Bill in NM
New member
Just wondering if anyone knows what is required and what is optional in filling out the census. Personally, I feel that 99.9% of the questions asked are none of their damn business!
Thanks,
Bill
Thanks,
Bill
Filling out the census
- Thread starter Bill in NM
- Start date
VIETNAM-SAM-USMC
Inactive
I threw mine in the garbage, there's to much Government interference!
I believe all that is required by law to fill out is the actual number of people living in your house. This is a requirement of the Constitution. You can be fined for not giving that number. The rest of is it totally up to you. You can send it back with the rest of the questions blank or, as a certain moderator around here has suggested, fill in the blanks with NOYB. 
The sooner this is over the better, the commercials are about to make me sick. I received my 'warning' letter that said I should receive mine this week. I'm so excited 
The sooner this is over the better, the commercials are about to make me sick. I received my 'warning' letter that said I should receive mine this week. I'm so excited The first census was taken in 1790 and Congress decreed that a census be taken every 10 years. Today its primary purpose is to chart population growth in each part of the country to see where federal tax dollars will be spent, and to determine the number of representatives each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. You can access the data the census bureau collects (www.census.gov) for genealogical, demographic, and economic research.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jim V:
Boys, NOBODY has one yet. The only thing sent out so far was a reminder that the forms are comming and an ad looking for people to go door to door.
[/quote]
Well, if you just gotta see what it looks like, go to the Census Bureau web site and down load a pdf file that contains the form. I think the address is: http://www.census.gov
Joe
Boys, NOBODY has one yet. The only thing sent out so far was a reminder that the forms are comming and an ad looking for people to go door to door.
[/quote]
Well, if you just gotta see what it looks like, go to the Census Bureau web site and down load a pdf file that contains the form. I think the address is: http://www.census.gov
Joe
Well, since I heard that the Clinton administration is going to count as a "minority" anyone who marks that they are of mixed racial ancestry, I'm going to be counted as "Native American", since I'm 5/64ths Cherokee. Then, if the Klintonistas try to round up the guns, I will scream racism. Playing the race card seems to trump most others in the media these days.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Futo Inu:
...I'm going to be counted as "Native American"...[/quote]
Too bad, Native American isn't on the form; you can consider yourself an American Indian. That's on the form.
Joe
[This message has been edited by Numbers (edited March 12, 2000).]
...I'm going to be counted as "Native American"...[/quote]
Too bad, Native American isn't on the form; you can consider yourself an American Indian. That's on the form.
Joe
[This message has been edited by Numbers (edited March 12, 2000).]
Blue Heeler
Moderator
I haven't filled in a census form for at least 20 years---what good it might do is
debateable--what harm--who knows?
When the nosey bastards come around all you
have to do is say that you are just staying
there for a few days,and on census night you
will be somewhere else.Brothers place etc.
and you have arranged to do the form there.
They usually piss off then.--Try it.
debateable--what harm--who knows?
When the nosey bastards come around all you
have to do is say that you are just staying
there for a few days,and on census night you
will be somewhere else.Brothers place etc.
and you have arranged to do the form there.
They usually piss off then.--Try it.
Not filling out the form could cause serious damage to you district or state. Some seats on congress/senate could change due to population changes. You may think that isn't so bad but if you loose a conservative seat to a state that is more liberal it could really change demographics. I have read that some are parinoid about filling one out. Why,
they already know who you are anyways!
they already know who you are anyways!
Here's a couple of replys to the Census that were e-mailed to me this morning. They make some excellent points. The fact that the government is telling you to fill this out so they can 'redistribute' federal funds is ridiculous. Exscuse me?!?!? The way it SHOULD work is my federal funds were spent in Indiana and that's sure in hell where they should come back to, no questions asked. Redistribute - Sheeeesh!
*******************************************
Anti-Census 2000 - Story One
We received our census form today, and I gotta tell you, it's very intrusive. Rather than fill it out, we contacted our Congressman and he agreed with us. So I returned the following letter in my Census
envelope. Please feel free to copy it and
use it for your own:
Kenneth Prewitt, Director
Bureau of the Census
Washington, DC 20233-2000
March 3, 2000
Dear Mr. Prewitt:
Thank you for your interest in the age of and racial composition of our household. While we understand your assertion that this information is needed to facilitate the redistribution of wealth from those who
earned it to those who did not, we respectfully decline to participate in
this portion of the US Census 2000 program.
However, as per the requirements of Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution, we have gladly submitted the number of persons in our household to help enable proper apportionment of our US
Congressional representation. We feel that the other information you requested grossly exceeds the intent of the enumeration
described in the above stated Clause.
Our age, sex and racial origin have nothing to do with how many Congressmen our state will receive to represent us or how any direct taxes shall be levied against our state.
Further, whether or not we are male, female, black, white, purple or green
ought not have anything to do with how much of the money we earned will be returned to our community for education, roads, hospitals, child care, etc. Any government assistance programs that rely on race as a factor of who should receive benefits would seem to be violation of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964.
We have spoken to our Congressman regarding this matter and he has agreed to help. So if you have any further questions regarding this matter, please contact him
Respectfully, _________________
********************************************
I just received the long census form today. Here is an excerpt from the cover letter:
Your answers are important. First, the number of representatives each state has in Congress depends on the number of people living in the state.
The second reason may be more important to you and your community. The amount of government money your neighborhood receives depends on your answers.
Here is my response:
March 7, 2000
To Whom It May Concern at the U.S. Census Bureau:
In one of the pamphlets I found on your website, you state the reason that I, as a citizen, should answer these questions is to
help my community receive its share of federal funds for "things we need." In 1999, my husband and I "contributed" more of our
incomes to federal taxes than we spent on housing, food, utilities, car payments, and clothing COMBINED. If we had been allowed to keep our money to begin with, we would have spent it on goods, services, and charities to the benefit of our community. I resent the fact that bureaucratic "decision-makers"
(as you call them) have the power to take my money, rename it "federal funds," and pretend it came from the Magic Money
Tree in Washington. I believe that the citizens of our community are smart enough and care enough to figure out, all by
ourselves, what our problems are and how to solve them. We don't need a federal agency in Washington to collect mountains
of detailed personal data to determine what "things we need."
Two adults reside in my home. This is the only information you need to correctly determine the number of seats Texas should
have in the United States House of Representatives. I am deeply offended by your cover letter which implies that redistribution of tax dollars "may be more important" than the apportionment of
congressional representation.
I still cling to the fading hope that our government might derive its power from the consent of the governed, rather than from its
ability to harass, coerce, and bankrupt us. Based on that hope, here is the first small step I am taking to withdraw my consent: I refuse to make the job of redistributing my money any easier for you. Please do
not call me or send someone to my house to "help" me fill out these forms as I am fully capable of completing them. I simply
refuse to do it. (name has been edited out) Waco, Texas
P.S. Please don't be surprised if I am skeptical of your claim that the information you seek will be kept confidential. The
government's trustworthiness should never be taken for granted.
*******************************************
Anti-Census 2000 - Story One
We received our census form today, and I gotta tell you, it's very intrusive. Rather than fill it out, we contacted our Congressman and he agreed with us. So I returned the following letter in my Census
envelope. Please feel free to copy it and
use it for your own:
Kenneth Prewitt, Director
Bureau of the Census
Washington, DC 20233-2000
March 3, 2000
Dear Mr. Prewitt:
Thank you for your interest in the age of and racial composition of our household. While we understand your assertion that this information is needed to facilitate the redistribution of wealth from those who
earned it to those who did not, we respectfully decline to participate in
this portion of the US Census 2000 program.
However, as per the requirements of Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution, we have gladly submitted the number of persons in our household to help enable proper apportionment of our US
Congressional representation. We feel that the other information you requested grossly exceeds the intent of the enumeration
described in the above stated Clause.
Our age, sex and racial origin have nothing to do with how many Congressmen our state will receive to represent us or how any direct taxes shall be levied against our state.
Further, whether or not we are male, female, black, white, purple or green
ought not have anything to do with how much of the money we earned will be returned to our community for education, roads, hospitals, child care, etc. Any government assistance programs that rely on race as a factor of who should receive benefits would seem to be violation of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964.
We have spoken to our Congressman regarding this matter and he has agreed to help. So if you have any further questions regarding this matter, please contact him
Respectfully, _________________
********************************************
I just received the long census form today. Here is an excerpt from the cover letter:
Your answers are important. First, the number of representatives each state has in Congress depends on the number of people living in the state.
The second reason may be more important to you and your community. The amount of government money your neighborhood receives depends on your answers.
Here is my response:
March 7, 2000
To Whom It May Concern at the U.S. Census Bureau:
In one of the pamphlets I found on your website, you state the reason that I, as a citizen, should answer these questions is to
help my community receive its share of federal funds for "things we need." In 1999, my husband and I "contributed" more of our
incomes to federal taxes than we spent on housing, food, utilities, car payments, and clothing COMBINED. If we had been allowed to keep our money to begin with, we would have spent it on goods, services, and charities to the benefit of our community. I resent the fact that bureaucratic "decision-makers"
(as you call them) have the power to take my money, rename it "federal funds," and pretend it came from the Magic Money
Tree in Washington. I believe that the citizens of our community are smart enough and care enough to figure out, all by
ourselves, what our problems are and how to solve them. We don't need a federal agency in Washington to collect mountains
of detailed personal data to determine what "things we need."
Two adults reside in my home. This is the only information you need to correctly determine the number of seats Texas should
have in the United States House of Representatives. I am deeply offended by your cover letter which implies that redistribution of tax dollars "may be more important" than the apportionment of
congressional representation.
I still cling to the fading hope that our government might derive its power from the consent of the governed, rather than from its
ability to harass, coerce, and bankrupt us. Based on that hope, here is the first small step I am taking to withdraw my consent: I refuse to make the job of redistributing my money any easier for you. Please do
not call me or send someone to my house to "help" me fill out these forms as I am fully capable of completing them. I simply
refuse to do it. (name has been edited out) Waco, Texas
P.S. Please don't be surprised if I am skeptical of your claim that the information you seek will be kept confidential. The
government's trustworthiness should never be taken for granted.
Tony III, you don't get any more official than the Constitution. Article I Section II is what you're looking for.
The *only* legally required info is the number of people living in each household. That's it, that's all, and everything else on my questionnaire will be answered "NOYB."
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"If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance."
-- Samuel Johnson
The *only* legally required info is the number of people living in each household. That's it, that's all, and everything else on my questionnaire will be answered "NOYB."
------------------
"If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance."
-- Samuel Johnson
The census is really handy for direct marketing companies. Although no "personally identifiable" information is sold to these companies, "census blocks" combine info into small neighborhoods, so the vacation home junk mail doesn't end up in the inner city. With that in mind, why not "have fun" and fool around with your demographic questions? 
OK, I received and looked at my Census form today. I'm actually going to mark "Samoan" as my race, just for spits and giggles. If everyone on TFL marks that their whole family is Samoan, that will really skew the beaurocrats' perception of the Samoan heritage in the culture. Actually, I'm thinking of selecting the "Other" race box, since Samoan is not specific enough, then filling in "Southeastern Native Latino Samoan". Really what I'm getting at is that I think it's silly to narrow down any race which contains pigmentation in their skin, as they have, such as Asian Indian, Filipino, Hawaiin, other Asain, Hispanic/Latino, etc., but wholly ignore racial ancestry with very similar pigmentation but very different cultures (the various white peoples). Why not Italian, German, English, Finnish, Polish, Greek, Russian, Icelandic, French, etc.? What this boils down to is our government reinforcing/encouraging judging people by their APPEARANCE by emphasizing an element of appearance (color) and ignoring other non-appearance related racial/national ancestry. It's ridiculous, IMO, because the goal of the 14th Amendment following the civil war was to create an American government which is essentially color-blind, yet the one distintion they are now making is about color. Arrrrgghh.
[This message has been edited by Futo Inu (edited March 13, 2000).]
Really what I'm getting at is that I think it's silly to narrow down any race which contains pigmentation in their skin, as they have, such as Asian Indian, Filipino, Hawaiin, other Asain, Hispanic/Latino, etc., but wholly ignore racial ancestry with very similar pigmentation but very different cultures (the various white peoples). Why not Italian, German, English, Finnish, Polish, Greek, Russian, Icelandic, French, etc.? What this boils down to is our government reinforcing/encouraging judging people by their APPEARANCE by emphasizing an element of appearance (color) and ignoring other non-appearance related racial/national ancestry. It's ridiculous, IMO, because the goal of the 14th Amendment following the civil war was to create an American government which is essentially color-blind, yet the one distintion they are now making is about color. Arrrrgghh.[This message has been edited by Futo Inu (edited March 13, 2000).]
Well, lucky me. My mailbox was blessed with BOTH of the damn things today. (short form in one envelope, long form in another) Funny thing, though. There aint a shread of newspaper in the whole house to start a fire in the woodstove. It's really cold here at night
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The Bible is my lawbook. I turn the other cheek when applicable, and spend the rest of my days resisting evil at every front, until I have breathed my last breath.
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The Bible is my lawbook. I turn the other cheek when applicable, and spend the rest of my days resisting evil at every front, until I have breathed my last breath.
Are we supposed to get different forms at different times or what?
I filled out mine today and there was nothing to it that the Government don't already know. Name, birthdate, race, how many live in home, etc. and that's it!
I filled mine out because whenever I was researching my family genealogy, census reports that were missing made it twice as hard and time-consuming to figure out and track down, so I figured I'd make it easy on my great great grandkids.
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"Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first."
-Ronald Reagan
I filled out mine today and there was nothing to it that the Government don't already know. Name, birthdate, race, how many live in home, etc. and that's it!
I filled mine out because whenever I was researching my family genealogy, census reports that were missing made it twice as hard and time-consuming to figure out and track down, so I figured I'd make it easy on my great great grandkids.
------------------
"Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first."
-Ronald Reagan
You do not have to fill out the census, I sure as hell will not!! It's more government in my face. They say the constitution requires it. Well the constitution requires that my right to keep and bare arms NOT be infringed . It seems that they are, when they are not I will be happy to cooperate. Furthermore the govenment has NO business in my livingroom, kitchen, bedroom or crawlspace for that matter ! screw them..
[This message has been edited by Wyatte (edited March 13, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Wyatte (edited March 13, 2000).]