Posted on 03/15/2010 9:00:53 AM PDT by onona
A decennial tradition that dates back 220 years to the days of George Washington continues today when federal census forms start arriving at more than 120 million households across the United States.
But hanging over this 23rd U.S. census are concerns about a decline in participation.
While the U.S. census has always evoked some resentment toward the feds for poking their nose into people's business, there's a sense that America's distrust of the government has reached greater heights and could contribute to poor census returns.
(Excerpt) Read more at buffalonews.com ...
“sampling” has been ruled unconstitutional by the supreme court already.
They must count actual people.
“Negro, Jewish, Woman, Financially Challenged, Registered Democrat, with 10 kids.”
That’s how I’ll be answeering this census.
Sign Reads, “Dog has rabies, Enter at your own risk!”
If you were a person of color than..you wouldnt get one to pitch. You would have been property. Your owner would get it and fill in which would include you.
Better write MYOB in black marker on all the other questions, or the ACORN worker will fill in fake answers. And scan it for proof if they start with a new form.
I’ll answer what they need to know. If they start asking about the toilet capacity, however...
Actually, our little city enforces a local ordinance that controls door-to-door solicitations. They even provide stickers that one can place on their entry doors or a nearby window, specifically stating “NO SOLICITATIONS ALLOWED”. And even should the solicitor have a license issued by the city, they still cannot solicit any residence showing that sticker.
He, he. Let ‘em come.
Its no big deal, really.
Put your efforts and energy into trying to get rid of the unsurper, not in something they have been doing for years.
There is nothing wrong with the questions I have seen on ANY census forms of the past..nor is there anything wrong with what they are asking for, now.
I dont think those little signs count when its a reprsentative of the federal government.
I wasn't referring to back in 1810, I meant today. If I were a person of color today, and were planning to answer those questions asked since the first census, I'd be legally in my right to pitch the census form because it wouldn't pertain to me. I wouldn't be white, and I wouldn't be a slave (well, except to the Federal Government, perhaps...).
I'm sure you are sensing that for most commenters on this thread, their distrust and dislike (to put it mildly) of the government trumps genealogy concerns.
“There is nothing wrong with the questions I have seen on ANY census forms of the past.....”
You obviously didn’t receive the long form in the year 2000!
My .357 counts... Am I getting through to you now?
Those in blue states should mail their forms to random freepers in red states!
From Article 1, Section 2 of the constitution:
Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.
Here are some examples of how “in such Manner as they shall by Law direct”:
Questions on the 1790 census:
* The number of free White males aged:
o under 16 years
o of 16 years and upward
* Number of free White females
* Number of other free persons
* Number of slaves
Questions on the 1800 Census
* The number of free White males and females aged, respectively:
o under 10 years of age
o of 10 years but under 16 years
o of 16 years but under 26 years
o of 26 years but under 45 years
o 45 years and upward
* Number of all other free persons
* Number of slaves
Questions on the 1820
* The number of free White males and females aged, respectively:
o under 10 years of age
o of 10 years but under 16 years
o of 16 years but under 18 years (for males)
o of 18 years but under 26 years (for males)
o of 16 years but under 26 years (for females)
o of 26 years but under 45 years
o 45 years and upward
* The number of male and female slaves aged, respectively:
o under 14 years of age
o of 14 years but under 26 years
o of 26 years but under 45 years
o 45 years and upwards
* The number of free colored males and females aged, respectively:
o under 14 years of age
o of 14 years but under 26 years
o of 26 years but under 45 years
o 45 years and upwards
* Number of foreigners not naturalized
* Number of persons (including slaves) engaged in agriculture, commerce, and manufactures
1850
Schedule No. 1 - Free Inhabitants
Listed by column number, enumerators recorded the following information:
1. Number of dwelling house (in order visited)
2. Number of family (in order visited)
3. Name
4. Age
5. Sex
6. Color
This column was to be left blank if a person was White, marked “B” if a person was Black, and marked “M” if a person was Mulatto.
7. Profession, occupation, or trade of each person over 15 years of age
8. Value of real estate owned by person
9. Place of Birth
If a person was born in the United States, the enumerator was to enter the state they were born in. If the person was born outside of the United States, the enumerator was to enter their native country.
10. Was the person married within the last year?
11. Was the person at school within the last year?
12. If this person was over 20 years of age, could they not read and write?
13. Is the person “deaf, dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict?”
Schedule No. 2 - Slave Inhabitants
Slaves were listed by owner, not individually. Listed by column number, enumerators recorded the following information:
1. Name of owner
2. Number of slave
Each owner’s slave was only assigned a number, not a name. Numbering restarted with each new owner
3. Age
4. Sex
5. Color
This column was to be marked with a “B” if the slave was Black and an “M” if they were Mulatto.
6. Listed in the same row as the owner, the number of uncaught escaped slaves in the past year
7. Listed in the same row as the owner, the number of slaves freed from bondage in the past year
8. Is the slave “deaf and dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic?”
Hispanic is not a race either....nor is Pacific Islander, not any of the myriad other “races” they “allow”.
As a point of related discussion...
It looks like a lot of those temporary Census workers the Guvment picked up last month will be very temporary...
It seems that many Census workers either outright refuse to go door to door in certain neighborhoods, and/or lack the language skills needed to interview people in those neighborhoods. We are talking about everything from Jive to Vietnamese, Somali, Spanish, Russian, or what have you.
Fox News was discussing this today on the morning show, and I suspect we will be hearing a lot more about this before the week is out...
Thats' funny, but the word "genealogist" doesn't appear in my copy of the Constitution. Maybe my copy is broken. Weird.
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