Cell phone wonders
When a journalist begins research of a specific topic, you don't know where you will end up.
Such was the case when I decided to find out how much taxpayers are shelling out for cell phones used by government employees.
The purpose of the investigation was not to dig up dirt but merely to see what technology was costing us in Marion County.
I discovered some entities have more phones than suspected but otherwise did not see any significant red flags.
The research did lead me to some observations.
I wonder what happened to two-way radios? There was a time when radios in city and county vehicles were a sufficient way to communicate.
Is it because the general public has access to hearing such conversations? Is that the reason government-paid cell phones are utilized more than radios? Granted there are times private conversations are necessary but not all of the time.
I wonder how it affects communication among employees. They can't hear cell phone conversations and can be left out of the loop. Does this affect their job performances or does it help them to only be privileged to censored information?
It's true that cell phones do come in handy when workers are away from their vehicles. And one cannot deny their benefits in emergency situations.
My biggest "wonderment" of all is the amount of time the general public spends on cell phones. Driving on streets and highways, I have counted more drivers talking on phones than not.
I have sat across from patrons in restaurants and heard one-sided conversations, not by choice.
Ringing phones and people answering them are everywhere — ball games, movie theatres, stores, on the job, even church.
When will it end? Probably never but maybe someday cell phone etiquette will be followed much like manners of saying "excuse me" when I burp and helping little old ladies cross the street.
— SUSAN BERG
