I usually have my phone at my bedside at night, but last night I went to bed early and left the phone downstairs. At 10:29 I got a call from (202) 800-5654. I recognized the area code and have friends in DC so I called it back before 6 AM. The “circuits were busy” according to the recording, suspicious.
So I googled the number: “got a call from this number saying my debit card was suspended, then it asked for my 16 digit debit card. I hung up. I called back and it said welcome to some…” “Phone number: 202-800-5654 is located in Washington, District Of Columbia. Around 40% of people reported it as “Scammer/Fraudster”. You are the 5th person …” “I have received several calls from this number, however, I don’t answer it because I do not recognize the number. There is never a voice mail. It is 8:15PM on .”
As a business owner with several phone lines I am used to putting customers on hold to answer a telemarketer or robo-call. But this was 10;30 at night on a line that is supposed to be on the Do Not Call List.
All our government systems are just as broken as the Do Not Call list. We all have horror stories about the IRS, the Justice System, the Police. Right now our faith in the Police is challenged nationally by the shooting of an unarmed kid in Missouri 6 times by local police. Then those same police manhandled two journalists. Bullying is not good in school, but is common in government.
If you want to know how large corporations like Microsoft use their legal departments and the US Justice system to bully people and make money read my book. It is not simple. The book. But beyond the problems there are simple solutions, but what is standing in the way of the simple solutions are those who make money from the status quo.
We need to Simplify and Repeal laws based upon who profits. If only lawyers and insurance companies profit we need a competitive system. A government insurance company that will keep the lawyers fees reasonable. Arcane and silly court procedures and plea bargains are what allow innocent people to be bullied into injustice. They are so common because they let lawyers do less work for the same money.
Re-examine all laws that have not been invoked in over five years to repeal redundant and unenforceable laws.
Laws that allow the building of an industry that wasn’t here before. The environmental cleanup industry forces property owners to hire Licensed Environmental Professionals and pay them hundreds of thousands of dollars to prove they do NOT have to clean up the property. The system is backwards. Our government should have a problem with contaminated property and should be the complaining party. It should be up to the government to prove the property is contaminated, not make laws requiring huge fees to professionals.
Follow the money. Check the laws to see who profits from them: lawyers, insurance companies, new industries? No one cares if they pay their power or water or insurance bill to the government or to a highly regulated industry that is required to apply for a rate increase from the government before changing their rates.
Repeal of laws involving victimless crimes. Tax and fine but don’t imprison drug addicts, prostitutes, and non-violent criminals.
Prohibit tax money to advertise laws. Prison is not a deterrent for parents who harm their own children. The tax payer should not pay for advertising threatening prison for negligent parents, seat belts, fattening foods, health risks… Tax payers should not pay to advertise period.
And chase down and shut off the phones of those who abuse our public phones by calling ME at 10:30 PM to try to scam me.