Another involuntary "telephone town hall"

Ron Johnson has done it again - my phone rang last night, and for almost ten minutes would not allow me to make a call, because Senator Johnson wanted me to participate in his "town hall".

Hang up, wait a few seconds - the phone is still connected. There's no easy way to tell the computer to release the line.

Sent the Senator an email suggesting stiff penalties for anyone making a robocall without it instantly releasing the line when hung up on, and giving an opt-out feature in the first seconds of the call - that would have the same effect as the federal no-call list is SUPPOSED to have. Also, stiff penalties for credit card scams and such that spoof Caller ID.

Just got a reply:

Senator Ron Johnson

To

ck***@***.***

Today at 2:27 PM

Dear Chuck,

Thank you for contacting me regarding health care reform.

Obamacare has left our health care system in need of repair. In Wisconsin, premiums and deductibles have doubled or even tripled for individuals, and insurance carriers continue to leave the individual market.   We need to repair this damage. But I don’t believe we should try to replace one dysfunctional “comprehensive” Washington-written plan with another.

My priority is a bill that will stabilize the individual marketplace, will keep costs from skyrocketing further, and will repeal the market distortions that Obamacare created. We need to transition to a system that actually works – one that incorporates free-market reforms and patient-centered care, one that turns over more decision-making authority to individuals and states.

This process is not going to be simple. Obamacare has been in place for several years, and it will take time to repair the damage. I am committed to representing Wisconsinites’ concerns – which is why I’m grateful for the input I hear at forums around the state, including my telephone town halls. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, I am using my Committee   to gather information on the root causes of soaring health care costs and to continue discussing potential solutions. As long as my colleagues work with me in good faith, we can move America toward better access to affordable and quality health care.

Thank you again for contacting my office. It is very helpful to hear the views of the constituents I serve. Please see my website at www.ronjohnson.senate.gov  for additional information. It is an honor representing you and all the people of Wisconsin.

Sincerely,

Ron Johnson
United States Senator 

Somehow, I get the feeling he or his staff is not reading these emails ...

Teleconference

Just got a call fro (608) 266-1212 - Governor Walker's office. He wants me to give my opinions or ask questions in a  "town hall" teleconference.

It's really nice to have a voice in state government - but there's no way to opt out of this teleconference.

Hitting the hook switch gives you another dial tone, but when you hang up, the teleconference is still tying up the line.

Could I receive another call - one I might desperately need to answer, while the governor is tying up my phone? What if I don't know to tap the hook switch to get another dial tone and need to call 911?

New twist on an old scam

Just now, got a "private call" show up on the caller ID. Answered it.

"Hello."

"Hello. Your computer has been generating some serious errors. Press 1 now to be connected to Microsoft Technical Service."

(presses '1')

A foreign sounding voice obviously in a boiler room full of operators - "Hello. How are you tonight?"

"Pretty good. I really enjoyed your computer telling me my Linux computer has Windows problems!"

"Hello?"

Dang, they hung up.

Campaign phone calls

Got a call from (202) 695-8645 - a robocaller with a breathless recorded message about how we need to get Rick Santorum elected, or the Debbil's gonna get us, or something.

At the end, I was advised to press 1 to donate, or press 9 to discontinue calls.

Being the ornery cuss I am, I pressed 1, with the intent of telling the human, if any answered, to take me off their list, or at least tie up a line on the robocaller for as long as possible.

Silence for about a minute, and the thing hung up.

That's a real effective way of getting money.

By the way - the spell checker on Firefox thinks "Santorum" should be spelled "Sanatorium".

So much for the "don't call" list

My wife and I went out to do some banking and get lunch. When we returned, my son told me there was some sort of Ron Paul thing going on on the phone. Unlisted number on caller ID.

He had to hang up his extension so the line would release, and I could test for messages. He hung up, and so did I - waited a few seconds for the line to clear. Picked up the phone - Mr. Paul's thing was still going on.

Tried pressing a few buttons to break the connection - got a message "Your vote has been recorded", and then more debate, or whatever it was.

Tried hanging up and waiting - six times. Each time I picked up, the line was still held up.

Finally, the line released. I'm not sure if it was because I waited just a few seconds longer the last time, or if Mr. Paul finally ran out of things to say.

Mr. Paul, what I want to know, is what if I had had to call 911 on my only land line during your infomercial or whatever you call it?

In Wisconsin, the "do not call" list exempts charities and political callers. A stupid law with no teeth now that so many junk calls use caller ID spoofing to prevent you or the police from calling them back on the number that appears.

Just got a "private call"

At least that's what the caller ID says. Some woman wanting to tell me all about Mitt Romney.

Seeing as this came less than a minute after a headhunter called to let me know the engineering job less than ten miles form here had been taken by a former employee, I think I was quite courteous telling her that I couldn't care less, but thanks for the call.

Seems like the Wisconsin "no call" list exempts political and charitable junk calls - so what good is it?

I've had several calls lately from outfits wanting to reduce my credit card interest rate - with phone numbers like 449 000 3847, wanting me to press 9 to talk to a human. So I did. Got a woman who asked "Did you press 9 to talk about lowering your credit card rate?"

I responded, "No, I pressed 9 to talk to a human and inform you that I am on the Wisconsin no-call list".

Click.

Beats letting them listen to household noises until they hang up, I guess.