Jugearscare blues

My wife called the "healthcare exchange" for some information, since she's without insurance since I retired and my "income" puts me above the limit for getting Jugearscare for her at a "subsidized" rate.

She made the mistake of giving them our phone number.

In the ensuing 24 hours, we have been called by no fewer than 20 different numbers around Wisconsin - each a robo-dialer that transfers to a semblance of a human working in a bullpen with other "operators". This person - it has to be a person, since no computer would ever be programmed with such ill skill at pronouncing English words and mangling our last name - reads from a script about how we had inquired about health insurance.

I hung up on the first few after telling them "not interested", swore horribly at the next few, got recorded messages from a few more while we were out, and told the last few that we were not interested and PLEASE remove us from their call list.

When Jugearscare is finally repealed, at least one segment of the economy will suffer - robocall bullpen phone operators. I'm sure that can all get employment in one of the branches of the Occupy movement, or as staffers for Demonrats.

Another message to my rep

I just got woken up by a robocall from (302) 307 1421 about cheap Medicare insurance. I pressed '1' to hear their agent and get a chance to vent at him/her, but it hung up on me. The phone number on Caller ID was spoofed.

15 minutes later, I got a call from (954) 464-6968 - a Robert Weiner, who wanted to ask about that Medicare insurance. I asked him if he had ever heard of the No Call list - he hung up on me.

So, another email to Rep. Pocan:

Dear Rep. Pocan,
Isn't it about time for Congress to address the spate of robocalls and caller ID spoofing? It's 9 PM here and I just got a robocall from 302 307 1421 'Polling Quest' - asking about if I wanted a cheap Medicare policy - just press 1. It got me out of bed. The call hung up on me after I did press 1.

15 minutes later, I got a call from 354 464 6968 'Robert Weiner' - the 'agent for this scam. Asked him if he had ever heard of the 'no call' list. He hung up. I called back - it told me the number was disconnected, but still allowed me to leave a terse message.

How about a law making these calls illegal? How about some prison time for anyone who spoofs a Caller ID signal?

I'm an electrical engineer - and I know it would be trivial for the telcos to make caller ID unspoofable. The only reason they don't is that robocallers pay their phone bills, I expect.
Do something that will have a positive effect on all Americans, instead of just knee-jerk voting' NO on everything.