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Is it a fact that census takers have asked people for information on their neighbors? How slipshod can they get?
While you might be compelled to answer the census questions there is nothing that says you cannot provide vague or inaccurate answers ...like how are they really going to check. My wife may have distant Native American ancestry... so certainly that would be important to report her race as Native American. One can never be too sure of all your ancestry so perhaps my race is mixed. Having worked on the 2000 census as a program manager I can tell you that the data collected by these census workers is mostly junk anyway.
The wording states “ if a person refuses to answer “any” of the questions, It does not say “all” of the questions.
I will only answer the very basic.
The problem is the census clause in the Constitution, which provides Congress with some wiggle room. They have to conduct an ‘enumeration,’ but it’s to be done, ‘in such manner as they shall by law direct.’ Congress has subsequently directed that they will ask additional questions, so there are relevant statutes on the books. If think you’re instinctively right, by the plain meaning of the Constitution, but the Courts have a way of interpreting the Constitution to mean all sorts of things that it clearly does not, and failure to comply will mean fines, etc. Personally, I think it’s worth the risk...it may give you standing to challenge it in court, but everyone should be aware of what they’re getting into - a potential protracted fight with the Census Bureau and ultimately the Congress.
Do you have any information about people REALLY being fined for not answering questions not directly related to the number of people?
Is not cooperating with them a crime? Does it impact one’s qualifications to own firearms?