Posted on 04/09/2008 2:45:22 PM PDT by Graybeard58
The Constitution requires an enumeration of the U.S. population every 10 years, giving the government another built-in excuse to gouge taxpayers every 10 years. They coughed up $2.2 billion for the 1990 census, and had costs kept pace with inflation, they would have paid $3.5 billion for the 2000 census.
Alas, this is the federal government, for which "behind schedule" and "over budget" are part of everything it does. Naturally, the 2000 canvass cost almost $6.5 billion.
At the present rate of inflation, the 2010 Census should cost $8.4 billion, but the initial estimate was $11 billion and the Bush administration has been working overtime to make it more expensive. The centerpiece of its "modernization" was 500,000 wireless, hand-held computers with global-positioning software to record data from the millions of Americans who do not return their census forms. The $600 million contract for the computers, taxpayers were assured, would save them money while producing the most accurate and "first truly high-tech count" in history.
You know where this is going. The computers turned out to be too complex for Census Bureau employees to use and could not transmit large amounts of data, making them worthless to field workers. The government now will buy only about a third as many computers, but the cost has ballooned to $1.3 billion, and the bureau will have to hire and train 600,000 temporary workers to do the canvassing with paper and pencil.
The latest projected cost of the 2010 census? $14.5 billion, a whopping $12.3 billion more than 1990. And the number of people fired over this scandal? Zero. As always, your tax dollars at work.
Ping to a Republican-American Editorial.
If you want on or off this list, let me know.
600,000 new jobs!
No doubt how it will be spun.
That’s coming to about $45 per person just to count them?
Can anyone check my rough math here?
Yer pretty darned close.
Why is it that a conservative journal knows about constitutional census requirements relating to taxes on one hand, but doesn't seem to understand how the Constitution restricts the spending of taxpayer's money?
I'm adding the Waterbury RepublicanAmerican to the growing list of organizations, many of them news agencies, that aren't doing their jobs to informs us of broader constitutional problems with respect to the information that they are passing along. This is evidently because they don't really know the Constitution and its history.
APThis post (<-click), while addressing a tax-related thread, explains in more detail why federal politicians are in contempt of the Constitution where constitutionally unauthorized federal spending is concerned.
Herald Sun
U.S.News
Patriot Post
Washington Post
Heritage Foundation
Wikipedia
Star-Tribune (Minnesota)
Reuters
Social Security
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The Oregonian
The New England Journal of Medicine
Gunlaws.com
BerkshireEagle.com
Fox News
Alliance Defense Fund
FrontPage Magazine
LifeNews.Com
Waterbury RepublicanAmerican
The bottom line is that the people need to wise up to the major problem that the federal government is not operating within the restraints of the federal Constitution, particularly where taxation and spending are concerned. Given that nobody wants to pay more taxes than they have to, the people need to quit sitting on their hands and vote big-shot federal spenders out of DC.
It would not be so costly if they would stick to the original mandate and just count people. It’s all those other ridiculous questions that make it complicated and expensive.
Ask Visa or Master Card for the data...they know where everyone is ... even the Illegals (Twilight Residents) I’ll bet.
Pardon the vanity Question, but on the subject of the Census, I have received the ACS questionaire that requires “under Penalty of Law” that I fill it out and return it. Many of the questions are none of their business (how much I earn, how far I drive to work, are but two). Has anyone received this? Any thoughts or comments on this ACS survey?
I ran a credit check on myself and they know (according to the questions I received), Exactly where I’ve lived, what cars I’ve owned, (even when cash was paid) and the birthdates of my relatives. I think it would be safe to ascertain they know alot more.
I hate government overspending as much as anyone, but I have to say being a census worker was a blast. I met some great people and loved being outside all day.
However, I don't think your efforts cost much more than 50 cents for every person you counted. Where do the feds plan to spend another $44.50 per person counted?
Does the Waterbury Republican-American ever have a bad editorial? I agree with them 100%.
Please add me to your ping list. Thanks.
You have been added.
Thanks.
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