OPINION: Census is a joke and a waste of tax money

Now, according to recent news articles, the Bureau of the Census is spending $350 million in advertising for the 2010 census. That includes $2.5 million on ads during the Super Bowl. These ads are urging people to mail in the questionnaire they will be receiving in the near future. The questionnaire, according to the advertisements, contains 10 questions that we must all answer. That, on its face, is a violation of the constitution. All the census needs to know to do its prescribed duty is the location of each home and how many people live there. The other eight questions are outside their area of constitutional authority.

But that is not all. The Bureau of the Census has announced plans to hire one million part-time workers. There are approximately 310 million people in the United States. That would mean that each employee is responsible to count 310 people. If the majority of Americans mail in their forms, all these million workers have to do is type in the information on the forms into a computer. That should take less than a week for even the slowest workers.

Even that is not necessary. Most cities and counties now have enhanced E-911 systems in place. These systems have a database that contains all the addresses in their area, instructions to locate the homes, and the number and health of the residents. That leaves only those isolated areas not covered by E-911 to be counted by census takers. And we certainly do not need one million of them to do that work.

Obviously, what we have here is just another way for government to spend millions of dollars they do not have on a job that can be easily accomplished for a much lower cost. But the idea of limiting government spending to what is necessary to get the job done is clearly foreign to their thought processes. If they can find any excuse to spend more money, even when they have to borrow it from the Chinese, they are going to do so.
Now, according to recent news articles, the Bureau of the Census is spending $350 million in advertising for the 2010 census. That includes $2.5 million on ads during the Super Bowl. These ads are urging people to mail in the questionnaire they will be receiving in the near future. The questionnaire, according to the advertisements, contains 10 questions that we must all answer. That, on its face, is a violation of the constitution. All the census needs to know to do its prescribed duty is the location of each home and how many people live there. The other eight questions are outside their area of constitutional authority.

But that is not all. The Bureau of the Census has announced plans to hire one million part-time workers. There are approximately 310 million people in the United States. That would mean that each employee is responsible to count 310 people. If the majority of Americans mail in their forms, all these million workers have to do is type in the information on the forms into a computer. That should take less than a week for even the slowest workers.

Even that is not necessary. Most cities and counties now have enhanced E-911 systems in place. These systems have a database that contains all the addresses in their area, instructions to locate the homes, and the number and health of the residents. That leaves only those isolated areas not covered by E-911 to be counted by census takers. And we certainly do not need one million of them to do that work.

Obviously, what we have here is just another way for government to spend millions of dollars they do not have on a job that can be easily accomplished for a much lower cost. But the idea of limiting government spending to what is necessary to get the job done is clearly foreign to their thought processes. If they can find any excuse to spend more money, even when they have to borrow it from the Chinese, they are going to do so.

With the powerful databases and computers available today, the census can be done quickly with minimal cost. Representatives and direct taxes (whatever those are) can be assigned to states quickly and easily. With the massive deficits in the federal budget we have today, spending millions for labor and advertising for the census is simply not justified. But when have our national politicians and bureaucrats let lack of justification interfere with their drive to spend and spend until our nation is bankrupt?

It is not surprise that so many Americans are mad at Washington. They have earned our anger.

Frank Gillispie is founder of The Madison County Journal. His e-mail address is frank@frankgillispie.com. His website can be accessed at http://www.frankgillispie.com/gillispieonline.

With the powerful databases and computers available today, the census can be done quickly with minimal cost. Representatives and direct taxes (whatever those are) can be assigned to states quickly and easily. With the massive deficits in the federal budget we have today, spending millions for labor and advertising for the census is simply not justified. But when have our national politicians and bureaucrats let lack of justification interfere with their drive to spend and spend until our nation is bankrupt?

It is not surprise that so many Americans are mad at Washington. They have earned our anger.

Frank Gillispie is founder of The Madison County Journal. His e-mail address is frank@frankgillispie.com. His website can be accessed at http://www.frankgillispie.com/gillispieonline.