@PandoraBoxx – unless something changed in the last 20 years, you have to wait 2 more years for the 1940 Census records, because it is 72 years, not 70. How do I know this? I worked for the Census in 1990, and I in fact just took the test to become a Census worker again this year (might as well, I’ve been unemployed for 13½ months and it pays a minimum of 17 bucks an hour in my city).
I can tell anyone who is paranoid about the Census that the very first thing they teach you in training (and you do get 4 days of paid training), is that Census data is private for 72 years, and that this is for ALL purposes…not even other government agencies have the right or ability to access this data. One of the tools you are given is a pad of pages, each of which explain the 72 year confidentiality rule, to hand out to people you visit door to door,
And THAT would be the consequence of your not filling this out and mailing it in….someone is going to get paid anywhere from $10 to $22 an hour, depending on where you live, to come visit your house and ask you questions in person. And if they do what they did in 1990, they will have a short form, which is what you received in the mail, or a long form that is presented to one out of 6 houses, and this will ask you all sorts of demographic information about your income and all manner of other things. It is however voluntary whether or not you give this information.
I was surprised not to see place of birth on the current forms, it seems if anything they’ve streamlined the questions they ask, I recall even the short form being a bit more detailed last time around.
But the fact is this…there is no reason NOT to turn in your Census form, and anyone considering not doing so should consider the following. Every form that is not returned represents a waste of taxpayer dollars in the form of sending a canvaser/enumerator to your house…this person will be given above market pay and mileage, and if they are efficient, they will even earn bonuses. I remember in 1990, I was in my first year of college, minimum wage was $3.85 an hour, and the Census paid me $8.50 an hour plus whatever the mileage rate was for that year, and I was sent between 15 and 50 miles from my house on a near daily basis. I managed to do the work quickly and efficiently and earned I believe something like $125 in bonuses that I was not even expecting. So, a lot of the arguments that it’s a waste of money make it ironic if you decide not to fill your form out, because you are costing the government money by not doing so, plus you are violating the law if you do not comply with the Census.
Second thing to consider is that not only does this data serve to redistrict our Congressional seats, but it also denotes how much government aid is given to various areas for things like education and infrastructure. If you live in a school district that doesn’t have enough money, you are doing a disservice to the kids in that district if you don’t fill out your form and end up not being counted. The more people in a district, the more money they will get, so it’s basically a matter of apportioning economic resources appropriately. If one area counts everyone and another misses 10%, well that’s 10% more that the one area gets than the other. If you’re really concerned about making government work for the people and be fair, you want to strive for an accurate as possible count.
Now there is an alarming and dangerous trend among hardcore right wingers to not fill out this information for privacy reasons, but anyone who knows anything about the Census will know that in 220 years, privacy has never been breached. I mean, just think about how hard it is to get the government to tell you something you want to know via the Freedom of Information act, even if it’s something you’re legally entitled to. Now imagine a bureau whose first purpose is to keep all its data confidential. I don’t care how much tinfoil you wear, that information ain’t going anywhere.
To be completely frank, my biggest concern about the Census is the test they give. I’m not giving away any information that is not publicly available by the way (they make it very clear that you can and WILL be prosecuted if you breach confidentiality as a Census worker), but basically any Joe legally authorized to work in the US can right this very minute call up their city’s Census office and inquire about taking a test. They will tell you the time and location of the next couple tests and have you give your name and phone # to sign up. You go where the test is at the appointed time (and if you want to get in on this, they are doing tests daily until Saturday, after that the ship has sailed). You can print out practice tests with sample questions and study as much as you want, then you sign in at the testing site, fill out a job application and an I-9 (and they will verify your ID on the spot), then you are given 30 minutes to take a 28 question, 4 option multiple choice test which covers basic math, reading, comprehensin and clerical skills. Here’s what alarms me…the test is a joke. I took it on Monday, finished it in 15 minutes and scored 28 out of 28. They ask you to multiply a couple numbers, or put something in alphabetical order, or determine how many houses are to be counted on a block, which basically just requires you to count the houses printed on a map. I remembered thinking that this couldn’t possibly be the real test when I was 18 and took it he first time, and was the first to finish. So, it didn’t surprise me too much when I was the only person to be done writing before the test proctor said to stop this time. In other words, I don’t think there are an abundance of half way intelligent people taking this test. And I also remember when I went to training that these people who also passed the test couldn’t POSSIBLY be the cream of the crop. I remember one guy looked like a serial killer and one woman told me her last job was putting tips on shoelaces.
Anyway, my point is that 10 is a passing score…10 out of 28…on a test of basic math, reading, comprehension and clerical skills. Now 10 doesn’t guarantee you a job (neither does a 28), but it does qualify you for an interview, and hey, if you score 10, and no one else in your area scores more than that, you’re in. So, before you think about not returning that form, realize that even though you could be visited by a nice, college educated but down on his luck professional like myself, you might instead be visited by someone who looks like a serial killer and puts tips on shoelaces for a living, who couldn’t even score 36% on a test of basic skills. Because where else is going to pay someone like that $17 an hour? Hell, I’m hoping that they need supervisors, since I have supervisory skills, they may not even send a guy like me door to door. Bottom line is, you don’t fill out that form, you risk being visited by someone you wouldn’t want driving your kids school bus. That person will try to visit your house again and again until they find you at home. They may try to talk to your neighbors to get information about you, and if you still don’t ever answer, they will try to call you, and will leave you a note that they’d been there and want you to call them. If they can’t reach you, the Census will re-hire the best performers for a second tour of duty (this happened to me in 1990) to try to fill in the gaps. And your tax dollars will be used to pay people who McDonald’s won’t hire, at a wage that normally would require a college degree to obtain.
Basically, there is a good purpose for the Census, it’s completely safe and confidential, it’s easy to complete, they don’t ask anything very personal, and you save yourself a future visit from the next Ted Bundy. Bottom line is, I would not only encourage you to send back your form, but I would also encourage anyone looking for a good source of quick and easy income in this down economy to try to get in on one of the last tests…it’s the easiest test you’ll ever take, and the easiest money you’ll ever make if you get hired. Hell, when I was 18/19 and worked the Census, I basically got paid 3 times what I could have made at any other summer job, I set my own hours and spent most of my day driving and listening to my car stereo.
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