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The long arm of the long census form
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 6/4/9 | Debra J. Saunders

Posted on 06/04/2009 7:57:43 AM PDT by SmithL

If you see the federal government as a benign force that seeks only to make your life better, then the questions in the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey may not bother you. But if you have a smidgen of doubt, or if you value your privacy, you probably aren't going to like some of Uncle Sam's invasive queries.

Like:

What is your race?

Your personal ancestry or ethnic origin?

How many rooms are in your home?

Is anyone at home deaf or hard of hearing?

Does anyone at home "because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition" have "serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?"

Trouble walking or climbing stairs?

Difficulty dressing or bathing?

Or, "because of a physical, mental or emotional condition," does anyone at your home have difficulty "doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor's office or shopping?"

All I could think of as I read the questionnaire - which is sent to some 250,000 addresses each month to keep census data current - was: Wait until talk radio gets hold of this baby. These questions punch practically every hot button in the paranoid person's arsenal (although the survey did not ask how often respondents have sex - which shows the Viagra lobby has its limits).

Listeners unhappy with President Obama's expansion of federal power cannot be expected to savor opening the mail to find a questionnaire peppered with highly personal questions - and by the way, the U.S. Census Bureau says it is a federal crime not to respond. If you don't answer, Uncle Sam can fine you up to $5,000. It's as if the government is telling you: Trust us with your personal information. Or else.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2010census; acs; agenda; bho44; bhocensus; bigbrother; census; democrats; fed; lping; nativeamerican; obama; whitehouse; yourtaxdollarsatwork
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We have ways of making you talk
1 posted on 06/04/2009 7:57:43 AM PDT by SmithL
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To: SmithL

2 posted on 06/04/2009 8:00:08 AM PDT by ironwill (III - Molon Labe)
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To: SmithL

The reply to each is NOYB. (None of your business).
About the time they read the 3rd question, it’s gonna be amended to NOYFB, and shortly afterwards I’ll either add FUBO or just shut the door.


3 posted on 06/04/2009 8:01:16 AM PDT by theDentist (qwerty ergo typo : i type, therefore i misspelll)
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To: ironwill

More fodder for Winston Smith’s bureau. Is there a question about being afraid of rats? Take Julia..not me!


4 posted on 06/04/2009 8:02:41 AM PDT by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannolis. Take it to the Mattress.")
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To: SmithL
Oh, I'll respond.

I'll tell them exactly how many people live in my domicile and mail it back with the rest of the questions unanswered.

5 posted on 06/04/2009 8:03:06 AM PDT by Just another Joe (Warning: FReeping can be addictive and helpful to your mental health)
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To: SmithL

What is your race? I’m about as Eskomo as you can get...in the state of Alabama.

Your personal ancestry or ethnic origin? Mars, just plain Mars.

How many rooms are in your home? 32 rooms, which include some hidden-trap door rooms, and some rooms where I keep lots of peanut butter.

Is anyone at home deaf or hard of hearing? No, are you offering to make us deaf or something?

Does anyone at home “because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition” have “serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?” Just my wife, she voted for Obama, and I’d like to have her put away in a facility.

Trouble walking or climbing stairs? For some reason, only on Friday nights...around midnight...when I return from bowling. Once I woke up and found myself in my neighbor’s house...having difficulty in climbing his stairs.

Difficulty dressing or bathing? No, but I usually don’t dress for folks...lounging around without anything on....except in the winter months.


6 posted on 06/04/2009 8:04:19 AM PDT by pepsionice
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To: pepsionice

All the questions feed into some money hungry program. The more “victims” the more money allocated to the solution.
What is the penality for lying on a census form?
I’m sure the ACORN will be completing these for vast areas of the cities..to insure that plenty of money is targeted to them and their “victims”.


7 posted on 06/04/2009 8:07:51 AM PDT by Oldexpat
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To: SmithL

NO!


8 posted on 06/04/2009 8:09:50 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: theDentist
‘zackly why I told the census taker to get the hell off my property last month.
9 posted on 06/04/2009 8:10:01 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks
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To: SmithL
What is your race?
Human.

Your personal ancestry or ethnic origin?
See previous answer.

How many rooms are in your home?
Not sure; it'll take a while to count all the rooms from the Clue and Kill Doctor Lucky game boards and the Starship Enterprise blueprints. Can I estimate and call it a round 1000?

Is anyone at home deaf or hard of hearing?
Can you repeat the question?

Does anyone at home "because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition" have "serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?"
Thinking about this question makes my head hurt. It's just too complicated, and WHY ARE YOU TORMENTING ME WITH THIS STUFF?!?

Trouble walking or climbing stairs?
I tried to walk my stairs the other day. Ripping them off the supports was a bitch, I tell you....

Difficulty dressing or bathing?

What's the problem, dear? These colors go together just fine! OK, OK, I'll change....

10 posted on 06/04/2009 8:12:30 AM PDT by steve-b (Intelligent design is to evolutionary biology what socialism is to free-market economics.)
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To: SmithL

Every 10 years, I get the census, every 10 years I answer only 1 question.

How many people live in your household?

And send it back.

The Census exists to track population for representative apportionment, every other question on the thing is irrellevant and if you answer them you are a fool.


11 posted on 06/04/2009 8:13:19 AM PDT by HamiltonJay
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To: SmithL
The first thing that struck me on reading this article is they're looking for preexisting medical conditions. This way when Obamacare is fully imposed the medical rationing board has a baseline documentation to deny you treatment.
12 posted on 06/04/2009 8:13:38 AM PDT by YankeeReb
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To: SmithL
2 adults. 2 kids.

Everything else?

Nun'ya'bidness...

13 posted on 06/04/2009 8:14:49 AM PDT by Dead Corpse (III)
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To: theDentist

The third personal follow up visitor from census burea to my house a few years ago was greeted with a Mossberg 500.

No, not kidding.


14 posted on 06/04/2009 8:15:58 AM PDT by Eagle Eye (When they came for GM I did nothing because I was not a car dealer....)
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To: SmithL

What is your race?

Ans. 1,500 Meters

Your personal ancestry or ethnic origin?

Ans. Native American - I was born here!

How many rooms are in your home?

Ans. I don’t know, I think I might have trouble walking or climbing stairs, so am unable to access all the rooms to count them, but I am not sure, as I might have serious trouble concentrating or remembering.

Is anyone at home deaf or hard of hearing?

Ans. What?!

Does anyone at home “because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition” have “serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?”

Ans. I can’t remember...What was the question?

Trouble walking or climbing stairs?

Possibly, see above.

Difficulty dressing or bathing?

Ans. - No, but I think I might sometimes have trouble concentrating or remembering causing me to dress before bathing.

Or, “because of a physical, mental or emotional condition,” does anyone at your home have difficulty “doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?”

Ans. Does couch potato syndrome count as a mental or emotional condition?


15 posted on 06/04/2009 8:17:10 AM PDT by Above My Pay Grade
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To: HamiltonJay

Exactly, the constituion only wants a count.. That is all I give them.. they want to know how many people lived in my place on April 1st...This other stuff is BS.. I still have my long form from 2000, those questions are not related to my head count..


16 posted on 06/04/2009 8:17:29 AM PDT by JoanneSD
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To: Eric in the Ozarks

zackly why I told the census taker to get the hell off my property last month.”

The census isn’t supposed to be taken until 2010.

What was that person doing there?

There is already notice of scams happening in Reno area.
People are faking being a census taker, and asking for social security numbers and banking information.


17 posted on 06/04/2009 8:18:53 AM PDT by ridesthemiles
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To: pepsionice
"How many rooms are in your home? 32 rooms, which include some hidden-trap door rooms, and some rooms where I keep lots of peanut butter."

You too?

Yea Baby Peanut butter and feathers

and a collection of fleece lined Speedo's, in assorted colors

18 posted on 06/04/2009 8:19:10 AM PDT by SERE_DOC (Today's politicians, living proof why we have and need a second amendment to the constitution.)
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To: SmithL
What is your race?

NASCAR - especially the Southern 500 at Darlington.

Your personal ancestry or ethnic origin?

American.

How many rooms are in your home?

Just enough.

Is anyone at home deaf or hard of hearing?

What?

Does anyone at home "because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition" have "serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?"

No, we're all Conservatives.

Trouble walking or climbing stairs?

Sometimes a little bit on the stairway up Telegraph hill.

Difficulty dressing or bathing?

Just the neighbor's wife when she is PMS'ing.

Or, "because of a physical, mental or emotional condition," does anyone at your home have difficulty "doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor's office or shopping?"

Only when we don't have any money left after paying our share of Obama's Wealth Redistribution.

19 posted on 06/04/2009 8:19:37 AM PDT by Iron Munro (Suppose you were a clueless, idiot, and suppose you were Barack Obama; but I repeat myself)
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To: holdonnow; sono; Fudd Fan; tiredoflaundry; CedarDave; HonestConservative; Bahbah; narses; ...

The long arm of the long census form

http://www.freerepublic.com/^http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/04/EDBF17UVKR.DTL

I have yet to see the actual form, have any of you?


20 posted on 06/04/2009 8:21:58 AM PDT by AliVeritas (I wake up, the evil one cries.)
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