POLITICIANS VOICES AS COLLECTORS ITEMS

Collector item voices are likely going to be coming to my house soon. Maybe yours, too. I'm anticipating my answering machine is going to begin having a real work-out after Labor day, continuing until the November elections. The device has only now cooled down, recuperated, after being bombarded by automatically dialed calls with recorded messages left on my machine before the Primary Elections earlier this year. I think about all the money candidates and other well-known public figures expend recording these messages, then calling my phone number.

Do candidates know that when I play back any message on my answering machine that the split second I recognize it's one of those automatically dialed pre-recorded messages, which I can usually determine no later than after the 2nd or 3rd word, I hit the delete button? The voices I've deleted have included former U.S. Presidents, Congressional Senators and Representatives and other public figures from more local level offices, also a few celebrities. Maybe I should have saved them like people do who collect autographs. Perhaps my recordings would be collectors items with monetary value for future generations.

I've listened to part of some messages in the past and find they're full of all the vague grandiose goals that are always promised. Seldom do they define how they hope to accomplish these goals that the incumbent and the office holder before him or her also said they would achieve and didn't. I get frustrated listening to them and want to respond with comments like, "Give me some facts. Tell me how you attempt to make these needed progressive changes."

Another type recorded message to which I'm subjected is as repugnant and repelling to me as what I see in snail mail flyers, brochures, letters and television ads which are increasing now. They're often negatively full of attack mis-truths, distortions and omissions. Thank heavens the senders don't have my email address but I would simply treat any such emails as spam.