Voter angst

Dear Editor:The letter in the Nov. 4 edition from Michelle Lugo ("Campaign Calls") raises some interesting questions; a few likely answers are… As to why she gets calls when she's on the "Don't Call" list, the politicians who wrote the law specifically exempted political campaigns from having to respect the list. As to why she gets calls when she has an unlisted number, there are many sources of phone numbers for those diligent enough to seek them out and to pay the price for the lists. Many public agencies sell their data or access to it for a price. Also some of these calls come from robotic machines which just go through a whole set, e.g., from 862-2000 to 862-9999, etc., etc. One wonders if there is a means to avoid the phones in City Hall, hospitals, Rancho, county offices, etc. As to why these campaigns don't honor her request to remove her from their list, the workers are mere pawns in the big machine; it is based on strict one-way communication essentially telling the staff "here's the list and the script, go to it and don't bother us with any feedback." As to why campaigns expect results from continually bothering people to the level of harassment, it just seems to work - as evidenced by the winning success of those who do. Like so many lemmings, a lot of your voting neighbors in the local population seem to have followed the noise without thinking for themselves. The latter is a sad commentary on our modern voters and an indication of their lack of education - especially in civic affairs. Seemingly the only way to escape such a bombardment is to live like a hermit or screen calls with an answering machine. In two years, there will be improved technology for the 2012 campaigns. As Al Jolson said, "You ain't seen nothing yet"; just hold onto your telephone. Better yet - vote by mail and go on vacation during the period; the Grand Canyon and Yosemite should be quiet and beautiful in November. -- Hugh T. Hoskins, Downey

********** Published: November 11, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 30