Entrepreneur Finds His Calling as Middleman for Voter Anger

V ox populi telephonis.

You get Mad As Hell at government. You decide Not To Take It Anymore.

Yes, but do you follow through and send a blistering letter to a politician or two stating your grievance?

No, of course, you don’t. You’re busy making a living or bowling for dollars or something. So you fume and spew, and then forget it all and wonder why nothing ever changes.

Enter now The Voice of the People, an idea from retired San Diego cop turned private investigator Bill Papenhausen.

Starting Jan. 20, a 900 number (1-900-726-1776) will be available to vent your political spleen about taxes, welfare cheats, the motorcycle helmet law, politicians’ pay raises, the spotted owl, or whatever.

You call ($2.95 per minute, two-minute minimum) and soon a fix-this-or-else-you-numbskull letter is sent in your name to the offending politician.

“The goal is to give operation of government back to the people,” Papenhausen said.

The strategy is to start local (nine operators, no waiting) and then go national.

Say there’s a hot topic in Iowa (a corn tax, maybe). Voice of the People puts ads in local papers telling Iowans how to voice their opinion via 900 number. Letters will start flying to the Iowa governor, etc.

Papenhausen sees Voice of the People as nonpartisan. Then again, a tally will be kept. If politicians are ignoring the numbers, Voice will turn on them.

“We’re not going to play games,” Papenhausen said. “We’re going to monitor how they react, and we’re going to be pretty strong about taking them out of office if they’re not responsive.”

Papenhausen figures it’s an idea whose time has arrived, even in the midst of a recession. He’s hired a political analyst to tell him which issues are hot. He’s mortgaged his home for start-up capital.

“The mood is there,” he said. “Five years ago I don’t think it would have worked. But now I’d be surprised if it doesn’t work.

“People are tired of giving everything to government and not getting anything back.”

A Robber’s Most Arresting Feature

Here we go.

* Wrong by a nose.

San Diego police thought they had a red-hot suspect in a bank robbery at a Bank of America branch Monday.

The guy fit the general description and was nabbed near where a bystander had seen a robber flee after dropping the loot ($235). So police took the guy back to the bank to show him to the teller.

Close, but not quite. The would-be suspect did not have the robber’s most distinguishing feature: A humongous mole on the right side of his nose.

The bank teller was quite positive about the mole. Why?

The same moley robber hit the bank in October.

* Dr. Larry Catt is a veterinarian in Rancho San Diego.

* A’s Bandit-bank robber David Malley is thinking of writing a book and has already contacted a ghostwriter.

* Chula Vista Police Detective Scott Young has been named Investigator of the Year by the San Diego County Child Abuse Investigators Assn.

Young worked on the case of Richard Howard, now charged with 350 counts, the largest number in county history.

* For a possible book, Jon Anderson of Imperial Beach is looking for local tales of buried treasure, missing loot, misers, hermits, eccentrics: 424-7849, P.O. Box 743.

* The move at the San Diego City Council to remove attorney Gary Kreep from the city’s Human Relations Commission because of his controversial views on homosexuality has quietly fizzled.

* Security firms in San Diego are scanning police logs for the names of burglary victims and then contacting the victims to pitch them on buying a security system to prevent further rip-offs.

Writing Their Wrongs in Court

Just when you think there is nowhere new for graffiti.

Yes, there are graffiti in the prisoners’ dock at the felony arraignment court in downtown San Diego.

Scribbled by guys waiting to enter pleas to serious stuff.

“I’m just relieved it’s not spray-paint,” Judge David J. Danielsen said. “We’ve got enough problems with asbestos in the courtroom without adding paint fumes.”