Invasion of privacy much?

[tremendoustie]

I just got a US Census survey. According to the enclosed letter, I am "required by U.S. Law to respond to this survey" Fortunately they didn't want to know anything too personal (/sarcasm), only

- If I or my wife has trouble dressing or bathing
- If, because of a mental or emotional condition I or my wife has trouble concentrating or making decisions
- What time I usually left for work last week
- What kind of vehicle I used to get there
- What were my most important activities or duties at work?
- If I or my wife speak a language other than english in our home and if so which
- If I or my wife have difficulty climbing stairs
- If we have a flush toilet?, stove or range?, refrigerator?, sink?, bath?, etc.
- How many separate rooms we have
- The cost of every single one of our utilities
- What kind of heath/fire/flood, etc. insurance we have, exactly what it covers and how much each of them costs.
- My and my wife's ancestry and race
-Much, much more.

Of course, I would have thought you would need a warrant to force someone to give you this kind of information, but apparently not ...

[mexicanpizza]

Wow. Which finger do you wipe with? Back to front?

[Peppy690]

write a big $#@! you and mail it in

[TheIndependent]

Respond with only the information that constitutionally mandated. There was a big tussle about this in 2000.

[bbachtung]

Don't return it.

The Constitution only requires that a census be conducted every ten years to determine the enumeration of Congressional districts.

When they start coming around, refuse to answer their questions except about how many people live in your house; they'll come around approximately 3 times before sending out a supervisor. It is actually a lot of fun to avoid answering their questions.

[niall]

Don't return it.

The Constitution only requires that a census be conducted every ten years to determine the enumeration of Congressional districts.

When they start coming around, refuse to answer their questions except about how many people live in your house; they'll come around approximately 3 times before sending out a supervisor. It is actually a lot of fun to avoid answering their questions.

Just tossed mine into the round file for the second time as well.

[SeanEdwards]

Round file for me as well.

Come prosecute me, bitches.

[Cleaner44]

Whatever that is, it is NOT a census form if you just got it. The next census will be done in 2010.

[gerryb]

I just got a US Census survey. According to the enclosed letter, I am "required by U.S. Law to respond to this survey" Fortunately they didn't want to know anything too personal (/sarcasm), only

Of course, I would have thought you would need a warrant to force someone to give you this kind of information, but apparently not ...

I never got the survey, but the Census tried contacting me for 4 weeks. They visited my rented apartment over a dozen times and left hand written notes each time and also called my cell phone each time. They also sent me multiple pieces of mail stating it was illegal not to participate in the census.

I moved into this apartment from out of state last year, and never registered as living here. No idea how they tied my cell phone number with where I live. Only guess is the landlord told them.

They finally decided to ignore me. Wonder if I'll ever be prosecuted.

[LizF]

A friend of ours received one of those a few months ago. He put off responding (in part because the address came from somewhere in the Midwest instead of DC--thought that was unusual; in part because he thought the questions were too invasive).

However, he kept getting business cards from the folks who were insisting on "following up", so he eventually filled it out & sent it in.

If I knew then what I know now I would have recommended that he fill out as little as possible.

[LizF]

Some info on the survey:

Official website: http://www.census.gov/acs/www/

Wikipedia entry on it (includes some interesting links at the bottom): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Community_Survey


Apparently RP thought it was invasive as well (from 2004):
http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2004/tst071204.htm

as did some of the folks who commented here:
http://www.survivalarts.com/archives/001095.html
(some funny stories)

[Paul4Prez]

Just reply with the names and ages of everyone in your house, and leave the rest blank. If you don't return it, they will send census workers out to follow up, and it will cost us taxpayers more money.

True story: I lived in a new apartment complex in Texas during the 2000 census, and we weren't surveyed. I actually contacted the Census Bureau to alert them to that fact (don't ask me why), and they never followed up. Probably 600 people living in that complex were entirely skipped.

[MrCobaltBlue]

Send them back this:

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 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.

also pee on the form on it.

[Sandy]

Time for a nice fire in the fireplace..........

[ChooseLiberty]

What's the penalty for not complying?

Can you imagine them rounding up all the illegals that don't comply with the census?

Umm. I guess they'd never know if you filled it out with random answers. Probably not.

[ELT]

"Nope, I never got that in the mail. Sorry"

This also works for things like jury duty notices. Tell them you've had a rash of kid theives in the neighborhood stealing mail and such. There's no way they can prove you actually received anything you didn't sign for.

[Victor]

Collecting information for a race wipe in US?