The Patriot's Flag

A quiet day, politically. I’m flying the South Carolina State Flag today. I’ll use the blog time to document the 2010 Census … many questions are being asked, here are some FAQs for your information and answers.

Politically Quiet

Here is the background on the Census, and many links to the information if you want to get more deeply into understand it and its importance and ramifications.

The Census: The code for the enumeration can be found in 13 USC 141. In this code, the census is directed to be taken in 1980 and every ten years thereafter, and that the count is to be taken on April 1. The returns must be completed within nine months for use in apportionment of representatives. The code also specifies a mid-decade census be taken in 1985 and every ten years thereafter. This count need not be a head count (sampling may be used) though the data cannot be used for apportionment.

2010 Census … how the process works:

The Short Form: (What we will all see)

• (PRB.com) The 2010 Census Questionnaire: Seven Questions for Everyone (April 2009) The 2010 Census questionnaire will be sent to every housing unit in the country. The person in who fills out the form (Person 1) will provide the household information, including whether the home is rented or owned, and will answer just seven questions about every household member, including himself or herself:

• 1. Name,  2. Sex,  3. Age/Birth Date,  4.  Hispanic ethnicity, 5. Race, 6. Relationship to person filling out  the form and  7. other residence (military, college, etc).

• Refusal to Answer (short form) If you refuse to give out the information or you deliberately give inaccurate information, you can be in legal trouble. According to United States Code, Title 13 (Census), Chapter 7 (Offenses and Penalties), SubChapter II, if you’re over 18 and refuse to answer all or part of the Census, you can be fined up to $100. If you give false answers, you’re subject to a fine of up to $500. If you offer suggestions or information with the “intent to cause inaccurate enumeration of population,” you are subject to a fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in prison, or both. (How Stuff Works)

• Here is a great “interactive” link explaining the questions: 2010 Census.gov

The Long Form: ACS (What only a few sample populations will see)

• The American Community Survey (ACS) is a project of the U.S. Census Bureau that replaces the long form in the decennial census. It is an ongoing statistical survey, sent to approximately 250,000 addresses monthly, and thus more current than information obtained by the long form. (Wikipedia)

• The planned sample will be 3 million housing units and group quarters in the U.S. Data will be collected primarily by mail, with Census Bureau follow up. These are the three methods they will use:
  • Mail: self-enumeration
  • Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI), approximately 3 weeks after mailout
  • Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) by Census Bureau field representatives.

• The Department of Commerce states  those who receive a survey form are required to provide answers to a long list of questions about themselves and their families, including their profession, how much money they earn, their source of health insurance, their preferred mode of transportation to and from work, and the amount of money they pay for housing and utilities.
  • Those who decline to answer these questions may receive follow-up phone calls and/or visits to their homes from Census Bureau personnel, and are threatened with prosecution and fines. No person has ever been charged with a crime for refusing to answer the ACS survey, which several US  Representatives have challenged as unauthorized by the census act and violative of the Right to Financial Privacy Act. The Department of Commerce states that it is “not an enforcement agency.”

• The processed information will provide annual estimates for all states, as well as all cities, counties, metropolitan areas, and population groups of 65,000 people or more. For smaller areas, the Census Bureau expects useful samples to develop over time: over 3 years in areas with 20,000 to 65,000 people, and 5 years in areas with fewer than 20,000 people. The quality of these samples is expected to match that of the decennial census.

• Opposition to Long Form: The surveys asks for more information, and at a higher frequency of polling, than the simple enumeration required by the U.S. Constitution Article I Section 2. Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, who opposes the ACS, said of it that the Founding Fathers of the United States “never authorized the federal government to continuously survey the American people. More importantly, they never envisioned a nation where the people would roll over and submit to every government demand.”

• Constituent FAQ: Here is an excellent link for details on the 2010 Census … (pdf file)

• Conspiracy Theories:

• • Snopes – Conspiracy Theories
  • FactCheck – Conspiracy Theories (ACORN)

Proposed White House Control of Census Data

Washington Post: President Obama has decided to have the director of the U.S. Census Bureau work directly with the White House, the administration said today, a move that comes as the Census Bureau prepares to conduct the 2010 census that will determine redistricting of congressional seats.

“From the first days of the transition the Census has been a priority for the president, and a process he wanted to reevaluate,” LaBolt said in a statement this afternoon. “There is historic precedent for the director of the Census, who works for the commerce secretary and the president, to work closely with White House senior management, given the number of decisions that will have to be put before the president. We plan to return to that model in this administration.”

Opposition: A group in opposition to this is ready to file in court to block the move. Document HERE.

Precautions while working with the Census Takers:  (Email by Susan Johnson)

With the U.S. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises people to be cooperative, but  cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data.

The big question is – how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist? BBB offers the following advice:

If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don’t know into your home.

Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S.  Census.

• REMEMBER, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ASK, YOU REALLY ONLY NEED TO TELL THEM HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE AT YOUR ADDRESS.

While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, YOU DON’T HAVE TO  ANSWER ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION. The Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations. Any one asking for that information is NOT with the Census Bureau.

AND REMEMBER, THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS DECIDED NOT TO WORK WITH ACORN ON GATHERING THIS INFORMATION.. No Acorn worker should approach you saying he/she is with the Census Bureau. Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, the Census Bureau will not contact you by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the Census.

Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.

1. Short form – no problem: Answering the short form seems to be no real problem. Accurate (basic) demographic information is needed by our government to make sure it is representative of the people.  If you wonder about any of the (rather straight-forward) questions, you can go to: 2010 Census.gov and each question is explained interactively.

2. Long form – potential problem: The Long Form (ACS) may cause some other problems and I don’t think the jury has decided on how to respond and answer to this form. Basically the law says you answer all the questions or you are fined.  It is widely believed that the law requesting information like this is unconstitutional. It is not the business of this government to know our financial status and what bus we ride to work. This is beyond the scope of the the law’s intent and is an invasion of privacy.

3. White House Controlled Data – BIG problem: White House Controlled dataThe president, in deciding the data should be controlled by the White House, is employing  another attempt at a government takeover by the socialist-leaning administration. If you look at the (now broken) connection to ACORN, then see the data going directly to the White House, you can see that this cabal could have decided representative redistricting and kept this administration in power forever. (This is not a conspiracy theory, look at the  facts!). The ACORN connection was broken, and the lawsuit is pending to block the White House from controlling the data.

1. KWQC: Scam Artists Posing as Census Workers (Nov 27, 2009)
2. OnMilwaukee: Be cautious about giving info to census workers (01.09.09)

Doug S.C. Flag - Relatively Calm