Use Common Sense in Answering Phone

In “We Have the Inalienable Right to a Quiet Dinner,” (Commentary, Jan. 28), Robert Kuttner calls for the government to regulate something that people can regulate on their own: the use of their own telephone. If people are bothered by calls during a meal, or during a shower, or during lovemaking, or while sleeping at night, they can:

Turn off the ringer; or let the machine or the voice mail take the call; or buy caller ID and don’t answer unknown calls.

So many people are slaves to their telephones. There is absolutely no reason to answer it if you are busy with something else. I don’t answer the phone when it’s inconvenient, and I doubt I have missed very many important calls. We don’t need more government--we just need some common sense.

Ted Brown

Arcadia

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One privileged class of dinner-time annoyances was omitted: the politicians asking for money and/or support.

However, that this small but powerful, protected segment of society behave like the rest of us might be asking for too much.

John Humphreville

Los Angeles