By John W. Lillpop
Participating in the once- in-a- decade invasion of my privacy known as the census has always been a source of chaffing irritation. The questions are intrusive, stupid, and, frankly, none of the government's damn business.
What is my income? Am I married? My age? How many dependents?
Good grief, I file an IRS return every April and from that return one can determine my income, marital status, number of dependents, home ownership status and on and on, and on. Why bother me every ten years with a long list of stupid questions that Uncle Sam already has the answers to?
Even more distressing is the politicization of the census.
Case in point: In one of the most incredible instances of bureaucratic bumbling in our history, the US Census Bureau requested that deportation of illegal aliens be suspended during the 2010 census.
As reported at the link below, in part:
http://papastraighttalk.blogspot.com/2007/08/census-bureau-cancels-deportation-in.html
"WASHINGTON - The Census Bureau wants immigration agents to suspend enforcement raids during the 2010 census so the government can better count illegal immigrants.
"Raids during the population count would make an already distrustful group even less likely to cooperate with government workers who are supposed to include them, the Census Bureau's second-ranking official said in an Associated Press interview."
Imagine what framers of the Constitution would think of a government so warped and out of touch as to propose that the rule of law be suspended in order to do a census?
By the way, since the Census Bureau is in the business of stupid ideas, here is another: Why not outlaw abortions during the census so as to get an accurate count?
Logically, that would never fly because hard-core leftists assign more worth to invading illegal aliens than to innocent babes.
In censuses gone by, most people simply shrugged off their concerns and answered all questions. That, the path of least resistance, was less stressful than stirring up a fuss about an issue that everyone was annoyed about, but not enough to do anything about.
That was then, this is now.
We the People used to have a grudging respect for the government, and we even trusted the rascals in Washington, D.C., to do pretty much the right thing. At least some of the time.
Things are much, much different now. America has been taken over by a president who seems to be intent on destroying our democracy and replacing it with a vile version of socialism.
He and like-minded liberals in Congress want government deeply involved in the intricate details and decisions that impact the lives of all Americans.
Obama's obsession with the census is hypocrisy on steroids, given his steadfast refusal to provide a valid birth certificate!
Under the oppressive liberalism now dominating the executive and legislative branches of government, important decisions that should be the exclusive domain of a free and independent people are being usurped by government bureaucrats whose only concern is the consolidation and preservation of their own power.
Consequently, the American people cannot trust the Obama administration or the Democrat-controlled Congress.
Good news! We are not alone, thanks to a courageous and wise Republican woman from Minnesota. As reported, in part, at the Washington Times:
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/17/exclusive-minn-lawmaker-fears-census-abuse/print/
"Outspoken Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann says she's so worried that information from next year's national census will be abused that she will refuse to fill out anything more than the number of people in her household.
"In an interview Wednesday morning with The Washington Times "America's Morning News," Mrs. Bachmann, Minnesota Republican, said the questions have become "very intricate, very personal" and she also fears ACORN, the community organizing group that came under fire for its voter registration efforts last year, will be part of the Census Bureau's door-to-door information collection efforts.
"I know for my family the only question we will be answering is how many people are in our home," she said. "We won't be answering any information beyond that, because the Constitution doesn't require any information beyond that."
Bravo to Representative Bachmann for giving credibility to an issue whose time is here and now.
The good Lady appears to have the US Constitution on her side given the language set forth in Constitution concerning the census:
"[An] 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."
Enumeration is defined as: To determine the number of; count.
Nothing in there about determining the racial composition of your household, the educational levels of you and your family, foreign languages spoken, or any of the other intrusive questions posed by otherwise unemployable bean counters.
Representative Bachmann has identified a cause that could rival the "Tea Party" uprising in relevance.
How about a national campaign to encourage American patriots to answer one, and only one, question in the 2010 Census, that being, "How many people live here?"
Any inquiry beyond that is an unconstitutional invasion of privacy by the Obama administration and leftist thugs in the Congress.
