I received my census 2000 postcard today with this statement in body of message: "an accurate census is important to ensure that all communities get their fair share of government funding"

I thought from reading articles and links here and other boards that the reason for census was to insure proper number of representatives per population of states/territories. Am I in error?

-- george (jones@choices.com), March 20, 2000

Answers

You are correct. The reason for the census is to insure proper representation.

-- kermit (colourmegreen@hotmail.com), March 20, 2000.

(Sorry for double post)

You are correct. The main reason for the census is to insure proper representation. But that is not enough motivation to get some people to take the time to answer. The census is also used to divvy up federal dollars, so the pocket book incentive for some people may be the visions of federal porkbarrel.

-- kermit (colourmegreen@hotmail.com), March 20, 2000.

Although there is a constitutional requirement that censuses be conducted in order to determine the proper legislative representation, AFAIK there is no constitutional prohibition on additional questions being asked at the same time on the same form. A lot of the folks protesting the non-enumeration census questions are either overlooking or ignoring the latter point.

Arguments presented along the lines of "The census long form is unconstitutional because the constitution only requires enumeration" seem to be based on a misunderstanding. That a government questionnaire is titled "Census" does not disqualify it from asking questions needed to administer laws that are not directly relaterd to determining legislative representation. The government is entitled to ask for certain information from individuals, and it is cost-effective to ask some of them at the same time as the once-a-decade enumeration census.

Those who object to questions such as the ones about ethnic or racial origin should base their arguments on objection to the various laws concerning ethnic or racial groupings, not on the spurious basis that it's unconstitutional for a "census" to ask about such matters.

If one's only objection is the juxtaposition of enumeration questions to other question, then I ask: would you rather that the goveernment use the more expensive option of sending out two or more separate questionnaires instead of just one each decade? What would the extra expense buy for the taxpayer?

-- No Spam Please (nos_pam_please@hotmail.com), March 20, 2000.

No Spam:

Clever point about the statute not prohibiting certain questions to be asked, BUT you are way off course in taliking about what the government is "entitled" to have. I am not sure you really have a point as far as how the law would be interpreted, and I do not know if it has been legally tested in view of civil rights and wether or not each question undergoes the scrutiny of the fourth amendment.

I do not agree the government is entitled to ask me when I leave for work and how I get there. I do not believe they have the right to ask me about my medical history, and I do not believe they have the right to ask me how much the house in which I RENT an apartment would sell for in my neighborhood.

I almost think this is a troll post to wake up the board today, but I could tell the poster gave this some thought.

I have inalienable rights as an american, as a human being, and those rights supercede the right of any governmental agency. The government is supposed to be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, and the census is DICTATING to the people, as is this poster talking about our government's right to ask their incredibly personal questions.

Sorry. Will not answer them. Not today, not tomorrow, and if the workers come to my house, I am going to tell them I am the domestic help and the party for whom I work is spending the next six months in Europe!

-- FutureShock (gray@matter.think), March 20, 2000.

Frankly NO Spam, the govmt has proven to be such wasteful bumbling incompetent and dangerous liars that they in no way "deserve" this info.

Yes, a simple postcard census asking how many people are in your home today, yes, that's constitutional.

Any other info, they can find our by doing a survey thru the use of aprivate industry, putting a survey out to bid. They can do it cheaper & not under the "color of authority".

They can get a representative sample that way...& they SHOULD STOP TRYING TO BRIBE US WITH OUR OWN MONEY!!

-- IN (IN@dot.com), March 20, 2000.

The postcard asks for the form to have already been sent in, but the census is really supposed to be done as of 4/1/00. Why are they so anxious to have us do it prematurely? I agree--a postcard census. HOw many people? THat's all they need to know.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), March 21, 2000.

FutureShock,

The main point I intended is that objection to the non-enumeration questions on the basis of _their not being authorized by the constitutional enumeration provision_ is off-target. I did not contend that such objections couldn't be based on _other_ legalities.

>Clever point

I'm trying to be correct, not clever.

>BUT you are way off course in taliking about what the government is "entitled" to have.

Oh? I am? I wrote "to ask for certain information". I phrased that in a general manner because I didn't want to argue about exactly which non-enumeration questions were proper.

So just where did I go off course?

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution says (near the end of that section) "To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof." Surely you don't contend that nothing other than the enumeration provision empowers the government to require its citizens to answer _some_ questions in order to carry out other legitimate constitutional duties and powers, do you?

>I almost think this is a troll post

On what basis?

You seem to have gotten worked up based on your attribution to me of things I did not actually write.

>I have inalienable rights as an american,

... and responsibilities as an american citizen.

>the census is DICTATING to the people,

Those who sling terms like "dictating" lightly will not have adequate vocabulary to fight _real_ dictatorship if it comes along.

Don't cheapen words like "dictating" in this context.

The census dictates nothing. Do you think government-erected traffic signs and signals "dictate" to you when you drive on the public roads?

-- No Spam Please (nos_pam_please@hotmail.com), March 21, 2000.