Posted on 09/03/2014 6:05:13 PM PDT by ROCKLOBSTER
It was just about dark, I was at the kitchen table when the dog barked, headlights were coming up my driveway. I went outside to see who it was...he was a stranger.
He announced that he was from the Census Bureau and wondered if this was a good time for a 40 minute interview. He proceeded to tell me all about the Census, how it established demographical statistics and how I was required by law to answer the questions.
I told him two people live here and we are American Citizens, and that I would tell him nothing more. He said he doesn't make the rules, the politicians do, and the Census isn't political. I replied that is was and asked him why it was now being run by the White House...he denied it.
He claimed all information is "confidential" I said, just ask the NSA, they already know everything about me, have you heard about the NSA scandal? (No.) I said, all information with the IRS is supposed to be confidential, and they are sharing it with political organizations. He said "I don't work for the IRS." I told him, "I don't care, people don't trust the federal government."
Then he told me it's all about money, and we print the money that everyone uses. I said, it is the medium of exchange, but we could use gold just as well. And it's none of your business.
He repeated that it's required by law that I answer the questions. I asked, what is going to happen am I going to jail if I don't? He said; "No, this isn't criminal, it's civil."
I asked, so you are going to file a civil suit against me if I don't comply? He said, "I didn't say that." I asked, "Well just what are you saying?"
He said, "It could cost you money" and that's all I can say." I said, "Who told you that? By what authority can you violate my right to privacy and fine me if I don't comply?" He replied, "It's federal law."
I said, "Do you know what the Constitution does?" He answered, "It authorizes the census." I told him, "It limits what the federal government can and can't do, and it doesn't say you can come on my property and cross examine me."
He said, "I work for you."
I was wild..."I've told you all I'm going to tell you, and if you claim you work for me, I'm telling you we're done." and pointed towards the road.
He left. The whole ordeal took about 30 minutes.
Has anyone here had a similar experience with a tenacious census taker? I'd say don't engage them in the yard, and for God's sake don't let them in the house.
There is a general census (2010) and then there is an ongoing “census”.
As it was explained to me, for a period of one year the Census Bureau representative assigned to a target area will contact a pre-determined group of households four times, once each quarter. I was contacted, my immediate neighbors were not. At the end of the year, another group is targeted, and so on.
Each quarter the Bureau had a different question. One quarter they asked how much was spent on fast food a month. Another quarter they asked the average monthly grocery bill. Another they asked the average electric bill. Each time they would ask if there were any changes in income and if anyone in the household was on aid or needed help getting on aid.
The first interview with no ‘special’ questions was down by the ranch gate, the remaining were by phone call. The worker had an assigned number of surveys to complete each month, so he was fine with a phonecall. The worker didn’t ask any questions Uncle wouldn’t already know from one glance at my bank records anyway, so I figure it’s just busy-work to keep some people employed.
Its not a question of law so much of a question of what the hand picked federal employees in black robes want to do.
The Law only authorized them to count your number not take 40 minutes of your time answering questions entirely unrelated to the number of people IE potential voters in the house. Frankly its none of the FEDERAL Government’s business most of what they ask you.
If I were you, id just tell them you reported your number and plead the 5th on all other questions.
I dunno...the mental image of the carcasses being savagely torn apart by the pack of dogs, themselves, kinda pleases me more.
Besides, if I did that, then they’d want *all* their food pre-minced.
;D
If you’ve never read the saga of “dogs in elk”, please do so.
http://www.jerrypournelle.com/reports/jerryp/dogsinelk.html
Horribly hilarious.
He held up an ID, but I didn't closely examine it because I thought he might clock me when I did. He gave me a name, that sounded local.
I’d say this guy was up to no good.
Very likely. A lot of small Maine towns have no police, just the County Sheriff's Department.
Tell him, “I charge $300 per hour for interviews, with one hour minimum. Give me a check for $300 dollars and we will begin.” Then put your hand out and don’t say another word. Let him mumble about not having the authorization to give you money. Turn around and close the door.
The Census Bureau does various types of more specialized surveys in off years, and businesss and farmers and other entities participate in some of them.
Did the person who said they were a census taker mention any particular type census survey they were taking?
The Census is bogus and inaccurate anyway. More than half of the people in the U.S. aren’t counted. Because often when the census taker walks up to somebody’s house, some guy with a shotgun and a big dog comes to the door and chases the census taker away. And sometimes the census taker doesn’t even get to meet the guy, because the big doggie is sitting there in the front yard waiting for him with a toothy grin on its face
And the census taker can hear the dog thinking: “Open that gate. I dare you.”
Good grief...It doesn’t have to be a scam or a thief...Small American Community surveys are done every year. Doesn’t mean you have to answer them. Just refuse. But don’t assume they are frauds or someone casing your place.
https://www.census.gov/acs/www/
casing the place is the first thing I though of...maybe hoping you’ll ask him in....I don’t trust any stranger at my door..
I do not even answer the door unless one of the Dobes is with me.
Granted, it’s been years since anyone was bold enough to knock, but once they get a glimpse of a big ass dog staring at them with suspicious, ill humor, whatever they thought they wanted suddenly seems unimportant.
If you don’t have a big dog, get one.
He asked me that, I hadn't seen one.
since when is the census being taken in 2014?
He said, “I work for you.”
You should have said “Mow my lawn, iron my shirt and make me a sammich.”
No, I don't think so, he just kept saying "census".
ROTFLOL
“Better that the NSA targets U.”
Too late, they’ve already targeted EVERYONE, including their own employees - no, wait, make that ESPECIALLY their own employees, lol.
But don’t worry, paranoid schizophrenic NSA types aren’t very dangerous - (are they?),except to themselves.
In 1980, I was a upper level census worker.
The enumerators came in every evening, complaining to me about “my people”.
[dogs, shotguns, etc]
I simply said “They are private people who do not like strangers”.
The enumerators, under the guide of the head honcho, filled out the forms themselves, rather than go back out and face the “crazy hillbillies”.
Some of Holder’s people took all their forms and threw them in trashcans after lasting less than a week on the job.
Those forms were also “filled out” by officer workers.
You have no idea *how* “incorrect” the census *really* is.
They do annual in depth surveys of several tens of thousands of people to study demographics, traffic/commuting, income sources, earnings, unemployment, household types, etc.
LOL
oh no....these desk jockey’s have created a full time empire.
They now intrude year in and year out.
Mr. self was much nicer than I’d have been.
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