Rep. Bachmann Refuses To Fill Out 2010 Census
(AP)
Bachmann, a Republican, said her family will only be indicating the number of people in the household, because "the Constitution doesn't require any information beyond that."
Bachmann believes the upcoming census to be "very intricate" and "very personal" and expresses concerns about ACORN's involvement in the data collection. The community organizing program came under scrunity after charges of voter registration fraud during the 2008 presidential elections.
"I think what the threat of ACORN would be deluding the ballot box and the effectiveness of our vote," she said. "They will be in charge of going door to door and collecting data from the American public, this is very concerning."
Bachmann also expressed frustration at the president's backing for ACORN, saying he has supplied $8.4 billion to ACORN since he has come into office, a number that far surpasses the $53 million given in the past 15 years.
"ACORN has received $53 million from 1994 to today, but now, since President Obama has come into office, he is making available $8.5 billion – with a 'b' - to ACORN, an organization that is repeatedly under indictment for voter fraud in multiple states across the country," Bachmann said. "This is the last organization that should have the taxpayer's wallet open to them but unfortunately, under President Obama, he is multiplying the amount of money available to them."
Bachmann has claimed the $8.5 billion available multiple times, but it should be noted that the St. Petersburg Times' affiliated fact check Web site, Politifact.com, disputes its accuracy.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Bachmann may be in trouble if she fails to fill out the entire census. Spokeswoman Shelly Lowe told the Washington Times that anyone over the age of 18 must fill out all the questions and any such person who refuses to answer "any of the questions" faces a $5,000 fine.
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See all 60 CommentsWHY DO WE NOT DO THIS NOW?
People have been saying there are only 10 questions on the survey. Check out this website. This tells you the questions, ranging from how many in household, to fertility, how long you've been living in your home to how much you make and how many cars you have! How can people say this isn't instrusive??
Here is the link to the official Govt web page that tells you it is only a head count... http://2010.census.gov/2010census/
The page reads exactly like this (cut and pasted)..
What is the Census?
Countdown to Census Day:
April 1, 2010
Watch a new video on the 2010 Census
The census is a count of everyone living in the United States every 10 years.
The census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution.
The next census is in 2010.
Your participation in the census is required by law.
It takes less than 10 minutes to complete.
Federal law protects the personal information you share during the census.
Census data are used to distribute Congressional seats to states, to make decisions about what community services to provide, and to distribute $400 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year.
_____________________________
Here is the official page that shows a sample copy of the census with only 10 (yes only TEN )short questions on the official form. Click or copy/paste this link.. http://2010.census.gov/2010census/pdf/2010_Questionnaire_Info_Copy.pdf
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In this nasty world we live in today, I sure hope that those are really the exact forms from our government.
like age
occupation
race
I've been researching my ancestors and looking at the census records from 1870 on...and that Exact same information is on those records as well. So what is all the fuss about?
I think any information about who the people were in 2010 and how they lived are great?
What are these intrusive questions that has the Liberitarians up in arms?
What is your favorite sleeping position?
Are you happy or married?
What is your sexual preference?
What
Here are the facts. The standard census form that every household receives is limited to seven questions about each household member, none of them "intrusive". There is also a longer form which has been sent to one out of every six households along with the census form since 1930 (this is apparently the one the wingnuts are whining about). In 2010, for the first time, these additional questions are being asked on a form ENTIRELY SEPARATE FROM THE CENSUS which will be sent to 3 million households.
BTW, the constant harping on ACORN from the right is totally hilarious to me. I'm surprised they haven't hit on their other standard bugaboo, George Soros, in these comments (or did I miss it?). He and ACORN together pretty much control every aspect of every American's life, in the fevered paranoid dreams of the Fox-addled wingnuts.
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The obstacles are many, but the 2010 Census has one thing working in its favor: Every household will get a short form with only seven questions about each person who lives there (name, sex, age and date of birth, race, ethnicity, relationship to the head of household and whether the home is owned or rented). It takes about 10 minutes to fill out, says Arnold Jackson, associate director of the decennial Census.
For the first time since 1930, there will be no "long form" that previously was sent to one of every six households. It asked about everything from property taxes and indoor plumbing to education, ancestry and commuting patterns. The lengthy and probing questionnaire raised protests in 2000 by some in Congress, including then-Senate majority leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., although questions had been approved by Congress.
Instead of using the long form, the Census Bureau is asking the same detailed questions through a separate survey that goes to about 3 million households a year.
- USA Today, October 8, 2008
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/2008-10-08-Census_N.htm
If it keeps our troops and country safe, I'm for EIT tactics. Within reason. I wouldn't want to see them use the same tactics the muslims use on us; like putting heads in vices, cutting off fingers with gardening tools, electricution, hanging you by your wrists. Water boarding isn't true torture, it's psychological use of fear. You want to see true torture, look at our enemies tactics...there you have it.
If they had, they'd have stayed in Europe.
Salemst
This information, once collected, goes well beyond contributing to the development of optimal public policy and districting. It is also integral to academic research we all benefit from (including all future Americans and their future elected representatives). To oppose the collection of aggregate population data is to oppose the pursuit of knowledge and the improvement of the American condition.
The irony, of course, for this campaign against information, is how trivial a problem it is for statisticians to make qualified estimates for those who follow this call in refusing to answer. As the results are made public and are easily verifiable, who cares who is hired by the census bureau?
Looking at all these posts, there are a lot of liberals afraid of you, Michelle. Keep up the good work!
So if I have this right, Congresswoman Bachmann actually APPROVED the questions on the 2010 census and is now claiming they are unconstitutional?
We are the People and We are tired of having government shoved down on throats. As far as fines, so what....I survived Viet Nam and I can survive the $5,000 threat.
Our Constitution mandates a census be taken every ten years and compilation of all information should be CONDUCTED with UTMOST
INTEGRITY. Accuracy and confidentiality should be paramount. As an
Independent voter and amateur genealogist, I am appalled that ACORN may have an active role in enumerating the 2010 census! The Census Bureau should be nonpartisan and non-political agency and past allegations of fraud against ACORN raise serious concerns about the organization. Congress should investigate ACORN's questionable voter registration activities and any organization that has been subject to multiple allegations of misconduct should not participating in the 2010 U. S. Census.
There are multitudes of internet videos that reveal evidence of ACORN's fraudulent practices. Just go to youtube.com and search ?ACORN fraud?. Do we want an organization like this compiling confidential information on American citizens? I, myself, would be very reluctant to give personal information to ANYONE that I suspect may have been associated with fraudulent or criminal activities. We know that millions of Americans would be inclined to give less than accurate responses to the census questionnaire. The 2010 Obama census could very well be considered the most inaccurate enumeration in U. S. history.
What a legacy!
There is a big difference between these words, ?census? and ?enumeration,? and our wise founding fathers had good reason to be particular in their selection. Webster?s Dictionary defines census as: ?1. in ancient Rome, an official enumeration of the people with special reference to the value of property and estate for the purpose of determining the rate of taxation" and, "2. an official enumeration of the people of a nation, state, district, or city together with the collecting of statistics concerning their property, nativity, age, sex, occupation, etc.? HOWEVER, the definition of the word ?enumeration? in this same dictionary is simply: ?1. the act of counting or numbering.?
Now, take a look at Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment which reads, ?Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers counting the whole number of persons in each state?? There you have it: ?numbers? and ?counting? but no mention of property based taxation, rates, or social demographics. The original un-amended Constitution only allowed for apportioned direct taxes which were independent of one?s personal data.
Regardless of what you hear in the media or what name the bureaucracy gives to itself, every ten years the United States has an Enumeration. ?How many people live here?? That?s all it was ever intended to be. Please consider this along with your Fourth Amendment privacy rights when a Census worker comes knocking on your door with long-form paperwork and a GPS recording device.
Does that mean we will then be an Empire?
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