Interesting Census paradox

[Cuda1447]

I think I'll put down I'm black this time...

 

[Brainonska511]

You ever heard of pick your battles? What's the big deal. I'll save my energy and fighting for tax audits. And jury duty? WTF would you give up one of the most unique cherished rights ever?

He likes the bench warrants.

 

[glugglug]

If I answer that there are 1 million people in my apartment, do I get my own Congressman?

 

[Linflas]

Thanks

I resent the race question. How will we ever be equal if we still categorize each other?

I'm going to have serious issues with that long form.

I encourage you and anyone else to do what I have done with every census I have ever filled out: Check other and write in American.

 

[nonlnear]

I think I'll put down I'm black this time...

Now that's a sensible reply. Goodonya!

Strange there is a deafening silence from Craig234 on this issue. Perhaps not that surprising after all...

 

[Vette73]

My Census forms are going into the paper shredder, the same place my last Jury Duty notice went.

Hmmm, I've never filled one out in my life. I file it in that big round thing next to the REST of the Junk Mail I get... It's called the Trash Can...

Good, I will fill mine out and get more voting power and money for my state and area.


:awe:

 

[IndyColtsFan]

The ACS is ridiculous. As far as I am concerned, they can have the number of people at my house and that is enough.

 

[nonlnear]

The ACS is ridiculous. As far as I am concerned, they can have the number of people at my house and that is enough.

The entire premise of the ACS is a little misguided. The federal government needs to know about my plumbing so that the local government can plan the water system accordingly. Wait - wha? That's what blueprints are on file at city hall for. The data is already where it needs to be: at the local jurisdiction. Same thing for what time you go to work. The feds don't need that data to plan fro traffic patterns. When they need to know local traffic patterns they put counters on the roads to get the real numbers. After all, the ACS responses aren't reliable enough to use for traffic planning anyways.

I'm not one to think the ACS is totally evil in intent, but I think it's fair to say that it is created for the amusement of demographers and state-minded "planning" types. They like to look at numbers to pretend their professions are important, and the legislators like to feed them data because having lots of bespectacled Ph.D.s "studying" society validates the idea that we need lots of government to control it.

On a separate note: Still no Craig234. And after he came down from on high to dignify me with his wisdon! Hmm...

 

[JS80]

Would I go to jail if I organized a Census effigy burning party on Facebook (i.e. not be anonymous)?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

The entire premise of the ACS is a little misguided. The federal government needs to know about my plumbing so that the local government can plan the water system accordingly. Wait - wha? That's what blueprints are on file at city hall for. The data is already where it needs to be: at the local jurisdiction.

And what isn't at the local jurisdiction is available from other federal agencies. All of my income information is available from the IRS, for example. They can cull the income data from them.

Same thing for what time you go to work. The feds don't need that data to plan fro traffic patterns. When they need to know local traffic patterns they put counters on the roads to get the real numbers. After all, the ACS responses aren't reliable enough to use for traffic planning anyways.

Bingo -- the reliability of the ACS is incredibly suspect (see below).

I'm not one to think the ACS is totally evil in intent, but I think it's fair to say that it is created for the amusement of demographers and state-minded "planning" types. They like to look at numbers to pretend their professions are important, and the legislators like to feed them data because having lots of bespectacled Ph.D.s "studying" society validates the idea that we need lots of government to control it.

I don't think it is "evil" either, but it is a waste of my time. They can launch studies for any one of those areas and get much more reliable data from other places. For example, IIRC, some of the questions deal with what you've paid for utilities over the past 12 months. Seriously? Do they honestly think anyone is going to sit down and look that information up and report it? Why not work with major utilities to conduct studies and use actual data?

 

[djmartins]

Over the next 10 years random people will get the American Community Survey (second link below). At first it will be about half the people, and eventually everyone will receive one.

There is no way I will answer the American Community Survey.
A quick look at the questions asked are a clear indicator that the federal government is certainly collecting personal information that will be used against people and if you aren't capable of seeing that then you deserve your eventual fate.


regards,
DJ

 

[IndyColtsFan]

There is no way I will answer the American Community Survey.
A quick look at the questions asked are a clear indicator that the federal government is certainly collecting personal information that will be used against people and if you aren't capable of seeing that then you deserve your eventual fate.


regards,
DJ

And as I stated above, much of this information already has been gathered and it would be much more reliable getting it from other sources than to rely on people filling it in.

 

[Linflas]

Would I go to jail if I organized a Census effigy burning party on Facebook (i.e. not be anonymous)?

You certainly shouldn't, the founders of this country burned King George and Lord North among others in effigy. Is it the census itself you object to or some of the details they are asking about? I really have no problem with the idea of the census but think it should restrict itself to enumerating the population accurately and not with trying to drill into the ethnic makeup of the country to help with the racial spoils system or determine the number of flush toilets in homes in the country. That said the Constitution itself didn't really address this question and the country has been arguing about it pretty much from the first census forward to today.

 

[Blackjack200]

Now, suppose someone writes the following response for each question:

"This question is intentionally not being answered."

(Note that this is very different from simply refusing to turn in a Census form.)

Now, on what basis could that individual be arrested, indicted, and convicted, as those "answers" cannot be revealed to law enforcement?

Clearly the answer is that the cleverly filled out survey will never reach the Census Bureau since it has to get halfway there first, and then it has to get halfway again...

 

[PrinceofWands]

Clearly the answer is that the cleverly filled out survey will never reach the Census Bureau since it has to get halfway there first, and then it has to get halfway again...

Thanks Xeno.

 

[dank69]

I encourage you and anyone else to do what I have done with every census I have ever filled out: Check other and write in American.

That's brilliant because American is a race, not a nationality.

 

[Vette73]

That's brilliant because American is a race, not a nationality.

I agree, but the census has Vietnamese and other listings under Race. At least my wife said so and she filled ours out last night.

She asked what to put our son under and I said usually theres a OTHER box and you write in White/Asian. But she said there was Vietnamese and others listed and used something like that for him.
But American to her means White. When she told her sister about me when we were dating she just said I was an American and they understood that to mean white.

 

[Linflas]

That's brilliant because American is a race, not a nationality.

No more brilliant than listing a selection of choices under Race that are nothing more than ethnic groups.

 

[dank69]

I agree, but the census has Vietnamese and other listings under Race. At least my wife said so and she filled ours out last night.

She asked what to put our son under and I said usually theres a OTHER box and you write in White/Asian. But she said there was Vietnamese and others listed and used something like that for him.
But American to her means White. When she told her sister about me when we were dating she just said I was an American and they understood that to mean white.

Is that because your sister-in-law thinks all Americans are white or because your wife would have said she is dating a 'black guy' instead of an 'American' if she had been dating an African American?

No more brilliant than listing a selection of choices under Race that are nothing more than ethnic groups.

Yes I do think it is brilliant for them to try to get an accurate 'snapshot' of the state of our country as it exists today. I do not however think it is brilliant for ignorant fools to deliberately send in false information because they think it is 'witty' or 'trendy' or are just butthurt about the state of their current political party.

 

[Vette73]

Is that because your sister-in-law thinks all Americans are white or because your wife would have said she is dating a 'black guy' instead of an 'American' if she had been dating an African American?



Yes I do think it is brilliant for them to try to get an accurate 'snapshot' of the state of our country as it exists today. I do not however think it is brilliant for ignorant fools to deliberately send in false information because they think it is 'witty' or 'trendy' or are just butthurt about the state of their current political party.

Not sure what you mean, but to many that come to the US, American = White. I know other Asian that were not born here and they say things like Oh you are a American. Not sure if its real common, maybe those with parents or themself came to US can chime in?

 

[Linflas]

Is that because your sister-in-law thinks all Americans are white or because your wife would have said she is dating a 'black guy' instead of an 'American' if she had been dating an African American?



Yes I do think it is brilliant for them to try to get an accurate 'snapshot' of the state of our country as it exists today. I do not however think it is brilliant for ignorant fools to deliberately send in false information because they think it is 'witty' or 'trendy' or are just butthurt about the state of their current political party.

So basically you subscribe to the Al Gore definition of E pluribus unum and I the actual meaning. You fill it out your way, I will fill it out mine. There is nothing false about writing American as that is exactly what I am.

 

[Modelworks]

I'll fill out the census form, no problems with it. The American Community Survey NO. There is nothing in the constitution that says I have to give details like if I have a mortgage, how much is it, what degrees I have, where I worked last week, when I last served in the military, etc.

I get enough of that stuff from the IRS, I am not going to start acting like every government branch has the right to everything about me.

See the form here:
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/SBasics/acs_2010.htm

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I'll fill out the census form, no problems with it. The American Community Survey NO. There is nothing in the constitution that says I have to give details like if I have a mortgage, how much is it, what degrees I have, where I worked last week, when I last served in the military, etc.

I get enough of that stuff from the IRS, I am not going to start acting like every government branch has the right to everything about me.

See the form here:
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/SBasics/acs_2010.htm

Yeah, I am not filling it out either if I receive it. They say on their site "response is required by law," but they can get screwed. They can get my income info from the IRS if they want it that bad. The rest of the stuff is none of their business. My favorite questions are the ones wanting to know the cost of your utilities for the last 12 months. Are people in the government really this dumb and think people will even spend 10 seconds looking this information up?

 

[waggy]

I'll fill out the census form, no problems with it. The American Community Survey NO. There is nothing in the constitution that says I have to give details like if I have a mortgage, how much is it, what degrees I have, where I worked last week, when I last served in the military, etc.

I get enough of that stuff from the IRS, I am not going to start acting like every government branch has the right to everything about me.

See the form here:
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/SBasics/acs_2010.htm

I agree. that one goes over what they should be asking.

 

[dank69]

So basically you subscribe to the Al Gore definition of E pluribus unum and I the actual meaning. You fill it out your way, I will fill it out mine. There is nothing false about writing American as that is exactly what I am.

You could put useless or ignorant in there instead of American, and it still wouldn't be false, but it, too, would not be a race/ethnicity.

I suppose you don't think it would be helpful for everyone to know who lives within our borders?