Thursday, 09/25/03

I'm sure this will be a very old joke tomorrow, but here it is. 51 million people signed up for the FTC's do-not-call list. A judge in Oklahoma threw out the list on a (valid) technicality that the FCC, which Congress empowered to create and administer the list, delegated that authority to the FTC, which only Congress can do. The House, looking to suck up to 51 million irritated telephone owners, rushed legislation a day later granting list-administration authority to the FTC, by a vote of 412-8.

Billy Tauzin, Republican from Louisiana and no stranger to publicity, asserts today that "Fifty million Americans can't be wrong". Ha ha ha. 50,999,897 Gore voters might quibble with that conclusion.

I'm curious to find out in Thomas tomorrow which eight members voted against the FTC authorization. I know the Direct Marketing Association has been floating all sorts of boogeyman "two million jobs will be lost" predictions, but I didn't think anyone, even in the House, was taking them seriously. 12:34PM «

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