‘I nicked the census man.’ ‘There’s a good boy.’
We’re starting to see some worry that anti-Washington sentiment may be hurting conservative states in the census. This from the Houston Chronicle:
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….
Contrary to historical trends, some of the toughest challenges facing the agency responsible for measuring the nation’s population are not from counting the traditionally undercounted groups such as African-Americans and Latinos. Instead, a new and growing threat to an accurate national head count is coming from anti-government conservatives who may not fill out their forms to protest against “Big Brother” in Washington.
“There’s a general distrust of the federal government at every level, starting with Congress and the president, all the way down to executive branch agencies,” says Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland.
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210 comments Add your comment
Lulu
March 29th, 2010
10:53 pm
PS and if you think that an unfair accusation may I remind you I’ve already received a “threatening” form letter saying the law insists I respond. Or maybe everyone got such a letter. If so how much did that mail out cost the tax payers? Every US citizen knows that already.
upeoplernutz
March 29th, 2010
11:07 pm
Tea partiers and right wingnuts, don’t let the doorknob hit you in the backside on your way out. Try making it in any other country where tax rates are higher (because they help take care of their country) or the country is considered third world.
I find it fascinating that everyone wants decent roads, bridges, healthcare, education, etc. yet they are not willing to pay one dime for any of it. What do you think there is, a give-me-all-I-want-for-free fairy? Quit being so whiney and do your part. BTW, I’ve been fortunate to never have been unemployed in my life. I make a decent living and hold a masters degree. So don’t start with all the garbage about how the only people who agree with the U.S. government must be freeloaders. I pay more in taxes in a year than some of you make I’ll bet, and I’m happy to do it. By doing so I can work to keep my freedoms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
upeoplernutz
March 29th, 2010
11:24 pm
I like pigs. I REALLY like pigs!
PeterPunkinEater
March 29th, 2010
11:48 pm
@blackbird13
You just struck at the very HEART of this uprising in angry White folk. The crux of the entire deal with Obama being President, health care and immigration is that the (racist and insecure) Whites have come to the realization that this country has changed demographically. They have a grave fear that they are actually in the minority when you stack the sheer numbers of non-White bodies to White bodies.. and it is F’g them up in the heads. They cannot take it. This is why they are losing their minds because their system of White supremacy is threatened.
You can say what you want, that IS what it is. And people need to start being honest about it. But I wouldn’t expect anything different. Honest discourse is not one of the United States’ strong suits.
slick
March 29th, 2010
11:51 pm
this is hilarious. i don’t believe the houston chronicle. the only fact is that 7% less forms than “expected” have been returned in Texas up to this point. Texas is huge. i filled my census out the day i got it to get it over with and so i wouldn’t misplace it. do you really think that the 7% are white conservatives? it’s 1 bit pure speculation and 2 bits wishful thinking. now if there is national data that can prove this, show me. but to think that Texas conservatives would be less likely to fill out the census than georgia, new york, or any other state conservatives just doesn’t jive? truth is i remember the when the numbers didn’t meet expectations, so guesstimation was allowed. i’d bet that 90% of the 7% are illegal aliens of which Texas has the second largest number next to California. i’ll also bet that by the time this winds down that the gov’t party line will be, the census does not reflect an accurate count because minorities and illegals feel threatened to fill it out. so we have to guesstimate their numbers for accuracy and proper representation. this is a fact. no matter your political viewpoint, to think a mail in census will yield a proper headcount is naive. i do know this fact. part of the census is contrived to inflate Post Office mail numbers. i rec’d a letter telling me the census would be mailed, then the census arrived less than a week later, then another letter telling me my census had been mailed, then i mailed the census back. i’m now waiting on the letter either to remind me to return the census or the one thanking me. so we have 2.50$ just on me that’s been spent so far just in postage. hope these same people run healthcare.
alienmindtrick
March 29th, 2010
11:59 pm
I agree wholeheartedly with upeoplernutz. I have an MA, I’m self-employed, spent 13 years in the US Army, have never been unemployed, have never been on the dole, I pay my taxes and I pay a lot more than most of the tea partiers make in a year. I’m trying to figure out who these people are. Have they never been abroad and seen what paying a bit more in taxes gets you? Decent roads and infrastructure, healthcare, education (as upeoplernutz states) and when you go to a public office such as DMV, they can actually do bureaucratic math: 6 tellers for 6 windows, no (or very little) waiting. The inefficiencies the tea partiers and other right wing nuts talk about are nothing compared to the time we waste having to wait in line at understaffed government offices as well as the money we waste getting alignments and replacing tires and shocks worn out on our cars from potholes in our highways. Our national parks are crumbling and they talk about user fees to cover them and I say fine as long as I get my part back from their wildlife management fees and the salaries of game wardens. When you start slicing the budget that fine, you’re always going to find waste, but you try t o minimize it and move on, not react by slashing budgets and spiting your own self.
Frank O
March 30th, 2010
1:05 am
My guess is that very few of the Right Wingers have even read the Constitution, much less understand it fully. I spent 20 years of my life in the military service (the majority of it overseas) defending it and your rights under its provisions.
Judging by all the False political emails being sent by Right Wingers, I cannot see how they have a truthful grasp on how life in this world operates. We buy them books and send them to school, but they are just too hard-headed to learn.
The really sad thing is that they are allowed to vote.
The bright light is that perhaps they will not mail in their COMPLETED census form and lose their voting right (their Representative in our Republic).
sleestak
March 30th, 2010
6:05 am
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
so, that means you idiots that in most blue states 66% didn’t return their form either.
But, when a D.F liberal/totalitarians see the word texas the just lose all comprehension.
Used to be Disgusted
March 30th, 2010
9:15 am
It’s amazing to read how much republicans hate America. Instead of acting for “country first,” they spew venom and, frankly, sound traitorous. Why do right-wingers hate America?
slick
March 30th, 2010
9:34 am
go to chron.com. they have a map with return percentages. they even try to lie about the results. highest return rate is from upscale neighborhoods and suburbs with the lowest being high concentration low income apartment areas. the most consistent rate of return is from areas where the concentration of home ownership is the highest regardless of race. the results are way to premature. they have the city broken down into such small areas that a handful of new forms will make the % move quickly. just like the New York Times best seller list.
Flora Bunda
March 30th, 2010
9:49 am
Unfortunately our government has sold our Personal Identifying Information (PII) obtained from the census to private data brokers such a Acxiom., Lexis/Nexis, Choicepoint, etc.These government contractors are supposed to keep the PII confidential,l and only use if for their database connections to law enforcement and homeland security. These same businesses, ironically, also have direct marketing services and ties to data brokers who sell your PII to anyone that wants it. This has been going on for years.
Aaron Burr V. Mexico
March 30th, 2010
10:10 am
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer group of trogledyte ghouls.
Oh and please do Succeed from the union. This time, when the south leaves, we’ll apply BUSH rules of warfare rather than the Geneva convention and ship every rebel to work farms in Guantanamo to live in Tent Cities.
No more southern senators saying, “Get your hand out of my pocket!”
This time there will be no mercy.
DT
March 30th, 2010
12:16 pm
So SAD…..
ieee
March 30th, 2010
12:18 pm
As a person listed on one of our country’s glorious, panacea SEX OFFENDER REGISTRIES, I will not be completing the census. No one wants me around, F them if they think I’ll contribute to anything. The retroactive punishment and harassment of the SEX OFFENDER laws is illegal, immoral, counterproductive, anti-factual, idiotic, anti-religious, and as un-American as you can get. F anyone who supports the un-American laws.
Ron
March 30th, 2010
12:20 pm
I answered the number of people in our house, the names of the people and for race I checked “other”, I am an American, damn proud of it. If we are going to get past skin color as race then by golly we have to get past race. What does it matter my race? Does one or the other get different representation? I also took the liberty to not answer whether I lived in a mobile home, house or apartment. What does that matter?
C-King Truth
March 30th, 2010
12:22 pm
The right also believed Bush was a great president. Go uncounted and unrepresented. Meanwhile Texas will be the Brownest state in the Union. Ha ha.
Chris
March 30th, 2010
12:22 pm
queerthecensus.org gays have no representation on the census as gay marriage is not recognized by the govt and if you live in a multirace home please be sure # 1 person is the minority or they will not be counted if person # 1 is white that cancels the minority listed as # 2
Why do the really want my phone number? Why do they need to know if I own or rent? Really … is not all that they need to know is how many of what color and sex live at an address most of the time.
G.
March 30th, 2010
12:22 pm
Republicans and Tea Baggers shopping in Walmart buying communist products made in CHINA pricelest…..
Cletus Dooley Earnhardt SR.
March 30th, 2010
12:25 pm
Im glad the gre8t Americaan Glenn Beck told me to tear up my Cennsis form beecuze I did not kno how to say my wife and my sisster are the same person!
Hey brown peeeple, stop asking for haaandouts and triiying to steeel my wealth!!!
Go Dawgs!
OLD CONSERATIVE HERE
March 30th, 2010
12:25 pm
Ok ok. I have done three of these. It has not changed one bit. Fill the form out so you have the correct representation in the house and senate. There is nothing on those forms that have not been on the forms in the past. In fact they are very similar. Fill the things out and then go use your vote to make the difference. The census however is how its always been. People who dont fill them out are only hurting your state. MAIL THE FORM.
shaggy
March 30th, 2010
12:26 pm
I am VERY sick and tired of the Lib/Con crap. I am going to work to vote both of you out, and keep you out. Both parties are corrupt, broken shadows of what they were founded for in the first place. None of them care anything about you, the citizen. All they care about is getting reelected, so they can culture their power and line their pockets. Go Libertarian and NEVER look back.
Ron
March 30th, 2010
12:28 pm
Why in the world does the census need to know race?
Logical Dude
March 30th, 2010
12:30 pm
I know! I know! Convervatives are not filling it out because they ALREADY got a “census” form from the Republican National Committee. After sending in money for that, they now won’t fill out another one because they found out the money went to swanky hotels and questionable entertainment.
bc
March 30th, 2010
12:31 pm
I would be happy to fill it out if the Morons would send it to me.
bufordmom
March 30th, 2010
12:31 pm
On the census, I filled out how many people live in our house, our names, and ages. I didn’t check our ethnicity. As far as I’m concerned, I’m an American. What else is there to know? As for the “American Community Survey”, yeah, that sucker got tossed in the trash.
Die Hard Dem
March 30th, 2010
12:31 pm
These morons. I can see it now:
Conservastiffs refused to fill out their forms or answer door-to-door calls. Then when it’s time for them to actually receive the funding, they don’t. There will be even more frothing mouths, even more venom, even more hatred and nothing short of wild, rabid animals taking to the streets, rioting and causing mayhem.
At this point, I’m ready to give them a state in our country that they can try to govern for themselves. How about Alaska? There’s plenty of land up there and it’s the home state of their beauty queen idol. Then once they’ve become over-populated from teaching only abstinence and banning abortions, have a high suicide rate from self-hating homosexuals who are treated like diseases, have destroyed the environment because they have no standards to prevent that imaginary global warming thing-y and have run out of land from building too many churches, maybe then they’ll see how great they really had it here.
Morons. They have finally shown their true colors, and I say we vote every last one of the Repukes out of office.
flagboy?
March 30th, 2010
12:33 pm
“Instead, a new and growing threat to an accurate national head count is coming from anti-government conservatives who may not fill out their forms to protest against “Big Brother” in Washington.”
_________________________________
So, is this a story or not? Is there a push by conservatives to not fill out forms OR is this all speculation? The phrase “who may not fill out forms” really leaves a lot to be desired on the journalism side of this story/nonstory.
You people don't get it...
March 30th, 2010
12:34 pm
I kind of think the under representation is a GOOD thing. Less morons in Washington trying to tell me what I should and should not be doing. And judging by some of the commenters on this forum, this country is in serious trouble anyway. And Democrats and Republicans are both scum bags. Quit blaming the other group, you both suck equally.
abc
March 30th, 2010
12:35 pm
Ron and you other tards: We are just trying to count and enumerate a few things about our country. Is it a problem if our country has a good, accurate count of the various races within it, who lives in what type of housing, or anything else? You got something against knowledge? I fully expect plenty of useful, meaningful things can be done with that knowledge. Quit whining.
Katie
March 30th, 2010
12:35 pm
This trend is very sad as well as disturbing. There is an entire segment of our population that is so un-informed (or should I say ill-informed?) they have reached an absurd level of paranoia. Actions like these show how narcissistic people on the far right are – they care only about themselves, their values and their money and could give one crap about the rest of their fellow citizens.
Great to be in ATL
March 30th, 2010
12:38 pm
Anyone else here wish the comments weren’t full of racist closed mindedness?
Try making a post that doesn’t directly insult a group or other post and it might garner some attention.
Otherwise it will look like you grew up in College Park. (See what I did there?)
Right-winger
March 30th, 2010
12:38 pm
You people have a lot of nerve talking about conservatives ignoring the Constitution when your own president (notice I said “your”…not “my” president) has totally ignored it and wants to do away with it totally. He has refused to show that he is even in the country legally, and his minions and high priced lawyers are helping him hide anything that might prove who/what he REALLY is.
Ron Mexico
March 30th, 2010
12:39 pm
Well said Shaggy and You people don’t get it! Good god, its like watching little kids argue over who gets to play with the ball. Republicans and Democrats are all worthless lying pieces of trash. WAKE UP!
yeah c'mone
March 30th, 2010
12:39 pm
For all you H1N1 NUTS, please google SQUALENE!
Everything is Bigger and Better in Tejas.
March 30th, 2010
12:40 pm
Texas is their own country.
US CITIZEN
March 30th, 2010
12:40 pm
WOW! CAN YOU IMAGINE THOSE ANTI GOVT. IDIOTS BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR… LETS SAY 10 CONGRESSIONAL SEATS, A HUGE DECREASE (PROBABLY NEEDED ANYWAY)IN HIGHWAY FUNDING, FORRESTRY FUNDING, PARKS AND RECREATION FUNDING THAT TEXAS NOW RECEIVE FRO BIG BROTHER.ON TOP OF THAT, FARM AND OIL SUBSIDIES HALTED I WOULD SAY A LARGE PART OF THE TEXAS ECONOMY. WHO WILL THAT EXTREME RIGHT WING BLAME THEN? ” BIG BROTHER”?
Everything is Bigger and Better in Tejas.
March 30th, 2010
12:41 pm
We don’t need no stinkin H1N1 thingy!
ButlerDawg
March 30th, 2010
12:44 pm
There you go, blackbird13. Go ahead and make this a racial issue. You can’t have an intelligent conversation so you have to pull “the card.”
Patrick
March 30th, 2010
12:45 pm
@Slick
Be careful. Soon your considered and thoughtful use of your brain will be rationed.
I readily admit I’m conservative, but I do desire less hateful dialogue. There is plenty of prejudice on both sides of the aisle. Anyone who readily digests the rhetoric of either extreme be it leftist or rightist will necessarily forego any serious thought of their own.
If someone spews hateful, slanted opinions, call them on it whether you in general agree with them or not. Please rise above the vulgar masses and be considerate of your fellow citizens. Be the better man or woman.
good grief
March 30th, 2010
12:45 pm
Katie the exact same thing can be said about the far left.
US CITIZEN
March 30th, 2010
12:45 pm
RIGHT WINGER… YOU SHOW US ALL WHO HE REALLY IS, OR CAN YOU? THE LAST TIME I CHECKED THE BURDEN OF PROOF IS ON THE PROSECUTION. SO SHUT YOUR PIE TRAP UP OR PUT YOUR CARDS ON THE TABLE. BELIEVE ME IF THOSE ANTI GOVT. ZEALOUTS HAD PROOF HE WAS NOT A US CITIZEN, DONT YOU THINK IT WOULD BE KNOWN BY NOW.. YOUR SUCH A NARROW MINDED IDIOT. BE A LEADER AND NOT A FOLLOWER…. SHOW US REAL PROOF OR JUST SHUT UP!
Everything is Bigger and Better in Tejas.
March 30th, 2010
12:46 pm
Under the race question 9, their ain’t no box to mark for TEXAN. I am sick of these people!
Aaron Burr V. Mexico
March 30th, 2010
12:48 pm
Right Winger, Obama has obeyed the constitution.
“Who he really is” means you’re a birther.
Which probably also means you want the south to leave the US.
That’s awesome.
Only this time the North has Nukes. We can leave it a cratering cinder of radioactivity.
atl12345
March 30th, 2010
12:48 pm
The US Census Bureau is 100% pure government waste!
Please tell me why we need a census in the first place??
Yes, the constitution requires a count of people every 10 years. Why could they simply not use your tax refund and welfare roles to count people? The US government already has ALL OF THE DATA that the US Census is trying to capture, yet, they have created yet another wasteful government entity. Unbelievable!
Everything is Bigger and Better in Tejas.
March 30th, 2010
12:49 pm
What is Flipino mean?
US CITIZEN
March 30th, 2010
12:49 pm
@ GREAT TO BE.. YOU’RE RIGHT. PEOPLE ARE SO FULL OF HATE AND LOW OR NO SELF ESTEEM I SAY TO THEM LOOK IN THE MIRROR, THATS WHERE THEIR PROBLEMS LIE. ALWAYS A BLAME GAME FOR THEM.
Wake up Liberals
March 30th, 2010
12:49 pm
PeterPunkinEater: You are an idiot! You sound like a racist yourself. So it’s all about Black minority power now? Give me a break.
You liberals better wake up but your too stupid to realize what’s going on in America. Now that we have a black President, anyone who diagrees with his socialist ways is automatically a racist. It just amazes me of the double standard in this world. I have nothing against any minority period but when race is used over and over again, it deminishes it’s valid merritt. Anyone who is for America loosing its freedom and being controlled by the government, they are a racist. What a joke!
Why did it take so long to get healthcare passsed? because back room deals and arm twisting were needed to get it done. I feel sorry for the younger generation. Because America is being torn apart by lies, lies and more lies.
tim
March 30th, 2010
12:49 pm
The “traditional undercounted groups” all look alike anyway so just count them as 2.
bad gov't
March 30th, 2010
12:50 pm
Texas can remove itself from the union and be sovereign according to its original charter into statehood. I say all normal people who hate this current regime move there. Let’s start a new country.
When did the census become about entitlements to minorities? It is about representation. Their interest groups are making up statistics and groups like ACORN are cashing in(and don’t come back with that ACORN is no longer; It is-just under a new name).
t
March 30th, 2010
12:51 pm
The census became a joke when the one of the first actions taken by the President was to have the White House’s hand involved in the census. The census is supposed to be a count of the people by a non-partisan entity. So by hiring ACORN workers to help with the census, and for them to have control over the census, they are essentially trying to set up themselves to never lose another election again. That is why people are against, not because of some paranoia, or stupidity. The pure stupidity comes from all of you who don’t understand what is going. Half of you probably voted for Obama because it was “the cool thing to do”. The other half probably did because you thought he would give you a car. This Congress and White House are doing everything that they possibly can to destroy our nation for one simple reason, they don’t like it. All they like is power and by controlling the census, they are attempting to ensure power for years to come.