Why Cant Republicans Do This?

You know those annoying calls claiming that your car warranty is about to expire (even if you don’t have a car or just bought a new one)? Which you can get (as I do, often) even if your home or cell phone number is on the National Do Not Call Registry?

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) knows all about them, too, having gotten one last week, and according to this story, he wants to do something about them – specifically, he wants the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the companies allegedly behind these calls to see if they are violating the Do Not Call law.

Does it really take Chuck Schumer to figure this out? Are there no Republicans in Congress who are paying attention to these types of things, who may have gotten a call and stopped to think “this may violate the law and my constituents’ privacy”? Are we so in thrall to those who argue against government regulation of anything that we can’t even try to preserve enforcement of one of the most popular reforms of the Bush Administration? Republicans no longer hold the Congressional gavels, so we cannot hold hearings on our own. But we can pay attention to the kinds of things that happen out there in “real America” (as we’re fond of calling it) every day and try to take even small steps to improve the daily quality of life for millions of Americans and fight fraud, which often targets the poorest and most vulnerable.

Legitimate marketing businesses – including for car warranties – have every incentive to stop things which tarnish the reputation of an entire industry. Republicans ought to be their friend, not be silent.

I just don’t understand why it takes Chuck Schumer to figure all this out.