Should the census incense us?
By Brian Kirwin | Monday, June 30th, 2008 | Catch-All“The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.”
Article 1, Section 2 of the US Constitution says government should count us. But the Census Bureau says the census is used “to distribute $300 billion in federal funds” – that part didn’t quite make the Constitution.
So instead of “Are you here?,” they ask Age, Gender, Race, Relationships, Fertility (HUH?), language spoken, how many bedrooms you have, home heating fuel…you get the idea.
These geniuses spent 1.3 billion dollars developing a handheld computer before they realized they couldn’t figure out how to do what UPS has been doing for years (H/T Newt), so now the census will be done on paper by 600,000 temps.
Does anyone else think the census should be counting people, and that’s it?
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About the author
The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled.
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Comments
6 Responses to "Should the census incense us?"
As long as the census takers show up at our doorstep, what is wrong with them asking a few additional questions which the answers to might be useful to us?
Seems to me this would be a wise investment of our tax dollars to get the most bang out of our buck. Horrors, our tax dollars might provide a little more information then the minimum amount necessary!
If the purpose of such questions is to promote more government spending then by all means we should simply follow the Constitution and simply count each person.
Reid,
It doesn’t “promote more government spending”, but rather where that spending is targeted.
Henry, that’s like saying building a bridge doesn’t promote crossing it.
Brian,
You’d scuttle the funding formula for those funds.
What you and Reid assume is that the Feds would eliminate the spending before coming up with a new formula. Anyone who is a Washington watcher knows better.
Reid,
It is not the census that promotes government spending. It is the votes of the citizens that elect our representives that is to blame. Do not blame the census.
I see nothing wrong, as long as we must conduct a census, getting as much value for the money spent possible.
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