An Honest Phone Company (by Matt Singer)

Several years ago, I was talking on the phone with my mother when she started asking me about Working Assets. She was seeing advertisements, had checked on the rates, and was impressed by the whole package, but she didn't really trust it. She was surprised by how competitive the prices were, given the amount of money passed along to organizations. She was also impressed by the Ben & Jerry's offer (hey, who isn't).

I told her I'd never used Working Assets, but also that I'd heard good things. After a few more weeks of concern, she switched. Her phone bills went down, her money went to good causes, and she got her Ben & Jerry's.

At the time, I had just finished reading Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals. Alinsky writes about the need to choose tactics people are familiar with, because people respond illogically when confronted with situations they are not used to. My mom reacted illogically at first when confronted by an honest phone company.

What does that say about the state of American economy?

--Matt Singer