Posted on 03/27/2010 8:10:53 AM PDT by deport
WASHINGTON — Texas is counting on the 2010 Census to deliver four new congressional districts, four new Electoral College votes in presidential elections, and millions of dollars in additional federal aid. But, as some elected officials are starting to worry, Uncle Sam can't deliver anything to the rapidly growing Sun Belt state unless Texas residents deliver their forms back to the government.
As of Friday afternoon, only 27 percent of Texas households had filled in and returned their census forms — well below the national average of 34 percent — according to computer data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In Harris County, the response rate is 23 percent. Houston's returns are running at 21 percent. ........
Polling by the Pew Research Center finds Democrats are more likely than other Americans to view the census as “very important” to the country. Seventy-six percent of Democrats call this year's count very important, compared with 61 percent of Republicans and independents.
In Texas, some of the counties with the lowest census return rates are among the state's most Republican, including Briscoe County in the Panhandle, 8 percent; King County, near Lubbock, 5 percent; Culberson County, near El Paso, 11 percent; and Newton County, in deep East Texas, 18 percent. Most other counties near the bottom of the list are heavily Hispanic counties along the Texas-Mexico border. .....
“People are concerned about the apparent intrusive nature of the census,” said Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble. “People are very concerned that the government is going too far.” ........
But Texas can only get those seats, and the congressional clout that comes with it, if Texans stand up to be counted. Any conservative revolt would only reduce the representation in conservative areas of the state, .........
end snips
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Proof that most people in Texas understand that when the form asks for data as of April 1 they have to wait until April 1 to return the form.
Mine is licked and sealed waiting the day of the fools before it goes into the mail drop.
Reckon the border inhabitants are waiting for fools day also?
My form asks “how many people “were” living at my residence as of April 1, 2010?” Is it just me or it it still March? I would be lying if I told them how many “were” living here on a date that hasn’t occurred yet. We could take in some illegal workers, or my kids could all move home, or my house could be foreclosed on or burn down...who knows? So what’s the big deal about slow response if the date they want to know about, hasn’t even occurred yet? Besides that, I can’t find a date that says when it actually is due. By the way, I thought we were a post-racial society and race was irrelevant, so do I have really have to answer that race question? It just feels so racist to me.
the gubmint will conveniently replace the missing percentages of Texans with illegal alien population figures
True, filling out the form now would constitute attesting to facts not in existence, a "pre-crime", the fastest growing category of crime in Kafkamerica.
‘My census form has been sitting on my kitchen counter for two weeks.’
Same here.
I wonder what they will do if the response rate isn’t what they think it should be. You reckon they’ll go into forecasting/interpolation mode and use that process for the census numbers?
It wouldn’t be an issue it it only asked how many adults and how many children in the home. Unfortunately the parties want to use it to extrapolate how many democrats vs how many republicans and God knows how many other things.
I like the idea of AMERICAN NATIVE. Now if I could get my 81 year old mother off my back about mailing it in. I’m still mulling that over.
I left blank everything but the number of people in my household.
The low response is due to the fact the Census asks how many people live in your house as of April 1, 2010. Well, DUH!
We ain't there yet.
:-)
Just sent mine in this week..on the race question I replied Native Texan.
I found it interesting in looking at the Texas data that places you’d think would be high democratic voters are also lagging behind. Counties along the Rio Grande, cities like Houston, etc. should they really participate in large numbers could really screw up the redistricting in Texas to some degree if the rural areas lag. Our current state house is 77-73 GOP and with some large numbers in heavy dem areas we could see a change. Our State Senate seems safe at 19-11 GOP.
There’s something bizarre about being told that X% have or have not returned census forms. Isn’t the objective of the census to find out what the population IS? If so, how do they know what 23% is of? What numbers are they using? And if they have numbers they are comfortable with, why bother to push the census?
At the end, after sending out the forms, then browbeating to get them in, they end up pushing to make the numbers based on some guestimate anyway.
Are the census forms mailed out in spanish too?
27 percent of Texas households are inhabited by liars. Nice of them to reveal their pre-criminal natures by responding to the Surveillance State's pre-crime trap. Enforcement efforts are much easier this way.
I’m with you!
They have Newton Co. listed as Republican? LOL!!!
Yeah I found that Detroit is also at around 34%.
Are you supposedly required to fill out the rest?, will they come to your door and harrass you if you dont?
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