If I remember correctly, the Supreme Court ruled several years ago
when the undercount and overcount controversy first became a political
issue, that the cabinet secretary at the time held the power to
adjust the census counts. Rather than an unelected civil servant
making the decision, a person responsible ultimately to the electorate
was the better choice. The Clinton Administration changed the census
decision-making zenith from previous administrations. By having the
decision rest with the Commerce Secy., it simply went back to the way
it was before Pres. Clinton. Some see the decision on the use of
statistical sampling and consequent extrapolation as a means to
increase Democrat political influence. Others see it as a political
ploy to undercount minorities, immigrants, etc. The actual decision
on sampling is as important or maybe even more so than the hanging
chads of Florida.
Secy. Evans is a mechanical engineering and MBA graduate of the Univ.
of Texas. He has been twice elected chairman of the board of regents
at Texas. Given his quantitative background he should be able to
grasp the efficacy of statistical sampling. He's an oil millionaire
who has been a Midland, Texas crony of Pres. Bush for many years. If
I were to place a wager on this one...I think the decision will not
necessaily be the choice of the statisticians at the Bureau. :-))
On 18 Feb 2001 11:00:17 -0800, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Dale Berger)
wrote:
>BUSH OFFICIAL TO DECIDE CENSUS SAMPLING ISSUE
>
>By Genaro C. Armas
>Associated Press
>February 17, 2001
>WASHINGTON -- Commerce Secretary Don Evans on Friday stripped the Census
>Bureau of the power to decide whether to adjust the 2000 head count to
>protect against an undercount of minorities and the poor. Evans said he
>would make the politically sensitive decision himself.
>
>The Bush Cabinet member reversed a plan from Bill Clinton's administration
>that gave the Census Bureau director and a board of career statisticians the
>final say over whether a statistical sampling should be used to adjust the
>2000 count.
>
>Evans' ruling returns the decision to the commerce secretary's office, where
>"Congress has always intended" the decision be made, Evans spokesman Jim
>Dyke said.
>
>Census Bureau officials could not be reached for comment.
>
>Dyke said a committee of Census Bureau staffers--including acting director
>William Barron, a career civil servant--must make a recommendation to Evans
>by March 1. Evans would then reach a decision within five days.
>
>Preliminary estimates from a survey taken after the 2000 census showed it
>missed a smaller percentage of Americans in 2000 than in 1990. Republicans
>were especially heartened that estimates showed smaller percentages of
>uncounted blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and children--groups traditionally
>missed in a census.
>
>But Democrats contend that about 3 million people still could be left out
>this year, and asked the Bush administration to leave the final say to the
>Census Bureau director.
>
>"By acting to politicize the determination of the accuracy of the census,
>the Bush administration has clearly signaled their intention to influence
>the final decision for what can only be construed to be motivated by
>partisan political gain," said House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt
>(D-Mo.).
>
>Evans must decide whether raw data adjusted using sampling will protect
>against an undercount, as Democrats and civil rights groups contend.
>
>Republicans, in general, contend that the Constitution calls for an "actual
>enumeration" free of statistical adjustment.
>
>The issue has long been controversial in Congress, where Democrats maintain
>they could potentially gain seats in the House if the adjusted data were
>used to make up for the undercount.
>
>Republicans hold a narrow majority, and the next election will be held after
>census figures are used to redraw the boundaries of all but a few of the
>nation's 435 congressional districts.
>
>
>
>
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