Every job has requirements. A secretary can't do her job unless she's educated in certain areas. The same holds true for a clerk. A surgeon, of course, can't his or her job without years of training and education. People should know this. Every endeavor has certain, chiseled-in-stone requirements and they must be adhered to.

Then why is a telephone solicitor -- now given the oh so quaint title of telemarketer -- hired for the job without knowing how to speak English?

First, I'm fed up with getting called virtually every night, including Sundays, with pitches to buy long distance service, siding, windows -- "We're going to be in your neighborhood next week and we'd like to drop by..." -- insurance...you name it, and some jerk will be on the other end of the phone trying to sell it.

As far as knowing the language is concerned: political correctness apparently extends to the fact that if applicants can't speak the language of the land properly, which is English, then you, as an employer, are cautioned not to tell these people they are unqualified for the job because that could be discriminatory.

If these individuals are not covered by the political correctness scam or even by the Americans with Disabilities Act, why then are more and more solicitors getting on the phone unable to speak the King's English?

Being a telephone solicitor requires that you speak English, at least in this part of the country. If you are inept in that regard, you should not be phoning anyone for anything, not even for a pizza.

As far as pronouncing your name properly...forget it. Most of them can't pronounce Smith, let alone a name like Bosco or some other "exotic" moniker.

Years ago, I had a friend who worked for a solicitor selling newspapers over the phone -- one of his low points in his life. He told me a story of a Chinese woman who could hardly speak English, who came into the office to apply for a telephone job. She was given an application, then left. Several weeks later, she threatened a discrimination lawsuit when she didn't get the job. She said it was because of her race. My friend said it was because she spoke with a thick accent. She could hardly be understood. Eventually, her suit was thrown out. But things have changed since then.

Not only can you now get on the phone with a thick, unidentifiable accent, but you are now allowed to virtually destroy your potential customer's name. If people want to be telephone solicitors, know the language first.

If you're hired to solicit a segment of the population that speaks your native tongue, fine... then call all you want and solicit all you want.

My native language is English. Get people who can speak that language before they call me. That way, when I slam the phone in their ears, they'll understand exactly what I'm saying.