Jumping To Conclusions

People whose unemployment doesn't bother me:

• Charles Manson
  
• Members of Congress
  
• Jayson Blair
  
• Saddam Hussein
  
• Telemarketers
  

Though, apparently, Reuters apparently wants us to feel sorry for that last group, given the sob story they published yesterday. The essence: people with no skills will have to find another occupation besides harassing people trying to eat dinner. Gee, it doesn't sound quite so sympathetic, if I put it that way. Which I do.

But from the article:

Outbound telemarketing brings in $211 billion in annual sales in the United States, according to the Direct Marketing Association.

On the one hand, it obviously must be profitable, or why would companies do it? On the other hand, who the hell buys things from strangers who call them on the phone? I figure it must be a small, select group of morons. So why not establish a Please Call These People registry, and bother them 24/7?