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Late Night Phone Calls
updated: Aug 30, 2012, 4:21 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

I have been receiving phone calls on a nightly basis urging me to vote against proposition 32. The caller has a blocked phone number and assured me that she would keep calling. Have you been getting these calls?

I guess my only recourse is to vote for it, register as an Independent, and not answer the phone until after the election.

Most recent Comments first | (reverse order)

COMMENT 315050P	2012-09-01 07:27 PM
852P Your self assessment is uncannily accurate.
COMMENT 314852P	2012-09-01 06:08 AM
So according to the "intelligent thoughtful" posters here....if I vote FOR 32 I am: 1. Republican 2. Stupid 3 anti Union 4. Pro- Corporation 5. Pro - Global warming 6. I hate children, women and old people 7. Anti homeless 8. Anti Jobs 9. Anti - abortion 10. Anti immigrant 11. Uninformed about how the law works Unbelievable....And hats just a few of the posts here. I will definitely vot YES on 32 I will put my intelligence up against any of those posters 6 days a week and twice on Sunday! November is coming and you guys are soooo gonna lose this time...I can't wait!
COMMENT 314805	2012-08-31 03:47 PM
this thread is all talking points from both sides - Today I filled up my truck with gas and was asking the attendant why the price was 4.15 a gallon and kidding him - some cotton dressed - Birkenstock lady chimed in that the republicans are keeping the price high ?????? why can't people think for themselves ???/ she was driving a new brand new BMW - I give up - the BS is deeper than my rain boots and the crap is hitting my feet -
FLICKA	2012-08-31 03:24 PM
Gore Vidal said, "50% of the people don't read newspapers and 50% don't vote. I just hope they're the same 50%."
COMMENT 314756	2012-08-31 01:23 PM
Unfortunately, the low intelligence of most people will lead to the passage of prop 32, continuing to increase the power of corporations that results in the very things these low intelligence people are upset about ... few jobs, many homeless, people streaming across the borders, abortions of unwanted pregnancies, and so much else ... not to mention global warming that will mean a terrible world for our descendants.
COMMENT 314748	2012-08-31 12:26 PM
The do-not-call list is BS. I've registered my house and cell numbers and still continue to get political calls. Solution: screen all calls.
RHS	2012-08-31 10:35 AM
32 is a GOP trap made to sound equitable but grossly disproportionate in its impact. Banning withholding of union dues is not equivalent banning withholding of corporate political dues from corporate executives who are under scrutiny from their CEO's and boards to make contributions in LARGE amounts unattainable by working folks. What might be a good idea is to require stockholder approval of any corporate political contribution. Meanwhile corporate money is dominating the PACS--7 of the top ten PACS are funded by corporate money and espouse right wing agendas. The 3 union pacs are middle of the road expenditures by comparison. If this passes these will be gone too. Citizens United is wrecking this democracy.
HDB	2012-08-31 10:14 AM
Here's how to end the calls-Tell the caller how you plan to vote. If you are wishy washy and sound undecided or don't commit one way or another, they throw you back in the call back pile. You can also say "mark me as refused" and they won't call back. If you get calls from other orgs once ballots have gone out (if you vote by mail) send your ballot in immediately and you will be dropped from the list.
COMMENT 314682	2012-08-31 09:03 AM
No matter which side you are on for this proposition or the political process, we can all be glad we aren't in a swing state. Can you imagine how many phone calls and door visits swing staters get? It must be ridiculous.
MTNDRIVER	2012-08-31 09:01 AM
Actually, these orgs that are polluting the political scene are 501-c4, not c3. Big difference, and important! Legitimate charities are 501-c3. We just don't answer the phone unless we know the number or name shown on the little caller ID screen. If it's a friend or business colleague calling from an unknown number, he or she will leave a message, and we can get to the phone before they hang up, or call them back. But 9 times out of 10 it's a telemarketer or political call. And we're on the "do not call" list. Thanks for the info and link, SY. I'll vote no if this law doesn't cover those 501-c4 orgs, which are destroying any semblance of political discourse left in this country.
COMMENT 314659P	2012-08-31 08:14 AM
I wrote an incorrect phone number when I registered to vote. I don't get political calls.
COMMENT 314655P	2012-08-31 07:50 AM
Voting "yes" on 32; now that I have read the pros and cons here... Thanks, edhatters! I had no idea about 32 until I read this here :)
COMMENT 314652P	2012-08-31 07:42 AM
If the call isn't from a friend, I let it go to voicemail. Most robo's don't leave voicemail messages. The few that do are easily deleted. The last time I picked up the phone and violated my own rule, the caller ID said "Southwest Airlines", but it was spoofed, and the heavily accented woman told me "Sir, there is something wrong with your computer." As Rodger would say, "Hahahaha!" Idjiots.
FLICKA	2012-08-31 07:06 AM
I have my phone ringer off and answering machine turned very low, I can harvest the calls I want to return. We were getting several "robo calls" a day, got tired of answering the phone to a "click". We own the phone, it doesn't own us.
COMMENT 314630	2012-08-31 06:42 AM
Go go Google news and read about the Ohio miners who were forced by their company to attend a Romney rally without pay. This same employer "asks" his employees to donate money to GOP causes, and he keeps track of who gives and who doesn't. If you think the above practices shouldn't happen in America, then vote no on 32.
COMMENT 314614P	2012-08-30 10:54 PM
-592. You have it backwards.
COMMENT 314608P	2012-08-30 09:40 PM
An LA Times opinion piece on Prop. 32: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik-20120819,0,2211928.column
COMMENT 314596P	2012-08-30 08:48 PM
Am on the "Do Not Call" list but there's little stopping the engines of commerce and politics, not always in the interests of the average person.
COMMENT 314592	2012-08-30 08:45 PM
It would be good to vote "Yes" on this because we would all be better off for sure. Do your homework and do not listen to those who already "have it made." That includes all the groovy trust fund peeps in SB..."Peace Man...I've got Mine."
COMMENT 314586	2012-08-30 08:35 PM
Register with the "Do Not Call" list. It's free. 1-888-382-1222. It is a government service provided, and it works. One of the best ways to stop telemarketers dead in their tracks, is to interrupt their spiel (politely) and say, very clearly, "We are on the 'Do Not Call list'." I know that political campaigns and non-profits get a pass on this "do not call" thing, but telling them you are on the list is your way of saying, "Not interested." I have had great luck with this response, and the caller nearly always hangs up straight away. It doesn't hurt to be polite. Telemarketers are just trying to make a living. There is also a website: donotcalldotgov, and you can register online, if you wish. If you do it via phone, be sure you are calling from the line/phone # you need to put on the list.
ROGER DODGER	2012-08-30 08:10 PM
I'm in the green party and no one calls me.
COMMENT 314567P	2012-08-30 07:53 PM
546 and Shorebird have it right! Vote No or you are giving all the power to the super rich and the corporations. I am not now, nor have I ever been a union member, but Prop 32 is a BAD bill that will create BAD law.
COMMENT 314566	2012-08-30 07:46 PM
I got that call. Told the person on the other end that I would read the voter information guide and make my decision based on that. Talking to those people would be like asking the car salesman which car to buy.
SHOREBIRD	2012-08-30 07:44 PM
EZ2 I wish that were true. I have gotten as many as 26 calls a day on my cell from unknown callers. I don't answer unknown caller and they never leave a message. I'm not voting for ANY restrictions on political spending as long as the super PACs are allowed to continue to fill the airwaves with garbage.
EZ2	2012-08-30 07:32 PM
Just cancel your home phone and just use you cell phone..no more phone call..at all!
COMMENT 314559	2012-08-30 07:26 PM
I forgot to mention that IRS rules say 501(c)3 organizations are supposed to be social welfare organizations. Political campaigning is forbidden. An example of how the rule has been abused is the 501(c)3 organization setup by Republican Jews for Romney. Their meetings blatently focus on campaigning to defeat Obama ... but this is against IRS rules. Unfortunately, neither the Federal Elections Commission nor the IRS have stepped up to stop this widespread abuse.
COMMENT 314560	2012-08-30 07:26 PM
I never answer my phone during election years. I've done my research and know how I will vote and certainly don't need an underpaid telemarketer to brain wash me otherwise.
COMMENT 314554	2012-08-30 06:52 PM
Spot on, 546. I just filled up my gas tank. Then I got home and saw an article that gas production has actually *increased* since the refinery explosion a few weeks ago. But prices are sky-high...and I'm supposed to believe that giving companies like Chevron more power will make my life better? I wasn't born yesterday.
COMMENT 314546	2012-08-30 06:24 PM
The biggest problems in campaign finance are the Super PACs and the so-called "independent expenditure committees" that are abusing their Federal 501(c)3 tax-exempt IRS status. 501(c)3 organizations take "shadow" money from anonymous donors and then give them to the Super PACs. So long as the SuperPAC doesn't coordinate with the candidate/campaign they support, they can spend all that anonymous cash any way they want. This is theoretically a tool for both corporations and unions but conservatives historically dominate use of this approach. Prop 32 is about *direct* contributions, not 3rd-party contributions, so it won't change any of the above. Passage of 32 probably would result in more power to corporations and wealthy donors and less power for unions and their members.
COMMENT 314531	2012-08-30 05:53 PM
If you're getting an actual person, annoy the crap out of them. Act like a child & say "why" every time they say something. Ask for their # so you can call them back. Make the most annoying sound you can think of (a la Dumb & Dumber? A high pitched scream? Yodeling? Be creative!). Be a perv & ask what she's wearing. Make it entertaining for you & obnoxious for them - see how often they call back then. Course, all this is assuming that when you ask for them to not call back, they refuse, and they will not give you a number to call back or complain, You could always try asking who's behind the calls (i.e. who's paying) & who you should complain to regarding the nightly calls that are driving you batty.
COMMENT 314532	2012-08-30 05:53 PM
By the way, that information came from http://www.ballotpedia.org Great resource. :)
COMMENT 314528	2012-08-30 05:46 PM
Thank you SY for illuminating the subject and cutting through the partisan spin meisters. 4522.... comparing the US to Greece is tantamount to mixing up scrambled eggs for brains. Please get the facts before blathering such nonsense.
SBJULES	2012-08-30 05:44 PM
Retirement at 50 my foot.
COMMENT 314522	2012-08-30 05:26 PM
Sad that our process has come to this - Koch - bros - George soros - unions - retirement at 50 - Buck up America or go the way of Greece -
COMMENT 314517	2012-08-30 05:20 PM
"If approved, Proposition 32 will: Ban both corporate and union contributions to state and local candidates Ban contributions by government contractors to the politicians who control contracts awarded to them Ban automatic deductions by corporations, unions, and government of employees’ wages to be used for politics" Sounds good on paper. The flipside is that it has no restrictions on Super PACs and other outside groups unfettered by Citizens United, so...ultimately pretty bad IMHO.
COMMENT 314510	2012-08-30 05:13 PM
You must be registered as a Democrat. Independents and Republicans are likely to vote for it, so they won't get calls, in all likelihood.
COMMENT 314500	2012-08-30 04:50 PM
One more reason to vote yes on this. The only people for this bill are those receiving big union $$$$.
COMMENT 314497	2012-08-30 04:41 PM
I remember when I was 5 years old. When people told me to do something, I'd say "oh yeah? Then I do this!" and do the opposite of what they told me to do. After suffering a number of burns, cuts, scrapes, and abrasions, I quickly learned that I should exercise my reason instead. If someone told me to do something, I would listen and take their opinion under advisement. I might do it, or I might not. But I wouldn't reflexively act out of sheer emotion. The difference between a human being and an insect is that people think. Bugs react.
COMMENT 314495	2012-08-30 04:37 PM
Prop 32 limits the money unions can confiscate from their members without permission. They will be funding the "no" campaign with millions of their stolen dollars. The solution to your phone call issue is to do exactly the opposite of what they ask and strip them of the money they use to distort our political process.
COMMENT 314491	2012-08-30 04:28 PM
Tell her you WILL vote for it if she calls one more time!

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