Come to your census, or it'll come to you

Valerie Schultz
April 15, 2010

The planets must have aligned this spring, because Karl Rove and Barack Obama actually agree on something. Both men have appeared in public service ads on behalf of the United States Census Bureau . Perhaps it is because the census is truly a bipartisan issue. Or perhaps it is because every interest group wants to be certain that its particular constituents are counted. In that case, supporting the census turns out to be a completely partisan issue after all.

Technically, April 1 was Census Day. As of April 5, about 60 percent of American households had mailed back their forms. Since the job of the Census Bureau is to count every single person living in the United States, a team of census workers is now readying to knock on the door of every dwelling place from whose residents no census form was received.

If yours is still sitting on the kitchen counter, you'd best drop it in the mail immediately. Otherwise, tidy up the front room and dust off the teapot, because you're about to have company. One way or another, whether you like it or not, Uncle Sam wants to count you.

Every 10 years, since 1790, the United States has conducted an official count of its inhabitants. In spite of the staggering changes to daily life since 1790, the 10 questions that comprise the form are apparently quite similar to the ones originally asked, although to our credit, we no longer need to include a head count of our slaves.

The census is hardly an exclusively American institution. A rather famous story begins "In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered ..." (Luke 2:1). Because of the requirements of the Roman Empire's census , Jesus of Nazareth was actually born in the city of David, Bethlehem. Fortunately, we no longer need to travel many miles by donkey to the home of our forefathers to register as part of the population. All we have to do is mail back a brief form, postage paid.

The census is mandated by the U .S. Constitution, a document revered by patriotic Americans. Ignoring the census is therefore both unpatriotic and against the law. Strict confidentiality laws apply to all information provided by respondents. The final census count is used to calculate the apportionment of a state's representatives in Congress, as well as to provide the figures that dictate the distribution of government spending (more than $400 billion a year, to pay for such concrete things as schools, hospitals, roads, and programs like Medicaid).

People who are suspicious of the federal government's motivation for wanting to know anything about them, and thus do not answer the census questions, may actually be depriving their communities of representation and funds.

The final census figures are helpful in understanding the demographics of our changing population, and in projecting the future needs of our communities. Marketers and researchers also make use of census figures, which include local and statewide data on the age, race, ethnicity, geographic distribution, and sizes and make-ups of households. The first results of the census , state counts that affect redistricting, are due Dec. 31. Other figures will be gradually released through 2013.

I worked for the Census , which is part of the U .S. Department of Commerce, in 1990, two counts ago. At the time, I was the mother of three young children, and a seasonal, limited-term job was just the ticket to bring some much-needed extra funds to our household. The work -- visiting houses whose residents had not responded to the mailed form -- was mostly done in the late afternoon and early evening, when folks would be home. I also made a lot of phone calls from my home, which I think was actually a way of checking up on my co-workers' visits. It was an interesting and fairly lucrative job, made even better by the fact that it had a beginning and an end. People were mostly accommodating, although the odd sketchy character, peering from a curtained window, refused to answer the door. No one met me with a shotgun, as one CNN commentator has advocated. If nothing else, I got to know some of the more obscure streets in our area.

According to Robert Groves, the Census Bureau director, the workers who take those census jobs this year will translate into a cost to American taxpayers of $57 per household visited, as compared to the 42 cents it costs the government when a form is mailed back. Does it make sense for someone who is a vocal supporter of fewer taxes/less government to make his or her form cost $56.58 more than it should? Hence the face of Karl Rove, urging his fellow conservatives to cooperate without suspicion. Does it make sense for underprivileged folks who may rely on federal services in their community to go uncounted? Hence the face of Barack Obama, urging those on the margins of society to participate without fear.

Charged with a seemingly straightforward task nevertheless steeped in controversy, the workers for the once-a-decade census will enumerate us as accurately as possible.

If we say we love America, that love obliges us to do our civic duty, which includes voting in every election, serving on juries when summoned, and filling out our census forms. It is our responsibility as Americans to respond and to be counted.

These are the opinions of Valerie Schultz and not necessarily The Californian's.

The planets must have aligned this spring, because Karl Rove and Barack Obama actually agree on something. Both men have appeared in public service ads on behalf of the United States Census Bureau . Perhaps it is because the census is truly a bipartisan issue. Or perhaps it is because every interest group wants to be certain that its particular constituents are counted. In that case, supporting the census turns out to be a completely partisan issue after all.

Technically, April 1 was Census Day. As of April 5, about 60 percent of American households had mailed back their forms. Since the job of the Census Bureau is to count every single person living in the United States, a team of census workers is now readying to knock on the door of every dwelling place from whose residents no census form was received.

If yours is still sitting on the kitchen counter, you'd best drop it in the mail immediately. Otherwise, tidy up the front room and dust off the teapot, because you're about to have company. One way or another, whether you like it or not, Uncle Sam wants to count you.

Every 10 years, since 1790, the United States has conducted an official count of its inhabitants. In spite of the staggering changes to daily life since 1790, the 10 questions that comprise the form are apparently quite similar to the ones originally asked, although to our credit, we no longer need to include a head count of our slaves.

The census is hardly an exclusively American institution. A rather famous story begins "In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered ..." (Luke 2:1). Because of the requirements of the Roman Empire's census , Jesus of Nazareth was actually born in the city of David, Bethlehem. Fortunately, we no longer need to travel many miles by donkey to the home of our forefathers to register as part of the population. All we have to do is mail back a brief form, postage paid.

The census is mandated by the U .S. Constitution, a document revered by patriotic Americans. Ignoring the census is therefore both unpatriotic and against the law. Strict confidentiality laws apply to all information provided by respondents. The final census count is used to calculate the apportionment of a state's representatives in Congress, as well as to provide the figures that dictate the distribution of government spending (more than $400 billion a year, to pay for such concrete things as schools, hospitals, roads, and programs like Medicaid).

People who are suspicious of the federal government's motivation for wanting to know anything about them, and thus do not answer the census questions, may actually be depriving their communities of representation and funds.

The final census figures are helpful in understanding the demographics of our changing population, and in projecting the future needs of our communities. Marketers and researchers also make use of census figures, which include local and statewide data on the age, race, ethnicity, geographic distribution, and sizes and make-ups of households. The first results of the census , state counts that affect redistricting, are due Dec. 31. Other figures will be gradually released through 2013.

I worked for the Census , which is part of the U .S. Department of Commerce, in 1990, two counts ago. At the time, I was the mother of three young children, and a seasonal, limited-term job was just the ticket to bring some much-needed extra funds to our household. The work -- visiting houses whose residents had not responded to the mailed form -- was mostly done in the late afternoon and early evening, when folks would be home. I also made a lot of phone calls from my home, which I think was actually a way of checking up on my co-workers' visits. It was an interesting and fairly lucrative job, made even better by the fact that it had a beginning and an end. People were mostly accommodating, although the odd sketchy character, peering from a curtained window, refused to answer the door. No one met me with a shotgun, as one CNN commentator has advocated. If nothing else, I got to know some of the more obscure streets in our area.

According to Robert Groves, the Census Bureau director, the workers who take those census jobs this year will translate into a cost to American taxpayers of $57 per household visited, as compared to the 42 cents it costs the government when a form is mailed back. Does it make sense for someone who is a vocal supporter of fewer taxes/less government to make his or her form cost $56.58 more than it should? Hence the face of Karl Rove, urging his fellow conservatives to cooperate without suspicion. Does it make sense for underprivileged folks who may rely on federal services in their community to go uncounted? Hence the face of Barack Obama, urging those on the margins of society to participate without fear.

Charged with a seemingly straightforward task nevertheless steeped in controversy, the workers for the once-a-decade census will enumerate us as accurately as possible.

If we say we love America, that love obliges us to do our civic duty, which includes voting in every election, serving on juries when summoned, and filling out our census forms. It is our responsibility as Americans to respond and to be counted.