Recognizing the need to establish a method of counting the population for the purpose of taxation and political representation, our founding fathers created the national census within the U.S. constitution. It reads, “Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.” Today, the controlling law for the U.S. Census is Title 13 of the U.S. Code.
The U.S. Census Bureau website proclaims the 2010 census is changing the way the national count will be conducted in the future. The long form, which was previously mailed to 1 in 6 households to collect more detailed socioeconomic information about the population, has been eliminated. Only the short form will be mailed out to all residents in 2010. This form requests information including name, sex, age, date of birth, race, ethnicity, relationship and housing tenure.
If this were true I would be singing the praises of the census bureau. Like many Americans, I believe the census has been misused over the years to collect more data than was ever intended by our founders. However the long form has not really been eliminated as they would have you believe. They have just given it a new name.
Now called the American Community Survey, this questionnaire is 14 pages long and will be mailed to “a small percentage of the population” every year rather than once every 10 years. The survey delves into your family’s personal information concerning finances, health and lifestyle in Orwellian detail.
Citizens are asked questions about personal relationships, availability of household flush toilets, bathing facilities, appliances, phone service, even what vehicles are used at each household. Your expenses in regards to mortgage or rent, electricity, gas, water and sewage. They ask each persons education level and whether that person attends private or public school. Questions ask about your medical history and any disabilities you may have. Where do you work, your duties there, your salary, your mode of transportation to work each way, what time you leave home and how long does your commute take. There is more, but you get the idea. You can view the 2009 American Community Survey form at the Census Bureau website.
It’s estimated that it will take each household about 40 minutes to complete the survey and warns that failure to comply with it’s demands for your personal information will be punished by a fine of up to $5,000. Willfully providing false information to questions will subject you to a $500 fine.
Personally, I’m just wondering how to make out my check and the proper mailing address. This goes so far beyond the constitutional mandate it’s totally ridiculous. Our founders never intended the census to be a continual survey by the government of our most personal details. At what point do we tell our government that enough is enough? That they have no right to know every last detail of our personal lives?
I also question the use of the data they obtain through this yearly sample. If it’s only being mailed to a small percentage of the population what could it possibly be used for if not statistical sampling, which they already said would not be used in the future? What is the governmental definition of “small percentage” anyway? 2%? 25%? Will that percentage grow every year just like every other aspect of government?
The government won’t even level with us about the extent of their involvement with ACORN in conducting the 2010 census (info here) but they want us to trust them with our family’s most sensitive personal details?
Is this the beginning of tyranny in America, or the result of it?
{ 8 trackbacks }
{ 0 comments… add one now }