Letter: Politicians should help stop unwanted calls

I believe it is about time for our politicians to help their constituents with unwanted telephone calls.

We are being inundated with callers who block their numbers and identify the caller as unidentified. Even though we never answer these unwanted calls, they repeatedly call, again and again, rarely leaving messages.

We have attempted to block 57 phone numbers from calling, but we are learning they constantly change numbers and call again. We have even received calls that identify our own number as the caller. Obviously, we have added our number to the "do not call list," but they find ways to circumvent the system.

Now, the same callers are tormenting cellphone owners.

I have noticed our elected officials have conveniently exempted their calls, and during this election time, they bombard our phones with prerecorded messages.

Certainly the phone and cable companies can curtail these unwanted callers automatically if they choose, just like our lawmakers could start thinking of satisfying the people who vote for them instead of harping on radical political issues.

When we check the numbers, many are scams, people selling alarm systems, and surveys. Many of these calls are from overseas, Columbia and Charleston.

I think it is time for serious legislation designed to convict organizations that are flagrantly evading the weak laws in place. American taxpayers should not be forced to police callers. That should be one of the services our elected officials provide.

Jim Dove

Bluffton

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 7:13 AM with the headline "Letter: Politicians should help stop unwanted calls."