OPINIONS: Get ready to be counted

I wish I had known growing up how important all those old family stories, told by relatives that have now passed on, were going to be to me one day. Since they weren’t written down, many of the stories passed on along with the storytellers, and that’s a real shame.

But besides listening to family stories and folklore, most of us can find at least some kinds of information that documents our ancestors by searching through legal documents, or by turning to the Internet.

One of the most valuable places to start is with old census records. Called decennial censuses, and mandated by the U.S. Constitution, one has been taken every 10 years since the first one in 1790.

I’ve found a lot of information using the census as a guide. For example, I found my great-grandmother in an 1870 census, living near where I do now. She was listed as “head of household” with the occupation of farmer and was caring for her mother and five children, the youngest of which was my grandfather. I don’t know anywhere else I could have found that out.

And speaking of the census, it’s almost time for the next one. Work on the 2010 census is already under way.

Census workers, this time armed with GPS systems, have already been sent out to document where residences are located. And beginning in February of next year, everyone should get a census packet that contains just 10 questions. (According to the website, the Census Bureau estimates that it should take about 10 minutes to complete it.)

Some people, particularly in this day and age, are leery of participating in the census, and understandably so. But the census not only serves as a way to keep a count of the population, it also serves a myriad of other purposes.

For example, census data are used to distribute Congressional seats to states, to make decisions about what community services are needed in a particular area and to distribute $300 billion in federal funds to local and state governments each year. Local governments also use the data to determine what types of services are needed in their communities. Information from this data is used to apply for state and federal grants and loans as well.

The very first census was a “simple count” according to the Census Bureau’s website. It consisted of six questions and counted approximately 3.9 million people for the purpose of apportioning the U.S. House of Representatives.

For next year’s census, one million enumerators will assist the Census Bureau in counting the more than 300 million people who now inhabit the U.S.

And besides apportioning state representation, 2010 census data will be used to make decisions that will ultimately affect every one of us in some way. Decisions like where highways, hospitals, schools and government assistance programs need to be located, to name a few.

The information we provide to the Census Bureau is protected by federal law, and the law requires that we participate in the census. I look at it as a duty and a privilege, like voting. Let’s all make the effort to stand up and be counted.

Margie Richards is a reporter and office manager for The Madison County Journal.