Census Good or bad

[piasabird]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091217/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_census_blacks

"The undercount of blacks in the last count and the overcount of whites by 1 percent is not just a Washington statistic," Sharpton said at a news briefing after the meeting. "It manifests itself in goods and services that cost us."

"We want what is ours," he said.


This article is based on what people can get from the government. The government is not the solution it is the problem. Maybe there is some problem in how we use the census. Maybe there is a better way to represent the people.

You might ask yourself why black racial groups are undercounted. Are they just not sending in the census forms or as a polulation do they have higher birth rates or what is exactly the problem? I try not to talk about racial issues because I realize that politicians like to pit racial groups against each other to scare people and make one group envious of the other. It could be that a lot of people do not own or have a stable rental unit because of their lower wage earning potential. Thus they are undercounted.

If people have a stable family relationship it promotes a better counting because stability helps people to build strong relationships. Not having children from 5 different men might make it easier to do a census. This is a general loosening of moral standard and it is not limited to any one group. Families are the building blocks of civilization. Having stronger family organization promotes stronger families and a better wage earning potential.

 

[IronWing]

Poor people tend to be under counted. Blacks tend to be poorer than whites.

Poor people tend to be under counted, particularly in areas of extreme poverty, as their housing situations may be so substandard as to be undetectable as housing. For example, in the 1990 census houses with broken windows were considered "abandoned" and no effort was made to determine if anyone lived in them. Sometimes people did and they were never counted. Also, where folks were illegally subletting houses or apartments, the subletters may not have been counted. Where folks lived in trailers pulled in behind relatives' houses or shops, they may not be counted, only the folks up front were counted. Other folks moved so often to stay ahead of rent collection and evictions that they were missed as well.

 

[Carmen813]

Trying to count each person door by door is...statistically unreliable at best.

 

[theflyingpig]

"The undercount of blacks in the last count and the overcount of whites by 1 percent is not just a Washington statistic," Sharpton said at a news briefing after the meeting. "It manifests itself in goods and services that cost us."

"We want what is ours," he said.

This is the failure of the black community. "We want what is ours". Pathetic.

 

[Rainsford]

This is the failure of the black community. "We want what is ours". Pathetic.

It's the fault of "the black community" that the census uses an unreliable counting method?

 

[ProfJohn]

It's the fault of "the black community" that the census uses an unreliable counting method?

No, the problem is that the black community sees everything as a way to get them more goods and services.

BTW did Sharpton detail his plan to help more blacks escape poverty, or is THIS his plan? aka more money from the government.

 

[Rainsford]

No, the problem is that the black community sees everything as a way to get them more goods and services.

BTW did Sharpton detail his plan to help more blacks escape poverty, or is THIS his plan? aka more money from the government.

How about a FAIR amount of goods and services? The census methods are incredibly biased towards middle class white people, and biased against poorer minorities. Complaining about that system isn't some sort of unreasonable demand, it's a perfectly normal request to be treated as equals.

Edit: And I have to say, suggesting that "the black community" sees things entirely one way or the other, especially when that perspective is so incredibly negative, seems wildly racist to me.

 

[fskimospy]

No, the problem is that the black community sees everything as a way to get them more goods and services.

BTW did Sharpton detail his plan to help more blacks escape poverty, or is THIS his plan? aka more money from the government.

I like how you've been able to twist people wanting to be fairly counted and therefore fairly represented with 'seeing everything as a way to get them more goods and services'.

 

[fskimospy]

This is the failure of the black community. "We want what is ours". Pathetic.

You forgot to say 'everyone knows this' or 'it cannot be denied'. Come on man, you're slipping!

 

[MovingTarget]

I don't think that it is a manner of 'good' or 'bad'. The census is a necessary hassle. If there were a better way of determining exactly who lived where, then we could more accurately allocate government resources. Perhaps some parameters on how people are counted can be tweaked, but overall the exhaustive method used tends to be the most complete we are able to get. Perhaps Sharpton wants (other than more airtime) to introduce some sort of statistical compensation to counteract this underrepresentation...heck, even to overcompensate for it.

 

[BoberFett]

If we're going to bother doing it, we might as well try to be as accurate as possible. But Sharpton, as always, is an opportunist just waiting for something to keep his name in the headlines and the paychecks coming in.

 

[piasabird]

There is a danger that California will get fewer delegates after the census because people are leaving in droves to find work elsewhere or to escape their mortgage.

 

[Patranus]

There is a danger that California will get fewer delegates after the census because people are leaving in droves to find work elsewhere or to escape their mortgage.

Don't worry. They are going to count illegal immigrants and there is no way that the population of illegal immigrants in California decreased.

 

[Ausm]

No, the problem is that the black community sees everything as a way to get them more goods and services.

BTW did Sharpton detail his plan to help more blacks escape poverty, or is THIS his plan? aka more money from the government.

Your generalizations are HIGHLY annoying so basically you believe black people are the only ones who take advantage of government handouts?

 

[woodie1]

...snip... But Sharpton, as always, is an opportunist just waiting for something to keep his name in the headlines and the paychecks coming in.

Bingo!

 

[CitizenKain]

No, the problem is that the black community sees everything as a way to get them more goods and services.

BTW did Sharpton detail his plan to help more blacks escape poverty, or is THIS his plan? aka more money from the government.

Ah yes, being properly represented, what other foul acts of perverseness will they attempt next.

 

[theflyingpig]

Your generalizations are HIGHLY annoying so basically you believe black people are the only ones who take advantage of government handouts?

He never said they are the only ones. His statement is a fact, which cannot be denied. You have deliberately tried to demonize him by twisting his words to hide the truth in his statement. You are willfully blind to the truth. I can think of little that is more pathetic than a person who not only chooses not to see the truth, but would willingly deny it. Open your eyes Ausm. Open them and see the world for what it is. Everyone knows this.

 

[werepossum]

I have no problem with doing a better job of counting blacks, but the method that Obama and Sharpton have been pushing is not to count blacks at all. They want to either appoint groups like ACORN to do the counting, or simply to appoint groups like ACORN to tell the census how many people live in their districts using formulae. Call me crazy but I don't think it's a good idea to give more representatives to big cities because the entire roster of the NFL and NBA is reported to live in every district of every big city.

 

[marincounty]

There is a danger that California will get fewer delegates after the census because people are leaving in droves to find work elsewhere or to escape their mortgage.

You're talking garbage again. The unemployment rate is 12.5% in California (and still has 14.2 million employed), and nationally it is 10.2%, not that much better.
Kentucky is at 11.2% , North Carolina is at 11%, and Nevada is at 13%, Alabama is at 10.9%, Florida is at 11.2%, and Alaska is at 8.9%.

So yeah, everyone in the red states is living so much better, not. How is that low tax thing working out in Nevada?

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Wait wait wait... this whole argument is based on something Al Sharpton said?

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahaha... It's true... P&N will argue over anything.

 

[frostedflakes]

How about a FAIR amount of goods and services? The census methods are incredibly biased towards middle class white people, and biased against poorer minorities. Complaining about that system isn't some sort of unreasonable demand, it's a perfectly normal request to be treated as equals.

Edit: And I have to say, suggesting that "the black community" sees things entirely one way or the other, especially when that perspective is so incredibly negative, seems wildly racist to me.

If anything it sounds like it's biased against poor people in general, not necessarily poor minorities. I just don't understand why people have to turn everything into a race issue in this country.

 

[FoBoT]

politicians want to use the census to get more control of the sheeple
donkeys and elephants want to use the people for their own ends

 

[RyanPaulShaffer]

The census overall is a very neutral thing. Count the population and report it. Pretty easy stuff.

Unfortunately, it has become extremely politicized, like most neutral things in this country. Things like what is mentioned in the OP, gerrymandering, ACORN, etc. have all politicized a pretty simple and non-political process.

 

[DesiPower]

bad for politicians... Census board find 400 mil, SS finds 310... OMG!!! not good for minority ass kissing left...

 

[hal2kilo]

I think I know where this is going to go, so lets save time.

Cencuses when Repubicans are in control are good.

Cencuses when Democrats are in control are bad.

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