Constitution backs my right to not be bothered by phone

Constitution backs my rightto not be bothered by phone
EDITOR:
Laws have recently been passed to allow consumers to sign up for a do-not-call registry. Consumers have responded positively by the millions, specifically requesting that telemarketers do not call them. Who wants to be bothered about long distance, car insurance, or who they should vote for when dinner is on the table?
Unfortunately, certain appeals court judges, driven by extremely stubborn telemarketing trade groups, are trying to say that the do-no-call registry is a restriction of the First Amendment and therefore unconstitutional. Pardon me, but I've always thought that the rights granted by the First Amendment ended at the tip of my nose (if you're of the fist-throwing sort), or when I close my front door (if you're of the foot-in-the-door school).
You can scream from the top of your lungs from across the street to your heart's content, but I know of nothing in the Constitution that gives you the right to enter my home to spread your message, be it commercial, religious or political. Once I shut my door, I'm in my own private domain -- and that extends to my private telephone line.
Believe me, I'm all for free speech. If you want to burn a flag or demonstrate for or against war or abortion or the downtrodden Chihuahua, that's your constitutionally given right. You can yell from the rooftops or holler from the valleys. You can buy billboard space or take out a full-page ad in the local paper. It's entirely up to you. But if you want to invade my home -- in person, or by telephone -- you are infringing on MY right to privacy.
I understand that the telemarketing industry employs a lot of people and contributes a significant amount of revenue to our nation's bottom line. But how stupid can a telemarketer be, or more importantly, the company employing her or him, to think it's good for their company's (or their charity's) bottom line if they continue to pester people who have specifically said "Do NOT bother me at home!"
I think the real reason that the telemarketers -- both corporate and charitable -- are making such a stink about this is the fact that they'll actually have to start paying attention to who they're calling. Instead of just buying a list of 10,000 names and phone numbers for a few hundred dollars, they'll also have to compare that list against the master do-not-call registry to weed out the folks who do not want to hear from them. And if they screw up by calling someone who is on the list, they'll be held accountable by having to pay fines.
Sure, it'll cost them some extra money to comply, but should we feel sorry for them? They'll still be making money, no matter what they say. There are millions of people who have chosen to not register for the do-not-call list, and there are millions more that couldn't be bothered to register in the first place.
SEAN FULKERSON
Boardman
All we want is a meetingto address road problem
EDITOR:
Forty residents on West Liberty Street in Weathersfield Township signed a petition to see if we could have a meeting with the trustees, the county commissioners, the county engineer and the state officials to talk about the traffic problem on our street.
As soon as the engineer received a copy of this petition, he took it upon himself to inform the commissioners, the trustees, and the state officials that he has done all he can do for this street. He had a core sample done in 2000, and he said the street is able to take the large trucks and all the extra traffic. This sample was taken in the middle of the road, not where the tires go. I don't know what he is afraid of that he wouldn't allow us to have a meeting.
Our street was posted when we moved here over 35 years ago, and then the county got a new engineer. They topped the road and took all the signs down, and they were never put back up again. When we tell the engineer this, he says that this street never was posted. Some of our neighbors that were born and raised on this street try to tell him this.
If anyone can help us with this problem, we would would really appreciate it.
NORMAN and DARLENE KEITH
Girard