Census Form Questions - Food For Thought
Have you read your census form yet? Interesting that they ONLY want to know:
A) Do you have property/Are you the one paying the rent?
B) What color are you?
C) Which gender are you?
What possible reasons could the government for asking these questions? The Constitution provides only for a count of the people - more accurately, a count of the voters/taxpayers (including those like children who have taxes paid on their behalf) - in order to ensure the apportionment of the House of Representatives is correct. At the time the Constitution was written, it may have been appropriate to ask these questions because they were a reflection of voting status. As such, these questions were EXTREMELY relevant to the task at hand ie Give representation to taxpayers/future taxpayers = voters.
Search on 'enumeration' or 'three fifths' in:
http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/constitution/constitution.html
And, since you're near - your federal income tax is born:
http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/constitution/16th/16th.html
But in today's American society, what possible motive could exist for asking these questions?
It certainly is not to establish whether you have the right to representation. If it were, why is there NO WHERE on the form ANY question that asks the OBVIOUSLY RELEVANT: Are you a legal resident of the USA?!?!?!?! Dig this piece of government 'new-speak': "people living here most of the time while working, even if they have another place to live" Yeah, "another place to live" - for instance, their own country? The other obvious question would be: "Have you lost your voting rights?" (As have felonious criminals.)
Let's see, I break this thing down as:
A) Who has wealth in the USA?
B) What groups exist in the USA who might be played against each other to redistribute that wealth? (And skim a little off the top for the G-man)
These jerks aren’t even bothering to be subtle anymore. I think I just scribble across the form in block letters: "One American voter lives at this address - that is ALL the information you are constitutionally entitled to gather. However, here is some bonus data: One ANGRY American voter lives at this address."
As long as I'm ranting, let me point out two other things:
1) They want you to write down your age AND your birth date. Is this a test to see how stupid you are?
2) The government could easily get data from: Tax returns (taxpayers and dependents), social security (retired people who are citizens but may not file a tax return), and welfare records (citizens who don’t pay taxes but are entitled to representation). Who does that leave out? Criminals (make their living without paying taxes) and people who are in the USA illegally.
So, the ONLY purpose for THIS census is to ensure the illegals and criminals get representation.
Whilst I'm deciding what to do with the census form, I fired off e-mails to my 'congresspersons':
I just received my Census 2000 form and I am EXTREMELY unhappy about the data being collected. I am NOT some privacy nut. Quite simply, the government is violating the Constitution by conducting a census which does not establish the RIGHT to representation of the people being counted. NO WHERE on this form is any attempt made to determine if the submitter is a person living in the USA illegally. Plenty of questions about race and age, though. To what end? These have no bearing on citizenship/voting rights/right to representation as they did at the time our constitution was framed. Even a little arithmetic quiz - age AND birth date? Trying to see how stupid I am? Well, I came up with the correct answer and still have all my 'lifelines'! Do I get a million dollars now? Also, I'm curious if census forms are sent to prisons? Since convicted felons can't vote, are they still allowed representation? The Constitution specifically says 'free persons'.
I realize things have changed since the Constitution was written. And I'm not some zealot who is going to bind myself to the letter of that document with utter disregard of common sense. But, the intent of the Founders in calling for the Census is *crystal clear*. I support the taking of a census according to the law set forward in the Constitution. Get rid of the race and gender questions, put in citizenship status questions, and I'll send in my form. As it stands, I wouldn't discount the possibility of a class action lawsuit over this.
Maybe you'd like to do the same:
Sometimes, the 'weasel words' are silent. That's why there's: