My bride asks them for their home telephone numbers. Almost as annoying as the commercial solicitations and junk mail are pleas from worthy sounding if obscure do-gooder organizations that need my money to conquer AIDS, cancer and the heartbreak of psoriasis, protect the woolly caterpillar or reveal who really killed Abe Lincoln. I got on liberal sucker lists when I was foolish enough to contribute to an organization trying to get journalists out of prisons in Third World countries. If I had known that would get me on the sucker lists, I would have told the outfit that if they were depending on me, the unfortunate journalists could rot in jail. I suspect the do-gooder outfits trade lists.
Commercial organizations pay, usually by the name.
So do the political parties, and it would be interesting to know where they look for prospects. I know that about 30 years ago a national Republican organization acquired the Playboy magazine subscription list. It was worth its weight in gold. Ralph Moyed has been writing for The News Journal since 1961.