Census threat: $5,000 fines

Its not like giving them any more info then they can already get. But it IS verifying what they might have or think they know already...Big difference.

Originally posted by PPGrocks
I'm curious why nobody wants to fill out the census...its not like your giving them any more information than they can already get...whats the big deal...let me guess the government is going to gps our front door so they can shoot a laser down our throat that contains the swine flu virus and round us all up in a concentration camp...i don't think so...just fill it out and send it in...

While reading this comment...

I instantly envisioned C3-PO standing before me, with his charmed synthesized voice, chiding R2-D2 to be a good astro droid, and hand over the Census of Lea Organa...

Another thing I just noticed is that the article in the OP must be talking about an entirely different census than the one I filled out.. The form I received was very simple and didn't have nearly any of the extra stuff that the article in the OP is talking about...

After further reading it appears I filled out the 10 year census, not the ACS which the article in the OP is detailing.


[edit on 17-3-2010 by Ionized]

I haven't received mine yet either...just the letter telling me that another letter was coming soon.

That's a waste of paper...just send out the damn forms.

Bush did this as well with the stimulus checks even though all of us knew they were coming.

Bush and his damn socialism. Where were the cries then?

Yep, I filled ours out and sent it in yesterday. We didn't get this "mandatory American Community Survey" with our census form.

So who is getting them and why? I wonder which part of the population they are targeting.

There was one question on the census form that seemed unusual. It asked if we owned our home free and clear, or morgage, or renting.

Why would they want to know whether we owned our home, or had a mortgage?

I can't wait till someone on this thread gets that survey. Just curious...

Under the Constitution of the United States, every ten years, the government may collect information on the number of citizens. The current way of doing things is to gather information on not just the number of people, but race education, income, and other bits of info.

This is Unconstitutional.

This speech from Congressman Ron Paul goes into more detail. This is not "just a piece of paper". This is a violation of your Constitutional Rights.

Many died for our rights. Yet, we continually just give them away.

I filled it mostly out. I'd accidentally left my cellphone at work that day, so I didn't have a phone number that they could call, and I wrote 'American' as my race, since I was born in America.

It seems a bit strange that they'd up the fine by 50x its' normal amount (like they're out of money and really hoping people don't answer all the questions so they can make some bank) but I did tell the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so there's really no reason they'd be able to fine me.

Originally posted by David9176Bush and his damn socialism. Where were the cries then?

I did!

[edit on 3/17/2010 by EsSeeEye]

Here is a copy of the questionaire. Although, we only are required to give the number of people at our residence they ask for so much more invasive question.

Check This Out

Hold it! No need for anybody to get worked up about anything...

I work for the Census and I can tell you in all sincerity that the government is not going to come after you for refusing to fill out the questionnaire.

In fact, it is stressed that census employees are not supposed to take the heavy-handed approach when it comes to the legal requirements, which, incidentally, have been in place since the beginning of the Census.

The fact is, even though you are "technically" mandated to answer the Census inquiries, you should not encounter any pressure from Census staff using the threat of legal ramifications if you refuse to do so. The Census takers are trained to explain the use of the Census data and, more importantly, to make people understand that no other government agency, REGARDLESS of level, has access to Census data. This is not the case with many other agencies of the government who possess sensitive data about you. They make such exchanges among themselves in certain situations. The Census Bureau operates under a completely different set of rules, and the only time the Census data is released is after it's a required 72 years of classification.

All of us should be well aware that the data taken in the Census is information the government already has on us through any number of agencies. If they wanted to know anything, it's at their fingertips, but the one place no one can access it is at the Census.

Census workers are made well aware that they can be put in jail for violating the confidentiality policies. This is emphasized very strongly.

I completely understand people being reluctant to answer the Census questions given the government's activities in recent years. However, if you don't get counted properly, it can have adverse effects on your state's electoral votes and funding. As it stands, there are several states at risk for losing an electoral college seat if they don't come up with a minimum population count through the Census. Each person is estimated to represent $1,700 per year federal funding. $1,700 a year over the next 10 years is quite a lot of money that your state would not receive for just one person who fails to respond to the Census.

If you refuse to answer all or a portion of the Census questionnaire, you will hear nothing more about it.

I'd better stop now, I'm starting to sound like government suck a**...



[edit on 17-3-2010 by NightGypsy]

Originally posted by ExPostFacto

Sec. 221. Refusal or neglect to answer questions; false answers -STATUTE-

(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. (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, no person shall be compelled to disclose information relative to his religious beliefs or to membership in a religious body.

Citizens cannot be fined $5,000. Only employees or agents of the government have fines in that amount. Citizens can only be fined up to $100 for negligent answers, and $500 for knowingly false information.

Once again WMD fails at journalism.

This section: (included in the original posting by WND) states: Title 18 AMENDS/CHANGED the fines to include UP TO $5,000.

Title 18 U.S.C. Section 3571 and Section 3559, in effect amends Title 13 U.S.C. Section 221 by changing the fine for anyone over 18 years old who refuses or willfully neglects to complete the questionnaire or answer questions posed by census takers from a fine of not more than $100 to not more than $5,000.

Thanks for posting the American Community Survey!

Just I read the whole thing, and I'm really glad I didn't get one. Haha!

That is too much information to be sending to anyone! It looks like it's heading to the mailboxes of the "middleclass" and/or a certain income level... like $250.000?

Edit:misspelling

[edit on 3/17/2010 by sodakota]

Im not particularly big on filling out the little card. Here in my state though we are very close to possibly losing a seat.

I'll be filling mine out for that reason

reply to post by Ionized


Ionized,

You found it easy to fill out, 2 minutes. Same for me, no big deal.

Could not help wondering about age and redundant birth date question. If you state your birth date have you not also stated your age? The guy in charge of keeping it simple must have missed the age and date meeting.

If you listen to coast to coast am they are talking about the census right now...

Interesting....

So we get a notice in the mail letting us know that we will be receiving our 2010 Census form, and we are instructed to fill it out promptly.

Then it arrives (early, mid-March) asking for information about our household situations 'specifically' on April 1, 2010. So in order to avoid fines and answer this 'correctly' (as living situations can change), it should be filled out on April 1, 2010... aka, not promptly.

The best part...
we are required to fill this out in all seriousness.... on April Fools Day.

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


Tap the brakes Protoplasmic Traveler.

The Census every ten years is required by the Constitution so that
the members of the US House of Representatives can be allocated to the 50 States. New York has been giving up a few, that is a good thing.

As far as the circle r, that is likely a lame attempt to differentiate a letter from and actual US government agency from the blizzard of official looking advertisements for insurance and services that flood your mail box.

www.witn.com...

Several counties in Eastern Carolina are considered "at risk" for losing millions of dollars in funding, simply if people don't fill out their 2010 Census forms.

The group Democracy North Carolina analyzed counties for their history of low rates of mailing back their Census forms or they have a large amount of people who typically have low response rates. Some of those reasons include poverty.

“For every 1,000 residents not counted, a county could lose $1.5
million a year for school programs, health care, job training, housing, senior centers and more," said Bob Hall, director of Democracy North Carolina, the nonpartisan group that conducted the analysis.

How does my rental/owner, home/apartment/mobile home, name/age/race/phone# contribute to a number count?

I got my form yesterday and the first little box at the top that's a darker color than the rest of the page has the headcount in it. The rest of the two pages is completely irrelevant. I guess for genealogical purposes there is a reason to include that info but I dont care to be tracked down and cataloged by any future offspring nor do I care to track down and catalog any of my ancestors.

They get a number in a box and nothing more. Maybe a letter indicating how I disapprove of the wastefulness of this whole ordeal. If I'm represented in my state capital that's all I care about. The fed can go screw itself for all I care. The swamp that is D.C. should swell up and engulf the whole region and any escaping politicians or fleeing government employees should be strung up and left to the mosquitoes.

Besides, since when has an automated email, phone or form letter ignore response counted as 'representation'? In all my years living under this oligarchy I can't once say I have been represented. Lord knows I'm loud enough.

reply to post by sodakota


Sodakota,

I also felt the question about home ownership with or without mortgage was a bit too nosey. When this government was set up, owning your home was a condition of eligibility to vote. If they use the information to go back to the way it was, I am all for it. The folks picking up the tab should have the most to say about what we buy.

The long form has a section which divides the two surveys. If you read the sections it states only one section must be filled in and the other is optional. If you don't want to fill out, don't fill it out.

I got the short one though, made me happy.