Federal census-participate or joke/privacy invasion??

[Zen]

Does this mean that guy who came to my door wanting to know what kind of underwear I had on wasn't really from the Census?

[OakLeaf]

LOL Zen!


I think a lot of people have never been taught, and never bothered to think on their own, what it means to be a citizen. And that's not only sad, it's very scary for our future (our present, really).

[Cataboo]

I always find it ironic that the crowd that is usually anti-census are usually the same crowd that are clinging to their constitutional right to bear arms - point out that taking a census is in the constitution and you get a blank stare.

[shootingstar]

What amazes me is that some of the strong negativity came from university/college educated folks.

Maybe they work in jobs all their lives that didn't require understanding their community composition or sections of the population.

[Pax]

I don't mind answering questions that help provide data needed to accurately enumerate the population. I do question why they need to know my name and date of birth. They already asked my age on the form, and I'm not sure why they need my name?

For those interested in the wording in the Constitution:
Constitution's census clause (Art. 1, Sec. 2, Clause 3) is not limited to a headcount of the population and "does not prohibit the gathering of other statistics, if 'necessary and proper,' for the intelligent exercise of other powers enumerated in the constitution, and in such case there could be no objection to acquiring this information through the same machinery by which the population is enumerated."

[Biciclista]

If it weren't for the census, I would not have been able to find details about our families who are long gone. I have sat in dark rooms looking at microfilm to find ancestors that way starting with the 1790 census. (husband's family). The census is a wonderful thing! And yes, what salsabike says is true, we get so many benefits from what they find out in the census! it's a way to keep track of who we are, and what we need; we americans.