One of the problems states are now encountering in tracking contacts is that people no longer answer phone numbers they don’t recognize. Census callers are having the same problem. I read that only 6% of Americans now answer calls from numbers they don’t know.
On my phone, when I call people, it shows up as “private caller,” and most people don’t answer. I’m usually able to leave a message, and most eventually call back. I’ve been told I can change that, but I don’t want to, since it enables me to make crank calls to Trump supporters, and they can’t trace me.
Seriously, it is no wonder people don’t answer the phone. I probably get ten calls a day about switching my electric company, solicitations for medical insurance, car warrantees, retired police officers, and so many more. Since my phone doesn’t tell me what the number is, I answer everything.
So think about this. Because our government is incapable of halting robocalls and unwanted solicitations (and these are commercial solicitations, for which the Supreme Court provides less protection than political calls), we now are having difficulty tracking virus contacts or providing an accurate census.
This is just one small symptom of the rot at the center of our government. It is rot that starts at the very top and is now infects the country as surely as the coronavirus. We no longer know how to solve even simple problems.
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