August 12, 2010 Volume 6, Number 32
In This
Issue
.
Ribbon
Cutting
.
The Official
Census
.
A Little Bit of
Humor
E-Mail
cynthia.davis@house.mo.gov
Find me
on
Committees
Special
Committee on Children and Families
Chair
Official Homepage for
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Look up
Look up
Consumer Complaints & Fraudulent
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Links
Congressman Blaine
Luetkemeyer
Big
River Running Company Ribbon Cutting
You may not feel like running when it
is nearly 100 degrees, but when you are ready to run, the Big River
Running Company is ready to help. They are located in the
The Official
Census
Some
people are still getting knocks on their doors from census workers.
While this is a federally mandated program, so long as our citizens are
getting interrupted by census takers, here is some information that may be
helpful. The census was authorized by the United States
Constitution:
"The actual enumeration shall be made within three
years after the first
meeting of the
Congress of the
subsequent term
of 10 years, in such manner as they shall by Law
direct."
--
Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution of the
The
original purpose for which the census was included in the Constitution was
for electoral apportionment of the congressional seats. As our
"When you do the math, it's easy to see
what an accurate count of
residents can do for your community. Better infrastructure.
More
services. A brighter tomorrow for everyone. In fact, the information
the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion
dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure
and services."
They
claim it is about how to spread around 400 billion of our hard earned tax
dollars. The only problem is that the money came from us, so it is
hard to feel grateful for their generosity should they prove that our
population has inflated considerably. I have a great idea for the
national government. Why don't they let us spend our own money
however we see fit without taking it from us first, extruding a hefty
handling charge and then doling it out as if it were a gift from
them?
Here is
some background from Wikipedia:
"For the first six censuses (1790-1840)
enumerators recorded
only the names of the heads of household and a general
demographic accounting of the remaining members of
the
household. Beginning in 1850, all members of the household
were named on the census. In 1810, the first inquiry
on
manufactures, quantity and value of products occurred;
in 1840, inquiries on fisheries were added; and in
1850,
the census included inquiries on social issues, such as
taxation,
churches, pauperism, and crime. The censuses also spread
geographically, to new states and territories added to the
Union,
as well as to other areas under
or jurisdiction. There were so many more inquiries of all
kinds in the census of 1880 that almost a full decade
was
needed to publish all the results."
We can
all understand why the government would want to know how many people live
in the
We owe
it to the philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr. to get past the
surface. Many of us long for a day when all people are judged by the
content of their character rather than skin color. When it comes to
ethnicity, there are so many interracial marriages, why should it matter
anymore. Some of my constituents have started declining to answer
questions on other applications about race because they feel it shouldn't
matter. I agree. It shouldn't mean more than the type of
cosmetics, sun tan lotion and hair treatments consumers use. I can
imagine this being important to retailers, but not to government.
All people are human beings made in the image of God. We are at the
point in our nation's cultural history where it is rude for government to
participate in its own form of
discrimination.
It is
also rude for them to ask us how many bathrooms we have, but they don't
appear to have any sensitivity to that either. Here are some
articles that explain the level of detail required, and includes a link to
the actual "The 2009 American Community
Survey", sponsored by the Census
Bureau:
:
'Big Brother asks: 'Do you
have a flush
toilet?'
One of
the problems with the census is not the actual enumeration, but the
estimation of what the true answers. There is a method under which
the national government will attempt to "enhance the numbers" on a
presumption that some people may not have been counted. They take a
sample group and imagine how many others may not have actually filled out
the forms. This is a big breech of integrity because you cannot
prove a negative. The only way to count people is to actually
count people. Here is an excerpt from a Wall Street Journal
article that
explains:
"The Supreme Court has ruled
that congressional
reapportionment-but not the redistricting of state
legislatures-must rely on numbers generated by an
actual enumeration. But for purposes of allocating
funds, governments may well use adjusted figures
based on sampling, which the
will also provide. Methodological problems are
likely
to make these numbers unreliable, but the case for
using them becomes stronger if many Americans
refuse to fill out their forms.
If Americans don't trust their government today,
wait
till they see what happens if they leave census forms
blank. The result won't be smaller government. It will
be government by guesswork. Faulty data will drive
funding
decisions about housing, education and other
programs, and will be used as evidence in
discrimination
suits involving bank loans, employment and
contracting."
Fortunately,
I was able to speak with a representative from Congressman Blaine
Luetkemeyer's office who gave me some additional information. He
said that there is a penalty for not answering the questions, but as of
now nobody has been charged or fined for not answering all the
questions. If it were me, I would not risk it, but at the same time
we ought to be a conscience for our federal office holders and ask them to
exercise integrity. Since there is an election coming up, this is
the perfect opportunity to let them know that the census should be limited
to just counting people- real people and not imagined numbers added after
the fact. This is the only way for us to have a fair and principled
government.
Links to Other Related
Articles
O
2010
Census
Stirs Up
Partisan
Politics
O
The
Census and the
Constitution
O
US Census Bureau's
2010
homepage.
Your
thoughts are important to me, so please let me know what you think
about the census.
You can send me your opinion by clicking
here: Cynthia Davis
A
Little Bit of Humor.
Census-less-ness
(n.): A peculiar kind of population survey that puts housewives,
prostitutes and beggars in the same category.
This
Capitol Report is a weekly column by Representative Cynthia
Davis, from the
19th District, covering events in the Missouri Legislature and
district-wide issues.
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