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 In
the late summer months of 1858, the people of Illinois were excited to
attend some of the most entertaining and festive events of the year.
Men, women, and children made their way out in the warm Illinois sun
with picnic baskets and blankets in hand, clad in their hats and
bonnets, excited to listen to the discourse for the next few hours. The
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debates of 1858 were held out doors,
usually with a festive atmosphere, and people loved to picnic while they
listened. Douglas and Lincoln debated for three hours at each event, and
the spectators listened intently, hanging on to nearly every word.
Newspapers across the state and across the nation printed full text of
the debates so that those who could not be there could benefit from the
informative political dialogue.
At that time, political debate in our country was widely considered to
be almost as important as political duty itself – debate showed that
issues were being considered thoroughly. Debate was an enjoyable and
social experience. People came in droves to listen to what enlightened
information the politicians had to share. This style of the exchanging
of ideas is quite different from the political dialogue we experience in
our society today.
Turn on the television today and you will likely be bombarded with 10-second
sound bites on healthcare, the war in Iraq, airline delays, illegal
immigration, product safety, or mortgage meltdowns. Each issue is
usually peppered with attacks on “someone else” for not doing
what it takes to solve the problem. Unfortunately, we hear more about
conflict and wrongdoing than we actually hear about the issue itself. As
a result, public cynicism has increased immensely over the past few
years. American citizens are anxious and frustrated about the direction
of our government, and rightly so - the lack of substantive information
they are receiving from Washington is one that creates distrust.
We are currently witnessing the invasion of a sound-bite culture – one
where information must be provided “right now” and it must not take
longer than 10 seconds to explain. In 1968 the average length of a
presidential candidate’s statement on the evening news was 42 seconds.
Today that number has dwindled to 7 seconds. Our news media is certainly
feeling these time constraints. Pressures from editors and advertisers
place demands on reporters to craft stories that tend to be
controversial or divisive so they can sell news in a 24-hour news
society. Veteran news reporters themselves sometimes complain of the
hardship of reporting a thorough story in a 30-second news spot or a
brief column in the newspaper. Editorial boards – separate from the news
section – often use their opinions to set the news agenda.
The very nature of our sound-bite culture emphasizes conflict and has
made the ability to make thoughtful decisions more and more difficult.
Instead of being encouraged to make well-informed decisions, American
citizens are forced to make up their minds on complex issues after
hearing short sound-bites. Partisan politics are fueled by this standard
– it is much easier to fit blame, mudslinging, and name-calling into a
strict time constraint than it is to explain the nuances of legislation
on the House Floor. This creates a frustrating ping pong game of
partisan banter. Instead of hearing informative discussion about the
issues like in the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Americans hear the Democrats
saying one thing and the Republicans saying another, and they hear very
little about the real issues at hand.
When American citizens lack substantive information from those elected
to serve them, they turn to less reliable indicators to judge policies
and candidates, and they lose trust in their government. This is not to
say we lack available information. To the contrary, the internet has
made important information available to us if we are willing to do a
little research. But when information is not readily available to the
people in a format that explains the nuances of today’s policies,
American citizens are the ones who are hurt because they are not able to
make well-informed decisions about important issues. Instead, today’s
marketplace of ideas has become stifled behind a partisan stalemate of
“he-said, she-said” and our media continually truncates information at
an editorial whim.
With the number of challenges we face as a nation today, we cannot afford to continue to contribute to the shrinking marketplace
of ideas that our sound-bite culture has created. In order to return to
a growing marketplace of ideas, we have to put the partisan politics
aside. We have to take the hatred and rhetoric off the shelf, and we
must exchange them for rational and reasonable discussions. If we shift
our focus to the exchanging of ideas instead of focusing on creating the
best one-liner to feed the soundbite, we will begin to move towards true
bipartisanship.
In my office, we work hard to create an atmosphere that is open to the
exchanging of ideas so constituents of the Fourth District can make
well-informed decisions. We communicate with our constituents by
providing helpful information, but also by listening to them. We
regularly publish multi-page issue primers that break down the facts
behind the issue, list proposed strategies, and offer resources for more
information. Each month, we produce a 30-minute television show called
the
Washington Review that discusses policy and consumer issues in
15-minute segments, often with a guest expert on the issue. Each month,
we host tele-town halls, a forum that allows constituents to create
dialogue by asking me questions over the telephone. Each week we send a
Washington Update via email, which lists the legislative work
that has been accomplished in the week, and we send weekly columns to our
district newspapers. All of these resources are available on our
website.
Thomas Jefferson once said that whenever the people are well-informed,
they can be trusted with their own government. In a free society, one of
the most important privileges available to its people is the ability to
freely participate in an exchange of ideas. Our nation’s best policy
arises out of the competition of diverse ideas, not the limitation of
such ideas. The free flow of ideas in our classrooms, over dinner
tables, on the steps of the Capitol, and in the editorial sections of
our newspapers have allowed opportunities for reasonable discussion of
conflicting views on issues that are important to the public. Writers
from John Milton to Justice Oliver Wendel Holmes have often opined that
in the marketplace of ideas, truth would always win out. It is not
surprising that our Founding Fathers held freedom of expression in such
high regard.
"Do Not Call" List to Expire
When the national Do Not Call list opened for the first time in
June 2003, nearly 10 million phone numbers were registered within the
first four days. It is no doubt that the Do Not Call
 list has been a
great tool for consumers across the nation who do not want to bothered
by cumbersome telemarketing phone calls at family dinner time.
However, many people don’t realize that registration with the Do Not
Call list is not permanent. Registration expires after five years from
the date of registry as a way of purging the system of canceled or
reassigned phone numbers. The five-year mark for those people who originally
signed up for the Do Not Call list in June 2003 is quickly approaching.
In order to remain on the Do Not Call list, you must re-register your
phone number.
The following questions and answers will guide you in re-registering
your phone number on the national Do Not Call list.
It has almost been five years since I registered. How do I
re-register my phone number?
You can re-register your phone number the same way you originally
registered. The easiest way to sign up for the Do Not Call list is to
fill out the online registration form at
www.donotcall.gov. You must have
a valid email address to register online. To register by phone, call
(1-888-382-1222).
How can I find out when my registration expires?
You can click the Verify a Registration button at
www.donotcall.gov at any time.
Your registration expires exactly five years from your registration
date. It may be helpful to print the registration date for your records.
I’ve never signed up for the Do Not Call list and I would like to.
Where do I sign up?
You can register for the Do Not Call list by the internet at
www.donotcall.gov or by calling
1-888-382-1222.
I am receiving phone calls from a telemarketer and my number is
registered with the Do Not Call list. How can I file a complaint?
If your registration has not expired, you have been registered for at
least 31 days and you are receiving calls from a telemarketer, you can
file a complaint at www.donotcall.gov.
You must know the either the name or phone number of the company that
called you, and the date the company called you.
Who manages the Do Not Call registry?
As the nation’s consumer protection agency, the Federal Trade Commission
(www.ftc.gov) manages the Do Not Call
registry.
For more frequently asked questions and answers regarding the Do Not
Call registry,
click here.
If you have questions or complaints about the Do Not Call registry, you
may contact the FTC by email at
dncconsumerinquiry2@ftc.gov,
or by mail at:
National Do Not Call Registry
Attn: DNC Program Manager
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20580 |
