1. Escherichia coli risk
2 and 3. See below.

Turns of phrase can be meaningful in public policy discussions. In fact, they can make all the difference in public sentiment on an issue.

So, instead of “pro-abortion rights” and “anti-abortion rights,” we have “pro-life” and “pro-choice.”

And instead of “estate tax,” opponents began using the term “death tax.” Why? Because most people don’t have multi-million-dollar estates — but all of us will die.

In this election season, the phrase that has kept ringing in my ear is from a Barack Obama speech: “We are the change we’ve been waiting for.” What a powerful message for voters in what has been described as a “change” election.

Such turns of phrase are designed to persuade, but they also can help people to understand public policy issues better. For example, Scott Burns [pictured] — the wonderful personal finance writer and co-founder of the Web startup AssetBuilder — has coined a beauty.

In his syndicated column this Sunday, he and co-author Laurence Kotlikoff offer a term to describe the conflict of interest inherent in the work of credit rating agencies like Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s.

The term: Insider rating.

What’s beautiful about it is that it takes a rating system that is arcane to most people and makes a case for what’s wrong with it in two words that even casual investors can understand — because they immediately relate it to “insider trading.” When you hear the term “insider rating,” it immediately sounds like a problem that needs to be fixed.

Which is exactly what Burns and Kotlikoff argue. In fact, they believe a new federal agency may be necessary to ensure securities ratings are fairly administered.

You can read the full column here.

As you might expect, the column has stirred debate. A pundit at Housing Wire has bashed the plan, while the readers at Daily Kos are supportive of the idea.

But stirring debate — sharing words — is how change begins.

[Full disclosure: AssetBuilder is an Idea Grove client.]

For some time now, I have used the Internet fax service eFax, by j2 Global Communications (Nasdaq: JCOM), rather than an actual fax machine. Today I decided for a variety of reasons to cancel that service and go back to old-school faxing.

Apparently, however, j2 Global Communications doesn’t really like the idea of customers cancelling their service.

For starters, they make it difficult to find information on cancelling your account on their Web site. When you do find the instructions buried in some FAQ, you are informed that you must have a live chat with an eFax customer service representative in order to cancel your account.

That’s right — must. No live chat, no cancellation.

So I chatted. Here’s the actual transcript of my session this afternoon:

Welcome to chat.

The user has ended the session.

1. We were the first PR firm in Dallas to “get it.” Scott Baradell started Media Orchard in March 2005 and grew it to become one of the top 3,000 blogs in the world as measured by Technorati. He followed this up in October 2006 by creating his own social news site modeled after Fark and Digg. Today, his firm places in the top search results for most terms that clients use in seeking a Dallas-based PR firm. We know how social media tools work because we’ve been using them ourselves for years.

2. We prove it by doing it — every day. We drive blog, social networking and SEO strategy for clients large and small. We’ve been helping clients with their social media programs for more than two years now; if you can find another PR firm in Dallas that can tell you that, be sure they produce evidence. We can.

3. We won’t beat you down with hipster pretense. We don’t do Buddy Holly glasses and all-black fashion ensembles, and we won’t talk down to you. Hipsters who try to wow you with jargon are usually just trying to cover for their own inadequacies — such as lack of real-world experience.

4. We know what it’s like to run large PR departments. Scott Baradell has served as vice president of communications for two different billion-dollar corporations. He’s spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on PR campaigns with firms like Fleishman-Hillard and Burson-Marsteller. He’s also seen the value in hiring small firms he can trust.

5. We know what it’s like to run startups. Baradell co-founded and raised $3 million in funding for his own venture-backed startup. He understands the challenges of building a business on a shoestring — and to have VCs always looking over his shoulder.

6. We believe in old-fashioned ways of demonstrating value. We don’t think much of vague objectives. We translate our efforts into results — like increased Web traffic, improved search position, you name it. We’re honest about what we can do for you, and we tell you how we’re going to get there.

7. We try to have fun. Life ain’t worth it if you can’t have an occasional laugh. Check out our social news site, Spin Thicket, to see what we mean.

8. Our phone number is easy to remember. It’s 972.235.3439. How hard is that? Just dial it so we can get started.