The census questions & penaltys for not answering them

Here is a link to the 2010 census questions:

www.mdp.state.md.us...

It's a lot of reading but at least you'll have an idea of what to expect. And the following is a summary of the fines you can expect if you don't answer the questions or lie when answering the questions.

13 USC Sec. 221
TITLE 13 - CENSUS
CHAPTER 7 - OFFENSES AND PENALTIES
SUBCHAPTER II - OTHER PERSONS
Sec. 221. Refusal or neglect to answer questions; false answers
(a) Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any other authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the Secretary or authorized officer, to answer, to the best of his knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in connection with any census or survey provided for by subchapters I, II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title, applying to himself or to the family to which he belongs or is related, or to the farm or farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be fined not more than $100.
(b) Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection (a) of this section, and under the conditions or circumstances described in such subsection, willfully gives any answer that is false, shall be fined not more than $500.

Hope this information is helpful to those who have been looking for it. Thanks and enjoy.

That will only stand as long as Obama is not allowed to move the Census from the Dept. of Commerce to the White House.

If the overseeing office changes, that entire title will be re-written & things could get even worse.

Cool looking that over, it appears they have combined the Census with the American Community Survey.

The only questions the code you sited apply to are the Census questions, the rest are actually optional for answering as long as they fall OUTSIDE of this determination:

As used in this section, “census of population” means a census of population, housing, and matters relating to population and housing.

Titles 1, 3 & 5 are the only ones applicable

So income, vehicles, language spoken, veteran status, etc are not question you MUST answer under the law.

[edit on 5/31/09 by redhatty]

reply to post by redhatty


I just hope nobody eats their livers with some fava beans and a nice chianti.
I see that some of the questions are a little personal though. This could get ugly for the poor folks getting paid min. Wage that are actually going door to door in some areas. There going to mail these forms to the majority of the us however.

reply to post by kenton1234


knowledge is power, read the applicable law regarding this, section 7 covers penalties for not answering, but the other cover exactly what they can legally ask.

reply to post by redhatty


That is true. They tell you that you don't have to answer some of the questions but they don't tell you which one.

Oh, boy. This will be fun looking for ways to give false answers, while still seeming to give true answers. I look forward to the challenge that 2010 will bring to me. Another census, maybe new people to vote for. It's beginning to look interesting to me.

"To the best of your abilities"

KEY WORDS THERE.

If you don't like a question I would suggest having a few drinks and then forget any answer to a question you dislike. Then if confronted you can be honest about the situation at the same time telling them to frag off.

As for me? I am gonna claim delusion. just for fun. That census can go down my tolite with the rest of the paper for all I care.

reply to post by kyred


Just remember. Try not to eat their livers with some fava beans and a nice chianti. TeeHee

If they really want to know, they should look up the answers for themselves. They issued my birth certificate and have my tax information.
They have my military records, and they have my educational records. They have my military health records and probably my civillian.
My financial record and my tax returns are at their disposal and on their computers. They have the records of my security clearances, and my driving records.

Which is to say I have already complied. Their failure to look things up is neither my fault nor my concern. If they are prohibited for some legal reason from correlating that information, then I maintain my legal rights not to circumvent those restrictions for them.

As a matter of security I do not simply share that information with someone who walks up to my door, or mail my personal information to some address.

Quite simply, they already know everything about me! Go ask questions of the people whome you do not!

Any law which would require me to rat out Anne Frank hiding in my attic is is un-American. Good day sir!

Page 25 has a grayed out area... at least in my PDF viewer ( I use Foxit PDF Viewer)
It shows question 26 under the gray area ... in text mode...

26 When did this person serve on active duty in the
U.S. Armed Forces? Mark (X) a box for EACH period
in which this person served, even if just for part of the
period.

September 2001 or later
August 1990 to August 2001 (including
Persian Gulf War)
September 1980 to July 1990
May 1975 to August 1980
Vietnam era (August 1964 to April 1975)
March 1961 to July 1964
Korean War (July 1950 to January 1955)
World War II (December 1941 to December 1946)
February 1955 to February 1961
January 1947 to June 1950
November 1941 or earlier

Also on page 33 ...

41 For whom did this person work?
If now on active duty in
the Armed Forces, mark (X) this box ➔
and print the branch of the Armed Forces.
Name of company, business, or other employer

42 What kind of business or industry was this?
Describe the activity at the location where employed.
(For example: hospital, newspaper publishing, mail
order house, auto engine manufacturing, bank)

43 Is this mainly – Mark (X) one box.
manufacturing?
wholesale trade?
retail trade?
other (agriculture, construction, service,
government, etc.)?

I had noticed those question numbers missing in my first scan through...
Looking at the complete doc closer it looks completely unfinished and scrapped together. Definitely not a final draft, although our gov't is known for ½ ass... This might be the final, "just let the people figure it out since we ran out funding to complete the job."