yup

They came down our street last week and dropped a bag off tho' I've opted out of all of them. I managed to catch the guy when he turned around to deliver the other side of the street and handed the bag back to him.

Anybody else get some today after opting out last year like me?

In the past, when a company has failed to honor my opt-out request, I've called and told them to pick it up. Sometimes that's worked, but the phone books keep coming. I tried to do the same thing with the DEX books delivered here on Wednesday, but haven't had any luck finding a human being to talk to.

So I did some research. I was unaware--or maybe I just forgot--that two years ago a bill, http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=3326&year=2007, was introduced in the Washington State House to require an "opt-out" option and--the key!--specifying a PENALTY for not honoring opt-out requests. Not too surprisingly, the Yellow Pages Association lobbied and successfully strangled the bill a-borning (It died in committee). They prefer "self-regulation".

So, today, I contacted our fabulous legislative team and let them know that, should this bill be revived, they should be aware that the companies' promises to "self-regulate" have not been honored. I sent the same message to the bill's sponsors, Representatives Simpson, Hudgins, Pedersen, Kenney, Ormsby.

I suggest people who share my frustration consider this as a possibly productive expression of it. Opt-in would be the best solution, but this legislation would be better than the current situation.

And now I'm not going to spend any more time on this--at least, until the next pile of trash arrives on my doorstep!