Please check the number and dial again

A couple of weeks ago, one of my son's classmates was chewing thoughtfully on a plastic letter. "You don't want to eat that!" I said. He responded, "Your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please check the number and dial again." I laughed, and asked if that's how he responded when his parents said something he didn't want to hear. "No," he said emphatically, and with sparkling eyes, "I ask, 'Why are you concerning yourself with something you know nothing about?!'"

I should have taken a page from his phone book tonight.

The Republican National Committee called to thank me for my loyal support (?!), and to ask for continued (?!) support, since - as "we" know - campaign finance laws prohibit corporate funding of political campaigns. Didn't I want to prevent the loss of the majority we'd worked so hard to gain?! Stifling a giggle, I said he'd have to speak with the man of the house, who would enjoy this call far more than I. He responded nervously, reading from his script: "Ma'am, it sure sounds like you're a loyal Republican, aware that household spending must be a joint decision." Indeed. Pause. "But you wouldn't want us to overspend. That would make us Democrats."

My young telemarketer friend had not read (or understood) the President's budget. Either that, or he's a millionaire. A millionaire who apparently had no idea who he was calling.