I got this in the mail the other day. I'm all for surveys. I'll gladly take a little time out of my day to contribute to statistics. What ticks me off, however, is when people take advantage of my generosity and try to force me into something I don't want. Here's how it starts out.
Dear Friend,
Your immediate attention is required on a confidential and time-sensitive matter.
You have been selected to represent your local voting district in a Republican Senate Leadership Survey.
Enclosed, please find your official SURVEY DOCUMENT -- REDGISTERED in your name only -- assigned to you as a REPRESENTATIVE of ALL REPUBLICANS living in your voting district.
Ok, so if it's registered in my name, why the "Dear Friend"? "Friend" isn't my name, and by the time I finish your survey, I'm definitely not going to be your "friend."
Of course at that point, the opening letter didn't phase me much. I barely even skimmed it. It was 4 pages long. I'm not going to waste my time with that.
I get on to the survey. It's pretty basic stuff, age group, marital status, etc. Then there's some questions about what issues I feel are most important -- things like economy, jobs, abortion. I fill out my response and turn the page, and this catches my eye:
[] YES! I want to help defend our Republican Senate majority and build a strong foundation of Republican grassroots support for President Bush and his agenda. I am enclosing my most generous contribution of: ...
[] No. I do not wish to participate in this vital Republican Senate Leadership Survey. However, I am returning my Survey Document, along with a generous donation to help build Republican grassroots support for President Bush and his agenda. I am enclosing a donation of: ...
[] No. I do not wish to participate in the Survey, nor do I wish to make a donation to help the Republican Party.
At this point I'm thinking, "Well, great. If I want my survey to count, I have to pay money. That's stupid. Where's the, 'Yes, I filled out the survey and I'm not giving you any money' option?"
Then I read it again. There's more.
[] No. I do not wish to participate in the Survey, nor do I wish to make a donation to help the Republican Party. I am returning my Survey Document, along with a contribution of $11 to help cover the cost of tabulating and redistributing my Survey.
Um, no. Basically it boils down to,
You are required to return this survey. Your options are:
- Pay money.
- Pay money.
- Pay money.
Needless to say, I am annoyed, to put it mildly. I search google a bit. It didn't take me long to find what I'm looking for. Here are a couple more examples:
http://pandagon.net/2006/03/08/dole-and-nrsc-threaten-voters-with-mandatory-survey/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/05/AR2006040501953.htmlhttp://conservafools.blog-city.com/elizabeth_dole.htmWow, look at that. If it's registered to my name only,
why does everybody have the same registration number as me? 54.93.252. Google it. I'm going to stop writing now before I say something out of character.
