On 06/24/2013 08:35 PM, S. Dale Morrey wrote:
To be fair, the Census is a power enumerated in the constitution.
Knowledge of this information does help with a vital aspect of government
which is the economic planning for the country. Individual census data is
sealed and strictly protected for decades. I can't say as I would enjoy
it, but just like voting & jury duty, the census is something necessary to
the proper operation of a representative government, therefore it really is
your duty as a citizen to comply with the request/demand.
The extra additional questions may seem a bit intrusive, but they really
are just aggregated, the data isn't going to be used for nefarious
purposes. Even if you put in something completely different from the IRS &
Census data, for instance you wouldn't get an audit because the IRS isn't
allowed access to that particular set of information.
I agree that commute times are important for planning new roads. The
number of people car pooling would be also. I don't see any reason why
the federal government needs to know how many cars I have, how old they
are, what my car payments are, my mortgage values, payments and interest
rates, annual property taxes, estimated home values, do I have a toilet
and a refrigerator, medical insurance coverage and bill, auto insurance
coverage and bill, power bill, natural gas bill, average grocery bill,
how many married and/or cohabitating people live in my home beside me
and my spouse [if present], my fertility, my mental health, how many
illegitimate children I have, my last tax return and various line items
from the return, how many hours I work, when I work, how much I have
been employed in the last year, how much water I drink, my height and
weight, how many times I've been to the doctor, how often I go on
vacation, etc. Nor am I willing to put down the same information for
any and all adults cohabitating in my residence during the last year.
I'm pulling these questions from memory, so some might not be perfectly
accurate, but it's as close as I can recall. You are welcome to view
the census survey yourself if you think I'm exaggerating. The 2013
survey is 14 pages, they may have slimmed things down a bit.
I don't see where in the constitution that is says the census is for
anything more than population count for redistricting, period. There is
nothing about a mandatory "American Community Survey". If they want
more information than population count, they will have to ask my
representative for it. Then my rep can tell the executive branch where
to go and how to get there. If he doesn't, I'll be happy to tell my rep
he should have done so when he comes to get the information, and suggest
he return from whence he came and do it right this time.
<rant> In fact, any program that needs this kind of information, is
likely to be the same programs whose very federal existence I despise.
</rant>
;-Daniel Fussell
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