Posted on 06/19/2010 12:05:09 PM PDT by Daniel T. Zanoza
RFFM.org is reporting the United States Census Bureau is making phone calls, contacting households which have already returned their 2010 census forms.
Some accused the U.S. Census Bureau of wasting taxpayer dollars when letters were sent out in advance informing every U.S. household that they would soon be receiving a census form in the mail. A week later, the forms arrived. The next week, a follow-up letter was issued which said, in essence, by now you should have received your form and sent it back to comply with federal law. It is not known how much these extra mailings cost American taxpayers.
But more taxpayer dollars may be wasted because the United State Census Bureau is contacting households--who have already returned their census surveys--to confirm information submitted on the original U.S. Census Bureau document. "I was shocked," said a central Illinois resident who requested anonymity. "I received a phone call on June 15th from a census worker who was essentially reviewing with me the information I had already mailed in. My wife and I are in our late 50's and this worker was asking me if we had any newborn children since submitting the original document. I questioned the caller why the Census Bureau was wasting taxpayer dollars with such a redundant phone call. I also became concerned that the caller might not have been connected with the Census Bureau because I know of no one who had ever received such a phone call during past or current census taking periods."
When asked, the Census worker provided this individual with a toll-free number [1-866-851-2010] to call the Census Bureau, in order to confirm the call was legitimate. The individual was also provided an eight digit case number to refer to regarding their census form.
"The very next day, June 16th, I received another phone call from a different census worker. I told him I had received a call the previous day and would not answer his questions and promptly hung up. These phone calls were a clear waste of my taxpayer dollars," said the irate central Illinois resident.
The Census Bureau has always hired workers to visit households who did not return their surveys and this procedure is still a part of the census taking process.
However, RFFM.org is not aware of any time in the past when a phone bank system has been used to contact those who have complied with federal law.
From April 25th through May 1st, 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau website http://2010.census.gov/news/releases/jobs/temp-workers.html reported 575,700 temporary workers were employed for the 12 Regional Census Centers which cover the entire U.S. The website does not provide a break down of how many of these temporary workers are participating in the phone bank system.
Some estimate these phone calls may be costing American taxpayers millions of dollars. RFFM.org is reporting possibly thousands of similiar follow-up phone calls are being made by Census Bureau employees.
The U.S. Census Bureau could not be reached for comment regarding the issue.
Yeah, I got one of those, well before the date they were asking me how many people lived in my house. What did they want? prescience?
Anyone who sent it in early.....
I’m a Realtor here in San Antonio and the other day I got a call about a listing I have that is vacant. The ‘’\census’’ taker wanted to know A. if it was really vacant and B. how long it has been vacant. My response was don’t really know and don’t really know............goodbye
That should be a good trick with your REO listings.
I know someone who is working QAQC for the census and handles escalated cases (the problem cases).
The census effort is massively disorganized. Much of the data input is being done manually and a bunch hasn’t been done—it is sitting there on paper. They really don’t know who has and who has not responded.
Entire teams are sent to a region on per diem in hotels to work for a solid week. The data input is so far behind that, in an entire week, the bureau was only able to get 3 houses to visit per census worker. So the whole crew basically sat in their hotels for a week collecting a per diem waiting for work that, for the most part, never came.
Gotta get some of that Obama stash spread around....
My sister was left with census 2010 drinking cups and census 2010 t-shirts on her front porch. The dogs enjoy wearing their new t-shirts.
Census drinking cups? WTF?
bump
My sister was left with census 2010 drinking cups and census 2010 t-shirts on her front porch. The dogs enjoy wearing their new t-shirts.
Census drinking cups? WTF?
I’ve received a dozen or so calls from them myself. Talking to them doesn’t make them stop. Its harrassment.
It is like a game. How can we waste more of the taxpayer’s money?
Figure postage plus printing plus materials to about 100 million households and you come up with about $150-$200 million per mailing.
They are also FEDEXing people who they can’t contact.
I would have guessed it was because of the contractors — I don’t recall whether ACORN was banned or not, but my recollection is that contractors were not used in prior censuses.
They’re certainly disorganized. They lost my whole apartment buildings mailed-in census responses and sent someone out to retake them.
“I would have guessed it was because of the contractors — I don’t recall whether ACORN was banned or not, but my recollection is that contractors were not used in prior censuses.”
I can’t speak for any other Census office but the one I work with. The only contractors doing work for us are the tribes on the local reservations. The rest of the work is done by temporary Census Bureau people. We had some “partnerships” to promote recruitment to work for the Census, but those ended a couple months ago. All they did was provide a place to hold the meetings to get people to sign up for the tests. Those same meetings were where the Census swag (Tshirts and cups and stuff) was given out, also.
This year, I read that many state and city governments encouraged their residents to fill out census forms because the federal government gives money to other governments, based upon the populations, of the states, counties, and cities. I think that spending should be eliminated because it’s inefficient and unconstitutional.
Federal tax money, that is earned in Illinois (my state), is sent to Washington, DC, and the federal government sends some money to the government of Illinois and the majority of county and city governments, in Illinois. Some tax money, that is sent, from Illinois to Washington, DC, is sent to many other state, county, and city governments, although many Illinois residents will never go to those places and benefit from that spending. The U.S. Constitution lists, in Article I, Section 8, all of Congress’ powers, and it doesn’t state that Congress may give money to state, county, or city governments. Therefore, that spending is unconstitutional.
This year, the U.S. government will spend about $3.6 trillion, including $652 billion (18% of the budget) to state and local governments. I hope that Congress will pass and that President Obama will sign a law that will eliminate that spending and will cut all federal income tax rates by 18%, since the federal government would need less money. After that happens, each state, county, and city government could change their tax rates, to ensure that they receive enough money. If you agree that our president and Congress should obey the Constitution, please contact them about my suggestion.
We were called too, and the worker on the other end of the call verified each and every response on the form ~ he had the stupid thing right in front of him. We have also been visited in person (the workers were on foot and a male/female team canvassing the neighborhood). Talk about a waste of money...
This is harassment, and it’s NOT okay.
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