At least that’s what the letter in my mailbox today explained. Do you have a plan for answering those questions?
Now let me say I’m really usually not considered an idiot, but after muddling through this census information, I sure feel like one. I want to know, and simply can not find out, how much information I have to give. One form seems rather straight forward, but the longer Community Survey? That’s stuff I probably don’t tell my neighbor, much less the U.S. government.
Here’s a link to the short form. It includes those items one might consider usual: names and ages of people living here; a little more intrusive and controversial question of race. In general, it’s the stuff I hope to find when I look through old census information for genealogy. I’m a little skittish about giving a birth date, but I plan to comply.
However.
If I get the longer American Community Survey form, all bets are off. For that form, I’ll only duplicate the information provided in the short form. It’s all I feel they need. There is no way the government needs to know my average electric bill or if I hold a mortgage and what’s that payment or what I feel the value of my home would be if I were to sell or anyone’s recent job activity or INCOME! (See page 11.)
The government can, in short, stuff it.
I can’t find the link right now, but I do remember researching this in the past and coming up with two things that stuck regarding the issue. First, the long form is someone’s dream list and not really that which the law enumerates, and next, even if they were to prosecute me for failing to fill it all out, the maximum penalty if convicted was about $500. It’s a risk I’m willing to take.
(Update: The penalty for no answer is $100. The penalty for false answers is $500. So I’m only risking $100.)
There is a lot of stuff floating around out there about the census. Do your own research and make your own decision. I just thought I’d share my plan.
(Update: Here’s another interesting article on the issue, including a 2000 quote from George Bush regarding the count.)
Glenn Beck is talking about this right now on WISN. You might catch some helpful guidance about the census here.
I tried. I really did. I like Glenn Beck’s tv show, but this radio thing is goofy! Is there a rule in radio that no one is ever allowed to finish a sentence before the host interrupts?
Filling it out was easy for me – two old proletariat live here. Maybe I did it wrong. Oh, well, I can plead I’m senile.
Mom, that’s funny. I have never ever heard you use the word “proletariat.” Kind of scary.
Did you get a long form or a short form?
We got the letter yesterday saying it will be delivered to us in a week. Considering how simple it is, I’ll be filling it out.
Got it today and was able to fill it out in less than 10 minutes. Can’t believe how many people that form supports – I never knew that many people could live in one home.
proletariat –
Cindy, I think my “other personality” must have used that word. I really meant it in jest. I try to learn a new word every once in a while;-)
Anthony, I didn’t realize so many people could live in one home legally these days. Maybe back in the early 1900′s. Not many “single” families that big anymore.