Census 2000

I know this is a little dated, but the colleges around here just got around to distributing our census forms so this question has just come to mind.

It is my belief that the Census Board has the constitutional authority to ask only one question: how many people live at your residence. It’s a head count, not a political tool, after all. So, my temptation is to answer the constitutionally required question (which, actually, isn’t even on there come to think of it) and send the rest back blank. On the other hand, I could be fined $100 for that. I’m not sure that my sense of “doing the right thing” is worth $100 to a poor college kid. Also, am I really doing the right thing? I’m not entirely sure of that.

Brian

The Census has always been a political issue.
Even going back to Roman times. “Census”
is their term, you know. Back then being
counted and ranked determined what
rights you had, what taxes you paid,
whether you did military service and
what military rank you got. Today it’s not
much different. But curious things are
afoot. In my city, which has lots of
immigrants, they’re actually telling people
that being counted or not counted determines
what neighborhoods will gets what free
handouts. Who knows what that means, maybe the INS has teamed up with the Census.

From the census 2000 web site: http://www.census2000.org/facts/long.html

“Each of the 33 topics proposed for Census 2000 is included because federal law specifically mandates its inclusion in the decennial census, the legal system requires that the data be collected, or federal law requires it for program implementation and the decennial census is the only or historic source for the information.”

The U.S. constitution, Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 says

As you can see, it says “the enumeration shall be made … in such Manner as they (congress) shall by Law direct.” So I don’t think the extra questions are unconstitutional. Appropriate, however, would probably be a question for Great Debates.

whoops! I just noticed that we already are in Great Debates. :o

Have there been any U.S. Supreme Court cases on what information may and may not be demanded by a census? The 4th Amendment does imply a right to some kinds of privacy, after all.

I got the long form.

I refuse to tell them what time I leave for work in the morning.

It’s none of their business what medical problems or conditions I might have.

If they want to know my earnings, check with the IRS…

Bring on the $100 fine…that’ll really teach me…

MEMO

To: All conspiracy Nuts
From: Satan
Re: Paranoia over Census 2000

You’re all friggin’ nuts.

There is very little that is on the form (and I had the long form) that cannot be found on your drivers licence (issued by state government), your birth certificate (issued by the government), and your credit report (looked at by countless potential creditors all the time).

I hope all of you are fined $100 because your devotion to The X-Files and rampant fear of government conspiracies makes me wish that some of what you worry about was indeed true, if only because you might dissapear without a trace if we were lucky.

Oh, and I guess this makes me “one of them,” huh… :rolleyes:


Yer pal,
Satan

http://www.raleighmusic.com/board/Images/devil.gif

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395 cigarettes not smoked, saving $49.41.
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The direct mail marketing people know far more about me than the government could determine by looking at my census form. They know everything I’ve ever bought by mail or by phone order from a mail catalog. They know every magazine I’ve ever subscribed to. They know every charity I’ve ever contributed to. They use that information too. They are constantly exchanging and selling information about me, so I am constantly getting more catalogs, magazine subscription offers, and requests for new charity donations.

I’ve mostly kept myself off of spam lists, but for those of you who are frequently spammed, the spammers know more about you than the goverment ever will. They know every porno website you’ve ever visited. They know everything you’ve bought online. They know every Usenet newsgroup you’ve ever posted to. They use this information to send you spam.

The government is specifically forbidden to use the information gathered in the census in any way except as statistical information. Nothing personal can be released to anybody, including other agencies of the government (at least, until the information is officially released 72 years after the date of the census).

How do you know that the government is telling the truth? Well, think of it this way: Why would the government care about information about you as a single person (as opposed to statistical information)? The reason that the direct mail marketers and the spammers want information about you is that they want your money. They’re not collecting information for the fun of it. Why would the government want personal information about you, since you are a nobody? Yes, face it, you’re a nobody, and your ridiculous conspiracy theories about why the government is collecting personal information about you fall down on this point.

This clause

was changed by section two of the Fourteenth Amendment, which provides that each person be counted as a whole person (ending the 3/5 compromise).

Does it seem to anyone else that a disproportionate number of posters here got the long form? I did, and it seems like there’s an endless number of people pissing and moaning about getting it.

Cheese Log, Cheese Log, cylindrical and yellow!
Cut the Cheese Log and I’m a happy fellow!

Wow. Here in Ohio we don’t have our personal medical history or our commute schedule printed on our DL. …and when I lived in North Carolina we didn’t either…

What state do you live in where they are doing this Satan?

Yep…and how does that jibe with the government using census information to locate Japaneese Americans for purposes of internment?

Please fine me. Bring it on. I’m begging for it. I’ll still not answer any questions other than the number of people living in this dwelling.

Krispy -

There are a lot of agencies, institutions, and corporations that possess this very information that you are hesitant to divulge.

[QUOTE]
Originally posted by Krispy Original:
It’s none of their business what medical problems or conditions I might have.

Your doctor and his staff no doubt know this information. Sure, he may sign one of those confidentiality forms, but I mean, come on, who are we kidding…

If they want to know my earnings, check with the IRS…

That person over in payroll, calculating your hours or salary, they know this. The bank teller you hand your paycheck to to cash it or deposit it? They also know this.

But in the whole scheme of things, do you think anyone really cares about any of this? Not likely.

So the government knows when you leave for work, so they know how much you make and any medical conditions that may be ailing you… but I mean really, how is them knowing this information harmful to you? So harmful that you are willing to pay a $100 fine to not reveal it, even knowing that others have this information at their disposal?

Everyone who I have talked to who is reluctant to answer the questions on their census form has not told me how the government knowing this information can be harmful to them.