Should ACORN Volunteers Be Involved in the 2010 Enumeration?

By John W. Lillpop

With respect to the requirement for a census every ten years, the U.S. Constitution states, "[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."

Webster's defines Enumeration as: To determine the number of; count.

Over the years Washington bureaucrats have turned the mandated enumeration into an opportunity to snoop into the private lives of Americans with all manner of inquiry about race, economic class, foreign languages spoken, religious practices, and other intrusive questions.

Even more distressing is the outrageous overreach of deluded bureaucrats, such as when, in 2007, the Census Bureau actually requested that deportations of illegal aliens be suspended during the 2010 census.

Imagine how framers of the Constitution would react to a bureaucracy so warped and full of itself that it would propose to suspend the rule of law in order to "enumerate" the people?

Incidentally, since the Census Bureau is in the business of foolish ideas, why not outlaw abortions during the census, in the name of accuracy in counting?

During previous censuses, most Americans simply shrugged off concerns about intrusiveness and dutifully answered all questions.

Back then, We the People generally had a grudging respect for government; many of us even trusted the rascals in Washington, D.C., to do the right thing. At least some of the time.

That was then, this is now.

Things are much, much different now.

Now, both the executive and legislative branches of government are controlled by left wing extremists intent on replacing our free market capitalism with nanny-state socialism.

Which means that government bureaucrats are seeking to usurp the prerogatives of a free and independent people when it comes to critical issues like health care and distribution of wealth.

Consequently, the American people cannot, and must not, trust the Obama administration or the Democrat-controlled Congress, especially on issues like the census.

That perspective is shared by a courageous and wise Republican woman from Minnesota, Representative Michele Bachmann.

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, and for identifying a cause that could rival the "Tea Party" uprising in relevance.

Perhaps her courage will inspire scores of millions of American patriots to answer one, and only one, question when that ACORN volunteer knocks.

That being, "How many people live here?"

Any inquiry beyond that is an unconstitutional invasion of privacy by the Obama administration and leftists in Congress.