Stanley and I have each gotten calls, at various points, telling us we've won some Republican leadership award, and please call back this number, etc. etc. We always thought it was a little weird and never returned the calls - if we'd really won some award, we figured, they'd call back. Especially weird since we're not Republicans - not by a long shot.
So, this morning, I had a message that I could barely decipher about "some award," with a toll-free number: 1-800-650-8375. I was curious, so I called. Land sakes alive - I'm a business leader in my community! I'm kind of wondering how, since we don't even belong to the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce (we would if the fees weren't way too high for a micro business) and know just a few business people in Norwalk.
The person who answered the phone asked me to listen to some canned greeting from Representative Tom Delay (from Texas) and then she'd get back with me to fill in the particulars. Seems I was chosen as not just a leadership award winner, but chairman of some small business committee! Seems like Delay would've a least personalized the message to the chairman-to-be (or at least removed the sexist language). I listened to about 5 seconds of Delay's hyper-right rant before my crap meter kicked in. I couldn't tolerate following this any further, and politely told the woman (she was probably some minimum-wage telemarketer) to tell the Republicans to get lost, and hung up.
Did a little research, though, and found this article from ABC.news: GOP Fund-Raising Tactic Questioned. Seems it's a Republican Party scam to shake money out of the pockets of small businesses, and for $300 to $500, you get the chance to attend policy meetings with movers and shakers. Oh boy.
The award thing is a money-raising scam. With Tom Delay as the chief flim-flam man. An indication that it's not a legitimate award is that they had to withdraw it from one guy because he was in jail for child molestation. Another guy is under federal indictment for distributing drug paraphernalia. Gee, that's the kind of august company I want to be associated with. Not.
I've seen some websites were individuals brag about their "appointment" to the Small Business Advisory Council, claiming to have been chosen after an "exhaustive" search. What a total pile of crap. It's kind of like web designers bragging about being members of the HTML Writer's Guild - like you have to do anything besides fill out a form and pay fees to join this group.
It's time to cost the GOP some money: call the toll-free number above and find out about your leadership award! Try to wangle an invite without having to pay any money - bet you can't.
Posted by Lee at November 19, 2002 12:48 PM | TrackBack I To have recived the 2003 National Leadership Award, With the Honorary Chairman of the Business Advisory Council, The award states that it is in recognition of out standing service and commitment to Republican Ideals, And in particular for assistance and leadership in promoting a pro business agenda including tax reform and fiscal responcibility. over the last year I have served the NRCC as e-champion, Team Leader, High Tec. team Leader and as the disabilities team leader. NO I DID NOT PAY FOR THIS AWARD and I feel that those who belittle this award did not do much to support the NRCC, the request for a contrabution is not mandatory and many recipents have supported at other times and in other ways. THIS AWARD IS AN HONNER. If you knew what it has taken for me to have built a profitable business durring a war, a poor economy, No captial funding, and not to mention the fact that I have multipul dissabilities that make most people cringe and discrimnate, You might be a little more tolerent of errors and get behind your party by becoming active, I would be happy to add you to my e-champion team, send your e-mail address to me @ lcsisp@lcsisp.com Type e-champion in the subject line.
Thank you Robert Lagervall, Pres. Lagervall Computers Solutions