Obama Proposes Allowing Debt Collectors to Robo-Call Cell Phones
**Written by Doug Powers
This is purportedly an attempt to increase revenue, but the proposed debt collector stimulus would only apply to the collection of government loans:
WASHINGTON (AP) — To the dismay of consumer groups and the discomfort of Democrats, President Barack Obama wants Congress to make it easier for private debt collectors to call the cellphones of consumers delinquent on student loans and other billions owed the federal government.
The change “is expected to provide substantial increases in collections, particularly as an increasing share of households no longer have landlines and rely instead on cellphones,” the administration wrote recently. The little-noticed recommendation would apply only to cases in which money is owed the government, and is tucked into the mammoth $3 trillion deficit-reduction plan the president submitted to Congress.
Despite the claim, the administration has not yet developed an estimate of how much the government would collect, and critics reject the logic behind the recommendation.
“Enabling robo-calls (to cellphones) is just going to lead to more harassment and abuse, and it’s not going to help the government collect more money,” said Lauren Saunders of the Boston-based National Consumer Law Center. “People aren’t paying their student loans because they can’t find a job.”
[...]
While Carney didn’t say so, debt collection agencies are already permitted to call cell phones. The administration wants the law changed so the firms can use robo-calling.
I could try to get back over $500 million of that with one call… what’s Solyndra’s cell phone number?
When President Obama announced the formation of the Consumer Protection Agency, he said “never again will folks be confused or misled by pages of barely understandable fine print that you find in agreements for credit cards or mortgages or student loans.” For more on the Obama’s debt collection ideas, consult the barely understandable fine print on page 28 of The President’s Plan for Economic Growth and Deficit Reduction.
That reminds me of a variation of Johnny Carson’s pitchman character Art Fern: “Can’t make your car payment? We don’t care. Can’t pay your Visa bill? They’re just screwing you anyway, we don’t care. Defaulting on your mortgage? We don’t care. Not gonna pay back the government? ::WHAP!:: Then we care!”
**Written by Doug Powers
Twitter @ThePowersThatBe
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Have the USAF call the White House and have them collect for two round trip seats on a C-32 to Africa and back.
No problem. I’ll just robo-answer.
Touche’, Fly-man, touche’.
“Jeez, Buffett already knows I’ve got him on speed dial. How come all my calls are going straight to voice mail?”
I’ve been out of work for more than five years, and the deferrment period on my students loans (I went back to school to find a better job; a lot of good that has done me) is about to expire. I’m under a mountain of personal debt.
Does BHO really think that a phone call is going to prompt me to pay a loan when I can’t even find a job?
Allow robo-calling instead of a real person calling?
Yes, I can see how this would help create jobs by making it so debt collectors don’t need to employ as many people to call debtors.
Hope and Change!
The Robo-call company is probably Canadian.
So THAT’S what the whistling robots are for.
How would you tell a robocaller not to call back..oh that’s right you’ll have to call a non-toll free number. If I don’t recognize the number by ring tone it doesn’t get answered.
There aren’t enough cell towers near Wall Street to call all of those Progressives of Pallor…
What’s Warren Buffet’s cell number? I’ll call him about the billion owed by Berkshire-Hathaway for the last decade. I get a percentage right?
I got an an idea: stop spending, Osquanderer! Don’t
loangive away money to illegals or liberals toattendwaste time in college or to high-risk, failed-before-formed green startups then you won’t need no stinkin’ robocaller and you won’t have to squander more taxpayer money on irrelevant phone calls to collect money you’ve already flushed down the drainhole all by yourlittleself.Obamao’s not going to like this. Those late night phone calls from China are going to be _really_ annoying.
In this ‘New Economy’, call blocking is your friend.
Now this is one great idea from bho and team. Someone calls the house I don’t want, hang up! Someone calls the cell I don’t want, hang up! Someone goes on the computer that I don’t want, delete it. Gotta love the brain power in dc?
L
Bad move, there Zero. Your Blackberry is going to be tied up with calls from china from now ’till the next millennium. Give or take.
duh.
robo-calling gets robo-answers. can these people walk and chew gum at the same time?
Because robo-calling has worked so darn well for politicians using robodialers to make campaign calls!
**ring ring**
- Hello?
- Hi, I’m Barack Obama, and I’d like to ask you to support me in my campaign. I stand for all the things that you do, like hope, change, clean air, rainbows, peace, love, and happiness, and other good stuff that I’ll leave up to your imagination to ascribe to me. I’m using this robo-dialer because I care so much about you that I can’t even bother to hire an unemployed college student to read a script and earn a paycheck…
Just what we need. For over 4 years, I’ve been getting robo-calls from collection agencies directed at the former owner of my phone number. No matter how many times I’ve talked to live people(not an easy task, I assure you) to let them know I’m not the person they’re looking for, I’m still getting them! How do I stop this nightmare?
Will Barry robo call enough to find a few trillion dollars in spare change? Maybe he can persuade Al “ManBearPig” to make a few calls since MBP is so good at it. After all, he did so splendidly in ’95 and ’96.
Have your robo girl call my robo girl, we’ll do lunch!
There are plenty of people making fries and shakes that have a Bachelor’s in Political Science, or a Master’s in Environmental Studies.
How come whenever I get robo called all I hear on the other end is just heavy breathing?
I used to work for Pacific Bell a number of years ago, and something I have mastered to some extent and have done as a prank, especially if I know who is calling through Caller ID, is to respond in a monotone voice “I’m sorry, but the number you have reached is no longer in service. Please check your telephone directory for the right number or contact your operator for assistance.” I’ve even fooled people with the “recording” on internal calls within the company.
Um, sorry about that.
Change numbers three years ago.
just say you are the person and out of work and you have no intention of paying, so take me to court. that usually works for me after a couple of times. of course that call is meant for another name, not you, LOL
Pardon the pun, but I don’t believe this is Obama’s call.
On October 04, 2011 at 07:51 pm, John Deaux said:
No need to apologize as long as I’m in your five.
I wonder if this is more than what it appears. Imagine the constituency all those federal debtors make. Maybe the calls can provide “useful political info” too….
Probably ILMCorrupt-POTUS. Just a sign of affection.
I have news for you guys, they already are robo-calling cell phones. My daughter, who is 10, gets robo-called at least once a week. whoever had the number before her must have been a real deadbeat.
If our braindead gubmint would quit loaning money to Latisha to attend the “Silky Jones School on Cosmetology and How to be a Ho” or the “Wee, Cheatum, & Howe School of How to be a Truckdriver” Or that bastion of Ex politicians”Trickum, Dickum, and Dunkum’s school of how to be a successful conman or politician” there wouldn’t be that much debt to collect. Solyndra should jump clearly to mind, as Obie was in st Louis last evening to collect on the gubmint payoff of hundreds of millions to the Carnahan family in federal energy grants, and the Carnahans only had to get a few hundred of their cronies to pony up 35K for a dinner with the Hope and change Messiah.
I work in a jail and we often receive robocalls in the control booth. I press the number to talk to a real person, explain that it’s the county jail and ask which inmate they wish to give a credit card/invite to their gathering/sell their product to/etc. They ALWAYS take us off their calling list at that point.
Worth a try?