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April 13, 2010 in Nation/World
Attacks on census worry Republicans
Low count could hurt their influence
Dave Willett, left, and Tom Shea attend a tea party rally in Buffalo, N.Y., on Monday. Some tea party Web sites host long discussions on the constitutionality of the census.
(Full-size photo)
WASHINGTON – According to many writers in the conservative blogosphere, the census taker is second only to the taxman as the pre-eminent symbol of big government intrusion. Now several prominent Republicans, fearing the rhetoric could result in an undercount of their ranks, are trying to tamp down the census critics.
Former White House adviser Karl Rove recently made a public service announcement urging participation in the decennial headcount currently under way. Last week, Rep. Patrick McHenry, the ranking Republican on the House committee that oversees the census, issued a statement directly refuting those who claim the current census is unconstitutional.
“What worries me is blatant misinformation coming from otherwise well-meaning conservatives,” said the North Carolina lawmaker, who pointed to early statistics showing conservative counties with participation rates that trailed the national average. “Few things will make Nancy Pelosi happier than a low Republican census turnout.”
McHenry’s comment highlights the political stakes at play. The census count determines each state’s representation in Congress and the Electoral College, and the drafting of state legislative districts. It’s also the basis for distribution of billions of dollars of federal funding.
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Republican from Minnesota, declared last year that she would be filling out only a part of the 10-question form, claiming the rest might be a violation of privacy rights. She later supported a resolution urging Americans to fill out the form. On his Web site, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, said he believed the census “has grown far beyond what the framers of our Constitution intended” and “raises serious questions about how and why government will use the collected information.”
Such sentiments have been disavowed by other Republicans, but they continue to swirl. Several Web sites popular with the small-government “tea party” movement offer long discussion threads on whether or not the Constitution only instructs the government to ask about the number of people in a household, and not more specific demographic information.
Most recently, the target for critics has been the American Community Survey, a longer offshoot of the census that is distributed annually.
The penalty for not filling out the ACS is the same as for not filling out the census, a fine of up to $5,000. No one has been prosecuted for noncompliance for several decades, according to the Census Bureau.
Obama honors Medal of Freedom recipients as heroes 
JWL on April 13 at 5:06 a.m.
The census, in its current form is nothing more than a test of our gullibility and their social conditioning skills. They can get the information they want any time they want it without the census. No, what they are really interested in is COMPLIANCE. They want to know if making us feel petty and look silly for refusing to go along with “such a small request” will make us change our minds.
josephcopsey on April 13 at 7:22 a.m.
The census is not something new. It’s been conducted every 10 years since 1790. Gullibility? Oh, please. This is how congressional representation is determined and legislative districts are formed. It’s in the Constitution and one of our most basic civic duties as Americans.
liarsinnews on April 13 at 9:13 a.m.
JWL, you are correct. A statistical analysis would be just as accurate and save tens of millions of dollars. The political pimps just love to spend our money.
Another_Perspective on April 13 at 8:38 p.m.
Oh good josephycopsey, your going to point to one small part of the constitution while the government has usurped the rest of it. Nice try at a diversion.
There is no reason to have any congressional district as long as we have Cathy McCrackie votes against the wishes of her constituents. Shes the biggest rubber stamp of the Bushiites since King George the 2nd. I bet his dad wishes he had choked the life out of that little bugger when he screwed up his set up oil jobs in Texas.
misjustice on April 13 at 10:42 p.m.
Yeah, all you conspiracy theorists go ahead and don’t fill out your Census forms; it will mean that you and your political leanings do not get counted (accurately), and that those sending in complete forms will. It’s kinda like shooting your own selves in the foot when Congressional Districts get drawn! By not participating you will be diluting your own political power!Thank you! LMAO! ; )