million people have signed up.
Here are a few good articles:
Anti-Telemarketing List Opens for Registration
Thousands Sign Up for Anti-Telemarketing List
10 Million Sign Up for ‘Do Not Call’ List
Now, I know this all sounds great. No more dinner-time interruptions, no more people mispronouncing your name when you answer the phone, and no more people wasting your cell phone minutes to sell you something you don’t need. However, does anyone agree with me that this is a violation of first amendment rights?
It looks like the government has gone to great lengths to keep charities and non-profit organizations off the list, but according to a recent survey, many people are saying they’d like the list to cover all telemarketers and that they’d like similar programs instituted for spam email.
The problem happens when you try to draw the line between what is telemarketing and what isn’t. Could girl scouts get fined for calling people to sell cookies? Could I get fined someday for sending my friend an email? I think door-to-door salesmen are even more annoying than telemarketers. Will the government stop allowing those people to do their jobs, too?
The fact is, we all have to make a living somehow, and telemarketing (as strange as this seems) is an inexpensive and effective way for businesses to find customers. What would you do if the government made laws against the way you make your living? 