I strongly agree, America as a society is addicted to using cell phones.  When the iPhone 3G was first released, flocks of people rushed to Apple stores, paying hundreds of dollars for a cell phone that doesn't require buttons.

I also think we shouldn't even call them cell "phones".  Last time I checked, the primary use of a telephone wasn't to send a three-letter message about what you just saw on the streets or check your Facebook account while performing stock inventory at WalMart.

Do all of you realize how rude it is to hear someone yaking on the phone in the grocery store line, at the doctor's office, in restaurants, and while you are trying to conduct business with the person on the phone? Do you realize how loud you are talking?   I personally feel that there is nothing so important that it cannot wait 30 minutes until I get to the office or get home.  Have you ever tried to do business with someone who is talking on the phone or continues to answer it while you're trying to do business?  ANNOYING!!!  I have seen so many run stop lights, stop signs, pull out in front of people, etc., etc. while talking on the cell phone.  It is YOUR choice whether or not you answer that phone.  Don't be rude.  Consider where you are and what is going on and pay attention to what is important.  Please.  

I do not agree.  The cell phone is extremely essential for me.

But, for my mother it's not essential. She's a house wife.

I think that it's not a smart advice, because it doesn't work for everybody.

Those who use cell phone in vehicles a discourteous and inconsiderate.  I have encountered vehicles weave out of their lanes causing oncoming traffic to take to the shoulder, having to make abrupt stops to intersections, near rear-end collisions, struggling to make turns in instersections with one arm, causing one or more cars to have to wait for the next green light because someone had to honk and alert them the traffic light turned green, driving slower causing traffic congestion.  Also, I quite often encounter or see people pulling over to talk but taking half the traffic lane causing vehicles to slow up or even stop until oncoming traffic passed by to use the oncoming lane to get around them.  Especially dangerous when you come over a hill or around a curve.  Ever notice how many people on cell phones don't signal for turns or lane changes. I even observed a semi-truck with two trailers tie up an intersection causing other vehicles to back up and other traffic to clear the intersection while he had to back up and re-manuver around the center median because he was trying to steer with one hand and talk on the phone with the other.

Wake up people, you aren't the only people on the road.  You and your telephone calls aren't so important that everyone else have to bow to your inconsideration.

P.S. Anywhere you break down or have an accident where there is regular traffic, someone with a cell phone will invariably stop and offer to call for help if needed.

How about a column about getting rid of your land line.  Why pay $50/mo. for an inferior product?  It is wasteful to pay for 2 things that perform the same function.

As far as not needing to be reached, I guess if you write for a living you can wait.  As for the rest of us where other people depend on us to get their jobs done communication is vital.  Not to mention those people that travel or work outside the office.  There's apparently a part of a phone that our writer does not comprehend, if you don't want to be available all the time just don't answer your phone.

Perhaps next week we can get a column on saving money by using an abacus instead of a computer.  Welcome to the modern world.

Personally myself, I love my cell phone.  I think it's rather rude of anyone to imply that no one in these blogs are so important that they need to be assessed throughout the day, we do not know these people personally.  However, I have a sick mother and grandmother that need to be able to contact me at all times, and that in itself makes me important.  Not to mention, that if you have a older car or just a car that gives you problems (assuming you do not have a $2,000 down payment for a new car or even $2,000 to $3,000 for a half way decent used car),  there are going to be plenty of times that you will need to call sombody and trust me, I have been there.  People do not stop to help these days because we live in a sick society and unfortunately some people have been severly injured or killed while being a good samaritan, it has nothing to do with cell phones.  I have been pregnant on the side of the road, changing a tire, and no one offered to help me...of course they didn't see a cell phone in my ear, because there was no need for one at the moment, I was very much capable of changing my own tire and my fiancee was out of town so, no, cell phone's usage and popularity have nothing to do with why people do not help you on the streets.  As someone mentioned earlier, we can all survive without several of the things that we solely depend on these days, such as electricity, refrigerators, cars, internet, jobs...lol, grow your own food, kill your own stock, you'll be able to survive.  All you'll have to do is salt it down really well to preserve it, throw some logs in the oven and fix a nice dinner.  Like anything else, cell phones were created to better our way of living and no, many people do not necessarily need them to listen to music, or watch television, or text but, we do have to consider those individuals that have the types of jobs where they do need their cell phones for these very reasons.  Just like anything else, cell phone usage can be and is abused (those individuals that have three and four hundred dollar bills).  However, there are the majority of individuals that use their phones responsibly (isn't it funny how the majority also suffer on account of the minority) and should not be told that they do not need this instrument simply because there are people in life that have little to no use for it.  

I gave mine up 6 years ago and have not missed it....good points!

As a business owner I prefer that my employees do not use their cell phones at work---I run a construction business and I have employees that will talk on their cell phones 2 or 3 times an hour and this costs me and my client $$.  A ten min. cell call takes ten mins. of work from the job.  Two or 3 of these calls an hour really adds up.  I have asked my employees to leave their cell phones in their cars or trucks while on the job site----Also one person on the crew will get a call and sometimes when it takes 3 people to lift something on the job site the other 2 employees stand idle while one takes a call.

cell phones suck and so do you

You know what really grinds my gears?  People that hate cell phones. I don't have a land line just a cell. it's at hand when you need it  and its good for long distent calls.  now back to you Joe Six Pack