Explain to me how the 'Do Not Call List' is in violation of 'Freedom Of Speech'. Go on, try. This I gotta hear. While you are at it, explain how this is a vioaltion, but the bans on cigarette and alcohol advertisements are not.
Let's take a look at this particular amendment to our Constitution:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.Freedom of speech means that you have the right to express your opinions, regardless of how controversial they might be. It gives you the ability to express your dispoleasure with the way things are run, without the fear that such unpopular speech will get you locked up or worse. Yes, you can say what you like (within the boundaries of things such as slander and libel..."freedom" is not absolute). It does not, however, mean that anyone else is forced to listen to it.
If this situation stopped the telemarketers from calling ANYONE, well, personally I'm not thinking that's in violation either, but at least you could attempt to make the case. But it doesn't...it allows individuals the option of not being called with commercials. Hell, Mr. Telemarketer, you still have the freedom to call the rest of the damn country. In art, if you don't like something, you walk away from it. In literature, if you don't like something, you don't read it. With the phone, technology has been available for quite some time to block calls that you do not wish to receive, but, like spammers, telemarketers can always get new phone numbers, and worm their blind, mindless consumerism into your home. So, we stepped up the blockage.
Don't like it? Tough titty, said the cat to the kitten. We don't like vermin in our homes either. They are living creatures, and have a right to live, but we choose not to allow them free reign on our property. Well, you have the right to run your business, but that doesn't mean I have to deal with you. 50 million Americans have said 'no'...and that happens to be OUR RIGHT. Quit your fuckin' whining: according to last year's census estimations, there are 288 million people in America (it's something like 292 right now, actually). Something on the order of 215 million are 18 and over. That leaves you 165 million people you can still call. Somehow, I don't think you're going to be all that affected...especially seeing as how the people most likely to sign up for this are the ones who are LEAST likely to buy anything you decide to randomly call and offer to them anyway.
As I said in a recent discussion about this, while the practice may be lucrative and inexpensive, that doesn't mean it's a good thing. As in everything else, the cheaper alternative isn't always the best.
Now, I'm not strictly against advertising. I understand that without it, a lot of things wouldn't be free. Television is paid for by commercials, and so is radio. As such, I don't begrudge those commercials. Websites put up ads and banners, and while they may be annoying, having them there pays for my ability to access those sites for free...so I have no beef with them (except for these annoying ones that pop up in the middle of the page so you cannot see what you are doing, forcing you to click on them). But there is nothing on my phone that I get for free...I pay for that phone, and I'm not getting any substance or content that needs advertising dollars to pay for, so you can take your ads and shove 'em.
