I am thankful the election is over, mainly because I am tired of hearing my phone ring constantly with recorded messages from political groups trying to sway my vote. All of the messages were annoying, and some I considered downright offensive. Since I voted by absentee ballot nearly two weeks before the election, all the groups were wasting their pennies and my time trying to sell me on their candidate.

But even though my phone number is listed with the national Do Not Call registry, as well as Florida’s Do Not Call list, there was no way to stop the barrage. Political candidates and their supporters are exempt from the requirements of those laws, supposedly because they aren’t “selling anything,” (though I would beg to differ).

At any rate, the blessed quiet today reminds me of how lucky we are to have the Do Not Call registry, and it&39;s a good time to remind everyone to sign up if you haven’t done so already. It’s easy, free, and you’ll stop most telemarketing calls in their tracks.

But you won’t stop all of them. In addition to an exemption for political calls, there is an exemption for surveys, as well as for charities. If a third party is calling on behalf of a charity, though, you can request they not call you again. Companies you have a business relationship with are also free to call, which explains why my credit card companies call me every month trying to get me to enroll in their “income protection” or “credit monitoring” plans.

Then there are the companies that just seem to ignore the rules. On Halloween, the Federal Trade Commission filed a judgment and permanent injunction against USA Home Loans Inc., a mortgage services company, and telemarketer USA First Investment Group Inc. because they violated the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) by calling telephone numbers listed on the National Do Not Call Registry and failing to pay the required fee for access to numbers listed on the Registry.

It’s no small matter. The settlement includes a $426,782 civil penalty against USA Home Loans Inc. and its owner, David Vach, which is suspended except for $35,000, contingent upon the accuracy and completeness of their financial statements, and an $85,356 civil penalty against USA First Investment Group Inc. and its principals, Richard Burnham and Vincent Piccione, which is suspended, contingent upon the accuracy and completeness of their financial statements. The defendants, all from Maryland, also are permanently prohibited from further TSR violations.

If you haven’t already registered your phone number with the Do Not Call registry, I highly recommend it. If you have a new phone number, or a new cell phone number, it’s a good idea to make sure they are included as well. You can do so online at Donotcall.gov or call toll-free 1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236) from the number you wish to register.

Now if we could just force the politicians to hold themselves to the same rules they wrote for everyone else…