2010 Census

[Bokonon]

I love the fact that the other day I got a letter from the Census bureau saying that they will be mailing out the census form and that I should fill it out.

If everyone in the country got this letter, I wonder how much that cost? How about just sending out the census form and asking me to fill it out then. I wonder if I'll get a thank you letter for filling out the form.

Waste!

Got the same thing. I joked to a friend that it is the postal service stimulus package. Though I'm not sure it is a joke

[gbob]

I am going to put down that I have 100,000 people living in the house with me. I want my own congressional district. Those guys get hella perks, and I want mine.

Seriously, it doesn't take that long and it does have a positive impact. Even if you're (like myself) a cranky "keep off my lawn you damn revenuers" kind of guy, this data is something of great importance to future historians. Much of what we know of the middle ages comes from the Doomsday Book in England. What historian wouldn't give his left nut to have a census of people living in the Minoan civilization or Etruscan? Fuck me, but if this shit can be preserved, it'll be golden for guys a thousand years from now.

Besides, much of our method of government relies upon knowing who the hell is living where. Will the rust belt lose seats? (yeah, it will.) Will the sun belt gain greater representation? (The thought of more mullet headed, NASCAR watchin', sister marryin' Floridians being in charge fills me with dread)

Do the right thing. Be honest. Fill it out. It's 10 minutes. Deal with it. Hell, it was put in our constitution for a reason.

[Lars]

Just fucking fill the form out and stop crying.

+1 It is only 10 questions. I applied to work with the census and they take data privacy VERY seriously. The Census Bureau is one of the most sued government agencies... Everyone wants access to the data... NOBODY gets it.

[bcmaui]

...so why not just use the IRS records to count people.

Foster - All the folks not reporting their income and not paying income taxes are people too and want to be counted.

And the census has been around much longer than the IRS.

I bet 1/3 of Humboldt County (and many other places) would disappear without the census if you used the IRS method instead.

I like your idea though, if you are not reporting your income, you should not be counted for purposes of allocating congressional districts. Originally you needed to be male and a property owner to vote - that was too restrictive, but we have swung to the other extreme to a point where a majority that does not pay income taxes can vote to raise the taxes on the rest of us and create more programs that benefit them and raises taxes on the minority even more.

It was interesting this time around they were asking about your home mortgage status, I don't recall that question back in 2000.

The Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac home mortgage bailout is pretty huge and still has a way to go, maybe they are trying to get a better handle on that potential exposure.

We mailed our form back in a few weeks ago and a person came by last week and we told her the same.

[ColonialFootsoldier]

Everybody should just answer the census questions like Christopher Walken


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XtuPvwBa2U

[johnfoster]

Originally you needed to be male and a property owner to vote

the thinking on this wasn't far wrong for the time. the founders didn't want just any dummy at the poles. they wanted educated people that had a stake in the game. all too often today it becomes an emotional issue. a person doesn't get elected because they don't attend "church" or they appear to be a lessor human being for "having an affair" or "taking a bribe." but the emotion is sometimes about some other knee jerk position where you can point at everything from oil, car making, electricity generation to what goes on in your bedroom.

I'm not saying that I want voting reform. but I'd really like to take the stupid factor out of the process.

[bcmaui]

I'm not saying that I want voting reform. but I'd really like to take the stupid factor out of the process.

I'll agree with you on that. If not, it will soon just be bread and circuses.

[Brew Swillis]

We used to have that, back when the Senate was selected by their respective state assemblies instead of just being another, more powerful populist institution......The intention was that the Senate would act with the best interests of their state in mind and be less susceptible to the passion and whims of the people. bah, we're all fucked anyways. Im just warming up the popcorn for the show.