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Quote of the Week "It’s a free speech issue.  The legislature and the federal government determined you can’t prohibit those types of calls" Shawn Conroy, spokesman for the Georgia Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs responding to Georgia resident Dixie Short's complaint about the stream of political robocalls sent to her residential phone during election season. The  Loganville was recovering from cataract surgery when the first phone call came.   Sedated and wearing a patch over her left eye, she rose from her chair to answer. It was an automated call from some politician seeking her vote the next day, July 20. Short hung up and sat down. A few minutes later, another call, another politician. Then another. And another. She started jotting tally marks on a piece of paper to keep track of them all. When the day was over, she had 21 marks. But her ordeal wasn’t over. Short had cataracts removed from her other eye on Aug. 9, the day before the runoff election. She got 16 more calls. She was furious. “I don’t have the right to call their home all day long,” Short said. “Why do they have the right to dial my number when I don’t want it?” Though some people find them annoying, there’s nothing illegal about those political “robocalls.” And with hotly contested races for governor and other offices, Short and other Georgians can expect more calls as the November general election approaches. Most telemarketers are prohibited from contacting consumers who sign up for the registry. But there are exceptions, including charitable and religious groups, firms with which you do business (like your credit card company) and political campaigns. Robocalls have become an inexpensive but effective campaign tool for many candidates. Local political consultant Seth Weathers said robocalls costs about 2.5 cents a call, while mailing a campaign postcard might cost 55 cents. Weathers said candidates generally use calls to target hardcore voters, most of whom are very interested in politics and don’t mind the calls. If voters don’t want to receive the calls, Weather said campaigns will oblige people who call and ask them to stop. Short isn’t sure that would help her. In addition to her two ill-timed cataracts surgeries, the 73-year-old has had two back operations and a knee surgery. It’s hard for her to get up from a chair. Short said rising to answer 21 phone calls the day before the July primary was a burden. Short said she couldn’t unplug her phone because she has a critically ill sister, children and grandchildren who depend on her. Her husband was in and out and couldn’t field the calls. She tried calling the state Public Service Commission, which regulates telecommunications, but learned there was nothing it can do. “I’m on the ‘do not call' list,” said agency spokesman Bill Edge. “I got all the same phone calls.” Short isn’t the only local resident fed up with robocalls. Eleanor Gilreath, a retired teacher living in Lawrenceville, got 26 calls the day before the July primary. “I was getting over a fall and had a broken arm,” Gilreath said. “But even on a good day I would not have wanted 26 calls.” Short can’t remember all the candidates who called. She knows she got calls on behalf of Republican gubernatorial candidates Nathan Dean and Karen Handel. Beyond that, it’s a blur. “I’m so mad at all of them, I’m not going to vote for any of them,” she said. Vote or not, Short knows another election is coming. And that means more phone calls. Consumers have long complained about telemarketing calls. In response, Georgia established a “do not call” registry in 1999. In 2003 the federal government established a nationwide registry. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Tired of political robocalls? Not as much as this Loganville woman, August 22, 2010.  Mr. Conroy can be reached, via his office, at: (404) 651-8600. CATS Comment:  Freedom of speech?  Not really.  Laws restricting telemarketing do not restrict free speech, they regulate the methods how that speech is delivered. Suppose Ms. Short put a loudspeaker in her car and drove around the Governor's mansion with her message blasting.  You can bet that the local police would put a stop to that. So much for the freedom of speech issue.  Mr. Conroy, you should know better. We, here at CATS, find it amazing that someone running for office would use such an invasive and offensive method to get their message out.  Good for you Dixie, if a politician calls, don't vote for them.  Perhaps this will cause them to choose a better method to campaign. For past quotes of the week click here. Got an interesting quote? E-mail us.