FC: Fight the Census! Group urges boycott of Uncle Sam

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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[I just got my census form in the mail today. I'm tempted to follow these 
suggestions (though I hope the feds don't try to prosecute me for it). -Declan]

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> Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 13:38:31 -0500
> From: Michael_Cannon () rpc senate gov (Michael Cannon)
> Subject: Census 2000/Uncle Sam's appetite for information
> To: declan () well com
>
> Declan-
>
> I presume that for many on your Politech list (including myself), this will be
> their first census.  Following is a missive being circulated to encourage
> respondents to (1) answer the only question authorized by the 
> Constitution, that
> is, the number of people in your household, and (2) leave the more invasive
> questions blank.
>
> Sent to me by Twila Brase of the Citizens' Council on Health Care
> (http://www.cchc-mn.org).
>
> Michael F. Cannon
> Domestic Policy Analyst
> Republican Policy Committee
> United States Senate
> 347 Russell Senate Office Building
> Washington, DC 20510
> (202) 224-3463
> (202) 224-1235 fax
> michael_cannon () rpc senate gov
> --------------------------------------------------------
> The Census has or is about to arrive in your mailbox. Do you want to
> answer all those questions for permanent government storage and
> assessment of you and your family?
>
> As you will see below, the Constitution set the Census in motion
> primarily for apportioning the number of Representatives for each
> state, and for taxation. Congress has since allowed innumerable
> questions to be added, building enormous citizen databases in the
> U.S. Department of Commerce. They have also attached at least a $100
> fine to those refusing to answer the questions. (See Doug Fieder's
> article below for actual statutory language)
>
> Now you get to decide what to do, including perhaps a talk (phone
> call, meeting or letter) with your member of Congress about that $100
> fine on citizens refusing to facilitate the creation of government
> files on every family.
>
> To get a better fix on what data must be filled out on the census, I
> contacted the Census folks in D.C. (http://www.census.gov/ )
> regarding the statutes that require the Census. Their reply:
>
> _____________________________________________________
>      From: webmaster () census gov
>      Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 11:14:50 -0500
>      Subject: [WEB2000030700000386] Re:  What's the Statute?
>      To: twila () cchc-mn org
>      X-WESMTP-Destination: agentreply () imc it census gov
>      X-WESMTP-Originator: <robert.d.clair () ccmail census gov>
>
>           From the US Constitution, Article 1, Section 2 set the whole census
>           concept in place.   From the US Federal Code, Title 13 (1976) set
>           the contemporary implementation and details up for the modern
>           decennial operation.
>           RC-
> _____________________________________________________
>
>
> THE CONSTITUTION READS AS FOLLOWS:
>
> [Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the
> several States which may be included within this Union, according to
> their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the
> whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a
> Term of Years, and Excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all
> other Persons.]* 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. The number of Representatives shall not exceed
> one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one
> Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State
> of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse [sic] three,
> Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one,
> Connecticut five, New-York six New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight,
> Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South
> Carolina five, and Georgia three...
>
> *Changed by section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment:
>
> Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States
> according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of
> persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the
> right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for
> President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in
> Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the
> members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male
> inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and
> citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for
> participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of
> representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the
> number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male
> citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.
>
> _______________________________________________________
> THEN, TO ACTUALLY READ THE LAW (Title 13), I CONTACTED THE LIBRARY OF
> CONGRESS WHICH WROTE ME:
>
>      You can search US Code at the US House Office of Law Revision Counsel
>      website.  See
>
>      http://uscode.house.gov
> _______________________________
>
>
> NOW, from Scott McDonald, who runs a very large national listserv for
> privacy advocates, you can read the following opinions about whether
> you must answer any of the highly invasive questions within the
> Census, and to see for the first time what kind of questions you are
> about to receive. You can look up the federal statute online or in
> the public library for verification.
>
> In the 10 years since the last Census, the Internet has arrived and
> electronic data collection has exploded. It's a different Census this
> time around. Everyone knows about data collection, data sharing,
> electronic databases, marketing, the profitability and dangers of
> data access, website hacking, and everything else data connected.
>
> This email message serves as one opportunity for you to be informed
> before you act.
>
> Twila Brase, R.N.
> President, CCHC
>
> __________________________________________________________
>
> >From: "ScanThisNews" <mcdonalds () airnet net>
> >To: "ScanThisNews Recipients List" <scan () efga org>
> >Subject: [FP] Census 2000 - Opinions
> >Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 10:20:40 -0600
> >X-SCAN: http://www.networkusa.org/fingerprint.shtml
> >
> >Census 2000 - Opinions
> >
> >Lots of people are asking about the 2000 Census. Here is a compendium of
> >messages I have received on this subject.
> >
> >Scott
> >
> >---
> >
> >All American citizens,
> >
> >Exercise your constitutional rights; answer the only question you must
> >according to the constitution, the number of people in your household. For
> >all other questions plead the fifth (amendment). That way you can avoid the
> >hundred dollar fine.
> >
> >Question authority, in other words tell Big Brother to stuff it.
> >
> >Marcus
> >
> >---
> >
> >Subject: U.S. Census
> >
> >A few facts about the upcoming census.
> >
> >If you're not surprised, puzzled, and even downright offended by the 2000
> >Census form, it's probably because you haven't seen it yet. The questions
> >range from strange ("Do you take a ferryboat to work?") to invasive ("Do you
> >have trouble bathing?") to downright un-American("What is your race?").
> >
> >The Census Bureau says it's your civic duty to answer these snooping
> >questions.  In reality, it's your patriotic duty to refuse to answer. You
> >can strike a blow for privacy, equality, and liberty by declining to answer
> >every question on the Census form except the one required by the
> >Constitution: How many people live in your home?
> >
> >The U.S. Constitution says the purpose of the Census is to make an "actual
> >enumeration." That is, to take an accurate count of Americans for the
> >purpose of apportioning congressional districts. But the federal government
> >has gone far beyond that mandate. The long version of the Census -- which
> >one in every six households will receive -- contains a whopping 52
> >questions. That's 51 more than the Constitution requires. Maybe that's why
> >compliance with the Census had plummeted to just 65% by 1990.
> >
> >In a desperate effort to reverse that trend, Census Bureau Director Kenneth
> >Prewitt recently held a press conference in Washington, DC. He pleaded with
> >Americans to view the 2000 Census -- which is now being mailed to 120
> >million households -- as "the nation's first major civics ceremony of the
> >new century." The results of the Census, lectured Prewitt, "affect power,
> >money, group  interests, civil rights; in short, who gets how much of what."
> >
> >That's exactly what's wrong with the Census -- and why Americans should
> >boycott almost every question. The government uses Census information to
> >dole out an estimated $180 billion in taxpayers' money, to justify and
> >expand wasteful government programs, and to allow politicians to
> >discriminate against Americans based on their racial or ethnic background.
> >
> >The racial questions, which appear on both the short and long form, demand
> >Americans pigeonhole themselves into 15 "official" racial categories: white;
> >black/African-American/Negro; American Indian or Alaska Native;
> >Spanish/Hispanic/Latino; Asian Indian; Chinese; Filipino; Japanese; Korean;
> >Vietnamese; other Asian; Native Hawaiian; Guamanian or Chamorro; Samoan;
> >or other Pacific Islander.
> >
> >Such racial data provides the statistical blueprint for race-based
> >government programs, like the mandatory 10% minority set-aside for federal
> >highway projects, quotas for college admissions, and even decisions on whom
> >to hire and fire. Refusing to answer such questions is a good first step
> >towards ending such government racism.
> >
> >Other questions, while not as offensive, still deserve a vigorous "None of
> >your business."
> >
> >Question 17a, for example, asks whether "because of a physical, mental, or
> >emotional condition," does anyone in your home have any trouble "learning,
> >remembering, or concentrating?" Question 17b asks whether you have any
> >difficulty "dressing, bathing, or getting around in the home."
> >
> >Question 24b asks how long it takes you to get to work. Question 23 wants to
> >know how you get there -- and there are an astounding 10 choices, including
> >streetcar, bus, railroad, ferryboat, or taxicab! Presumably, politicians
> >will use this data to justify squandering billions of dollars on new
> >transportation boondoggles.  The form even includes nine income-related
> >questions -- more than appear on the IRS's 1040 short form.
> >
> >So let's say you decide not to answer those prying questions. What
> >happens?
> >
> >Unfortunately, the government has ways of making you talk. Title 13, Chapter
> >7 of the U.S. code mandates a $100 fine for those who decline to answer
> >Census questions, and Prewitt says the bureau will "consider whether to
> >prosecute" on a case-by-case basis. What kind of government demands, under
> >penalty of law, reams of personal data -- including racial
> >characteristics -- from its citizens? Ours does. That's why it's time for
> >some polite, patriotic civil disobedience. If you care about privacy,
> >genuine equality, and old-fashioned American liberty, the arrival of the
> >Census form is your chance to literally stand up and be counted.
> >
> >Tell them how many people live in your home, and that's all. Maybe $100 is a
> >small price to pay for making a principled stand for privacy and freedom.
> >
> >Matt Beauchamp
> >www.LPChicago.org [Libertarian Party]
> >
> >---
> >
> >The CENSUS Is Coming - Spelled ""SNOOP"" A Weekly View from the Foothills of
> >Appalachia
> >
> >January 23, 2000 #167
> >
> >by: Doug Fiedor fiedor19 () eos net
> >
> >http://syninfo.com/ian/PRIVATE/2000/01/23/2000012320443515.html
> >
> >Previous Editions at: http://www.uhuh.com/reports/headsup/list-hu.htm
> >
> >COMMERCE DEPT SNOOPS ON CITIZENS
> >
> >The federal government is collecting information for a very interesting
> >database on all American citizens.  Most Americans will receive a simple
> >form with just the few standard questions asked in most commercial surveys.
> >One American in six, however, will receive a very intrusive questionnaire
> >that is designed to invade many areas most people would class as their own
> >private business.
> >
> >Both forms ask for age, sex, relationship with those you're residing with,
> >marital status, and race. Of course, they will also want your name, address
> >and telephone number.
> >
> >The long form also includes occupation, work status, veteran status,
> >employer's address, income, all alternate sources of income, how you get to
> >work, number of vehicles in the household, the education level of everyone
> >there, the language spoken at home, everyone's place of birth, how long you
> >have lived there and a rundown of household living expenses, how many
> >bedrooms and bathrooms you have, the type and age of dwelling, where you
> >lived five years ago and how much that cost, and how much you paid last year
> >for heating and telephone.  Also, if there's an elderly or disabled person
> >in the home, they want to know who that is and who is the caregiver.
> >
> >The Commerce Department says this is all mandatory information needed for
> >the Census.  Their Bureau of the Census wrote the survey.  And, there is a
> >penalty of between $100 and $500 attached for not answering correctly,
> >depending on how you do it.
> >
> >The applicable law is 13 USC 221, "Refusal or neglect to answer questions;
> >false answers":
> >
> >(a) Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or willfully
> >neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any other authorized
> >officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency
> >thereof acting under the instructions of the Secretary or authorized
> >officer, to answer, to the best of his knowledge, any of the questions on
> >any schedule submitted to him in connection with any census or survey
> >provided for by subchapters I, II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title,
> >applying to himself or to the family to which he belongs or is related, or
> >to the farm or farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be
> >fined not more than $100.
> >
> >(b) Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection (a) of this
> >section, and under the conditions or circumstances described in such
> >subsection, willfully gives any answer that is false, shall be fined not
> >more than $500.
> >
> >(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, no person shall be
> >compelled to disclose information relative to his religious beliefs or to
> >membership in a religious body.
> >
> >Libertarian Party Director Steve Dasbach says, "Real Americans don't answer
> >nosy Census questions. You can strike a blow for privacy, equality, and
> >liberty by refusing to answer every question on the Census form except the
> >one required by the Constitution: How many people live in your home?"
> >http://www.lp.org/rel/20000114-census.html
> >
> >"We live in an information age," Dasbach said. "But the only information the
> >government deserves on the Census, beyond the number of people in your home,
> >is: None of your business."
> >
> >We agree.  According to the Constitution, the Census shall be taken every
> >ten years simply to set Congressional districts.  Therefore, the federal
> >government has reason to ask how many people are at each address and their
> >ages.  The number of bathrooms and vehicles, the resident's sex, race and
> >incomes, and their living expenses are none of government's business.
> >
> >In one section of the Bureau's web site (http://www.census.gov), they
> >explain that all information will be kept confidential. However, in another
> >section, they admit the information will be used by many of the federal
> >bureaucracies, such as the Labor Department, Agriculture, Banking,
> >Education, HUD, EPA, and the Veterans Administration.
> >
> >In itself, that is a good reason for not providing the information.  First,
> >these departments have no legal need for this information unless a citizen
> >specifically applies for benefits from the department. Second, a survey of
> >only one in six households is not enough to extrapolate a useful statistical
> >model.  And third, this information is far afield of that needed to set
> >Congressional districts, as per the Constitution.
> >
> >These questionnaires look like commercial business surveys simply because
> >that is probably what they are. The Commerce Department recently sold out
> >everything they had to foreign concerns, including the communist Chinese.
> >There is no reason for us to believe they will not also sell this
> >information to private business concerns.
> >
> >We should, therefore, aggravate the hell out of Congress to get the forms
> >simplified before the Bureau of the Census starts aggravating us with their
> >intrusive questions next April.
> >
> >---------------------------------------------------------
> >This From: CNS News, January 17, 2000 http://www.cnsnews.com
> >
> >Libertarians Say Americans Shouldn't Answer Census Questions
> >http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=\Politics\archive\200001\POL200
> >00117e.html
> >
> >By Jim Burns CNS Senior Staff Writer
> >17 January, 2000
> >
> >(CNSNews.com) - The Libertarian Party said on Monday in Washington that it
> >is the patriotic duty of Americans to refuse to answer most of the
> >government's "snooping questions" on the 2000 Census form.
> >
> >Libertarian Party Director Steve Dasbach said, "Real Americans don't answer
> >nosy Census questions. You can strike a blow for privacy, equality, and
> >liberty by refusing to answer every question on the Census form except the
> >one required by the Constitution: How many people live in your home?"
> >
> >During a news conference last week, Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt
> >said, "Census 2000 can be a civic event that reverses the troubling decline
> >in the level of civic engagement across our country. The results of the
> >census affect power, money, group interests, civil rights; in short, who
> >gets how much of what."
> >
> >Dasbach took issue with Prewitt's statement, saying that's what is wrong
> >with the census.
> >
> >"The US Constitution says the purpose of the Census is to make an
> >enumeration, that is, to take an accurate count of Americans for the purpose
> >of apportioning Congressional districts. But the federal government has gone
> >far beyond that Constitutional mandate, and uses the Census to ask dozens of
> >probing questions, including the color of your skin, the number of toilets
> >in your home, your disabilities and how many cars you own," Dasbach said.
> >
> >
> >Commerce Secretary William Daley said, at that same news conference with
> >Prewitt, "Because the Census is so important to every resident, we must do
> >everything we can to ensure that everyone is included in the count. This
> >program will provide elected officials across America with the tools
> >necessary to increase awareness and response within their communities."
> >
> >However, Dasbach thinks the Census count has ulterior motives.
> >
> >"The information collected by the Census is used to dole out an estimated
> >$180 billion in taxpayer money to justify and expand wasteful government
> >programs and to allow the government to discriminate against Americans based
> >on their racial or ethnic background. In other words, Census information is
> >used to forge the chains that bind Americans to failed government programs,
> >meddlesome bureaucracies and a sky-high tax rate. We live in an information
> >age. But the only information the government deserves on the Census, beyond
> >the number of people in your home is, "none of your business."
> >
> >However, Americans could be fined $100 by the Census bureau for answering
> >"none of your business". Dasbach said he realizes that, but he added that
> >the fine may not be so bad.
> >
> >"Yes, it would be easier just to give the government the information it
> >wants. But I think many Americans will realize that a $100 fine is a small
> >price to pay for making a principled stand for privacy and freedom," Dasbach
> >said.
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Them" <hoohah () futureone com>
> >To: <mailto:Undisclosed-Recipient:@futureone.com>
> >Sent: Monday, January 17, 2000 12:21 PM
> >Subject: Census intrusion (Wendy McElroy)
> >
> >Excellent article concerning the census below. FYI, here's our take again
> >on this issue:
> >
> >==============================
> >Note on this issue from Them:
> >
> >Possible solution: take the 5th Amendment to all questions except "How many
> >adults live here?" That way you've answered the question, so you can't be
> >fined $100 for "not answering." If they tell you that you can't take the
> >5th, have them put that statement in writing, sign and date it, and then
> >you'll have the potential for a dandy lawsuit which you might be able to
> >file, not to mention a possible cause of action under 18 USC Sections 241and
> >242.
> >
> >If they tell you that taking the 5th is only applicable to "criminal
> >issues," you can inform them that taking the 5th is permissible in civil
> >issues if there exists any possible nexus between the civil and the criminal
> >issue - and since the federal government has both federalized and
> >criminalized practically everything... well, put it this way: if you
> >encounter a huge pile of federal horse dung, you can absolutely count on the
> >fact that there is definitely a federal pony in there somewhere. And if the
> >information on the census form can be used to investigate you for possible
> >crimes committed (duh!) then the only sane thing to do is to take the 5th.
> >
> >In the case MAPCO, Inc. vs Carter (see below) - the courts held that no
> >constitutional right exists to trust the federal government, nor to rely on
> >the integrity of its pronouncements. Therefore, if you are injured as a
> >result of giving information based on any federal worker's pronouncement
> >and/or decree, the courts have said you have no legal remedy. In other
> >words, loose lips sink ships, and if you blab because some census worker
> >tells you that a) it's the law to answer all questions, and b) it's all
> >kept totally secret... and then you are injured, you are without legal
> >recourse.
> >
> >So if there is a demand made for you to fill out all information on a census
> >form, and you don't want to take the 5th, one possible remedy is to have a
> >document prepared for the census taker, in which the census taker signs
> >under penalty of perjury that they will personally assume all legal
> >responsibility for any and all injury and/or violations of privacy sustained
> >by all persons in your household as a result of their collection of the
> >information, and that if collection of such information is ever deemed to be
> >unconstitutional or unlawful, that they will personally assume all
> >responsibility, and that they agree to personally be sued civilly, and
> >furthermore, that they will not permit the government to declare sovereign
> >immunity on their behalf.
> >
> >["No constitutional right exists under the Ninth Amendment, or to any other
> >provision of the Constitution of the United States, 'to trust the Federal
> >Government and to rely on the integrity of its pronouncements.'" MAPCO, Inc.
> >v Carter (1978, Em Ct App)573 F2d 1268, cert den 437 us 904, 57 L Ed 2d
> >1134, 98 S Ct 3090.]
> >
> >=====================================
> >http://www.americanpartisan.com/cols/mcelroy.htm
> >
> >Beware of Census Takers Bearing Gifts
> >by Wendy McElroy
> >
> >Saturday, January 15, 2000 - The census form that arrives at every American
> >household in mid-March is a massive violation of privacy rights. Moreover,
> >it has little to do with the purposes for which the census was intended. The
> >Constitution provides that representation in the House and direct taxation
> >are to be apportioned among the States according to their "respective
> >Numbers" -- excluding untaxed Indians and including slaves as 3/5ths of a
> >human being. For these purposes, an Enumeration was to occur every ten
> >years. The first census (1790) consisted of six questions: the name of the
> >head of the family and the number of people in the household, broken down
> >into the categories of 'free white male' 16 or older, 'free white male'
> >under 16, 'free white female,' and 'slaves.'
> >
> >Two centuries later, an estimated one in six households will receive a
> >'long' Census 2000 form with dozens of questions and subquestions. For
> >example, "Last week did this person do ANY work for either pay or
> >profit?"(Emphasis in original. A sample form is available at
> >http://www.census.gov/dmd/www/pdf/d-61b.pdf.) "At what location...?" All
> >"wages, salary, commissions, bonuses or tips" must be accounted for. Indeed,
> >all income, including interest, dividends, rental income, and welfare must
> >be listed. The form demands to know the value of your house and estate.
> >Further, the long form inquires into the citizenship status of each person
> >enumerated.
> >
> >Compliance is mandatory.
> >
> >Thus far, census controversy has revolved around two issues. First, all
> >forms require people to be identified by race and this raises the specter of
> >discrimination. Second, the Clinton Administration wishes to combine
> >conventional counting methods with probability sampling. Democrats claim
> >that inner-city blacks, other minorities and immigrants - groups from which
> >they derive support - are under-enumerated. Republicans counter that
> >sampling violates the Constitution. They argue that, if bureaucrats are
> >allowed to create 'virtual' people, then the census will be used to justify
> >massive funding of the inner city at the expense of other areas. Moreover,
> >Democrats could use the census to increase their  representation in the
> >House.
> >
> >Two important issues are being lost: 1) privacy rights and 2) the original
> >intention of the census.
> >
> >The Census Bureau assuages anxiety about privacy by making it illegal to
> >disclose information from all but ancient census forms. This allegedly
> >prevents data from being shared with other agencies such as the Internal
> >Revenue Service or Immigration and Naturalization. Alas, Government
> >assurances have a short shelf life. The original Social Security cards
> >explicitly stated that they were not for identification purposes. Today, the
> >SSN is virtually a national I.D. card. The government is constructing a huge
> >national database with the goal of including every American. It is
> >criminally na^?ve to assume that bureaucrats can resist the temptation of
> >dipping into the rich information on census forms.
> >
> >Why has the census form - even one in six -- expanded? The justification:
> >Census 2000 data will be used to distribute approximately 150 to 180 billion
> >tax-dollars for items such as schools and highways. Thus, each state will
> >push hard for compliance in order to boost their funding. This is the gift
> >that census takers bear. The price is privacy.
> >
> >How did the census evolve from its modest roots into a weapon of social
> >engineering? At the beginning of the 19th century, statisticians began to
> >urge the federal government to expand the type of data collected. The 1850
> >census was the first to collect "social statistics" such as wages and the
> >value of property. The 1940 census has been called "the first contemporary
> >census." The foregoing captures some of the dates, but not the spirit that
> >has transformed the American census. The spirit lies in growth of the
> >American government over two centuries into a Leviathan state that intrudes
> >into every aspect of daily life and tries to skim every dollar produced.
> >
> >What if you simply tear up the form? By early April, the Census Bureau will
> >probably mail replacement forms to non-responding households. In late April
> >to June, census takers will personally knock on such doors. Although this is
> >intimidating, non-compliance in the past has gone virtually unpunished.
> >
> >Census 2000 may be different. The government has 'proudly' declared it to be
> >"the largest peace-time operation" it has undertaken. This is not peace. The
> >census is a declaration of war on American privacy.
> >
> >  wendy () americanpartisan com
> >
> >AUTHOR INFORMATION
> >Wendy McElroy is a regular columnist for the American Partisan
> >
> >AmericanPartisan.com is published by Powerhouse Media Group
> >6022 160th Ave E | Sumner, WA 98390 | ph. (253) 863-5140 | fax (305)
> >402-2755
> >
> >COPYRIGHT ^? 1999 BY THE AMERICAN PARTISAN and POWERHOUSE MEDIA GROUP.
> >Copyright violators will be flogged.
> >
> >This site was designed by Joel Miller and Tim Loughner with the aid of very
> >fine imported ales and loud tunes.
> >
> >---
> >
> >Copyright 2000 CNSNews.com.
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Jon R. P
> >Sent: Saturday, March 11, 2000
> >Subject: FW: Census Partners
> >
> >Hi Scott,
> >
> >This may be old news to you but I just ran across it. The company I work for
> >recently announced that it is a "corporate partner" for the 2000 Census. As
> >such, it is posting information and internet links on its internal network
> >in order to "encourage all employees to participate in the 2000 Census." I
> >found the following story by following one of the links on our internal
> >network to www.census.gov
> >
> >I find the last paragraph, entitled "how the survey will work" the most
> >troubling. Remember, they "have ways of making you talk."  But don't worry,
> >they promise to keep the personal information they collect on you as
> >confidential as Linda Tripp's FBI file.
> >Jon
> >
> >************* forwarded story from census.gov *******************
> >
> >The American Community Survey --
> >New Road Map to America's Future
> >
> >Imagine how hard it would be to plan a long trip using a map that was five,
> >eight or even nine years out of date. So many things may have changed that
> >the old map might almost be useless.
> >
> >For government agencies, the census of population and housing that takes
> >place every 10 years is the road map that helps them make multiple
> >decisions, such as where to put new roads and schools. Thousands of large
> >and small community-based organizations also use census information to gauge
> >the need for human services and match the unemployed with jobs.
> >
> >To help keep the community's understanding of local needs and resources up
> >to date, the Census Bureau is designing the American Community Survey (ACS),
> >which eventually will replace the decennial census "long form." During the
> >census, 5 out of 6 housing units in the country receive a copy of the short
> >form, which asks basic information, such as the name, age, sex and race of
> >the persons in the household.
> >
> >About 1 in 6 addresses receives the census long form, which asks a total of
> >52 questions (including the seven short-form questions) about the residents'
> >demographic characteristics, the housing they live in, how they go to and
> >from work, the languages they speak at home and other information that helps
> >define the patterns of community life in our country.
> >
> >The information gathered from the long form is important in painting a
> >statistical picture of the trends that affect our nation.
> >
> >Information about income, housing and poverty rates is a tool that enables
> >federal, state and local government agencies to put tax dollars to the best
> >use. Statistics showing where people work and how they get there help cities
> >and towns develop better transportation plans to save travel time and
> >conserve natural resources.
> >
> >"Our county is growing rapidly and we depend on census data very heavily to
> >get a feel for our shifting demographics," said Anne Cahill of the Fairfax
> >County (Va.) Office of Management. "We particularly want to understand how
> >many people speak a language other than English. It was 10.7 percent in
> >1980, 17 percent in 1990 and we're estimating 30 percent for 1998.
> >
> >"In the future we'd like to get the foreign language data more frequently,"
> >Cahill said. "Not only does this trend affect schools, but we also want to
> >make sure that we have enough police officers and firefighters who speak
> >foreign languages so they can communicate with recent immigrants in an
> >emergency."
> >
> >Introducing the American Community Survey
> >
> >The problem with information from the census long form is that it is only
> >collected every 10 years and it rapidly goes out of date between censuses.
> >Try and estimate how many people use home computers today -- a question that
> >could be added to the ACS questionnaire -- by looking at figures from 1990.
> >Not even a skilled crystal ball gazer could have guessed.
> >
> >To have reliable annual data is why the Census Bureau is introducing the
> >ACS. For now, it will contain only those questions Congress has already
> >approved for the census long form. Every year, the ACS will  produce
> >accurate demographic and socio-economic information for every state in the
> >nation, as well as every city, county, town or population group of 65,000
> >people or more.
> >
> >The ACS is being implemented in four phases. The demonstration phase began
> >in 1996 in four representative sites. In 1997, the survey expanded to eight
> >sites to evaluate costs, procedures and new ways to use the information. In
> >1998, the ACS was extended to a ninth site consisting of two counties in
> >South Carolina that also were part of the Census Bureau's dress rehearsal
> >for Census 2000 to investigate the effects on both the ACS and the census of
> >having the two activities going on in the same place at the same time.
> >
> >In the 1999-2002 comparison site phase, the number of sites in the sample
> >will be increased to 31. The comparison with Census 2000 will collect
> >several kinds of information necessary to understand the differences between
> >ACS and the 2000 long form. It will compare the ACS estimates and the Census
> >2000 long-form estimates.
> >
> >In 2000-2002, pending congressional approval of funding, plans are to add a
> >national comparison phase with a sample of 700,000 housing units per year.
> >Starting in 2001, this will allow estimates to be provided for all states
> >and for geographic areas or population groups of 250,000 persons or more.
> >The ACS-Census 2000 comparison will collect the data necessary to understand
> >if people answer the census and the survey in the same way.
> >
> >The ACS is slated for full implementation nationwide in 2003 and beyond. If
> >approved by Congress, the monthly survey will replace the census long form
> >in 2010.
> >
> >How The Survey Will Work
> >
> >Using a Master Address File of all the residential addresses in the country,
> >the Census Bureau will deliver the surveys to about 250,000 (3 percent)
> >randomly selected households every month. Because the questions on the
> >survey are required by law to satisfy federal program needs, people in
> >housing units who are selected are obligated to answer them. The Census
> >Bureau, in turn, guarantees the confidentiality of the data. If a household
> >doesn't respond, the Census Bureau will follow up with a telephone
> >interview, a personal visit or both.
> >
> >The ACS is an important new way to help community planners, government
> >agencies and the private sector understand the changing demand for services.
> >
> >For a free interactive CD-ROM with data from the demonstration sites or for
> >more information about ACS, visit the Census Bureau's World-Wide Web site
> >  <http://www.census.gov/acs/www>
> >or call 1-888-456-7215 (e-mail: <acs () census gov>).
>
>
>
> *****************************************
> "a citizens resource for designing the future of health care
> **********************************
> Citizens' Council on Health Care
> 1954 University Ave.W., Suite 8
> St. Paul, MN  55104
> 651-646-8935 phone
> 651-646-0100 fax
> http://www.cchc-mn.org
> **********************************

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