Is the 2010 Census consistent with Constitutional call for head count?

[galtgulch]

<<<" In Preparation for the 2010 Census!

by Gary D. Barnett

I’m not going to lecture anyone here or attempt to describe, define, outline, analyze or rewrite the constitution. I am not going to go through the historical reasoning set forth for census taking and I will not even speak of the initiation of this tainted policy in this country. As an aside, I do realize that we are currently in an economic depression, and that worrying about a government census at this time seems minor, but is it really? I am simply trying to warn all those who still remember what liberty is, and all those who now have a new or reawakened curiosity about freedom, what to expect from the 2010 census and the census taking gendarmes who will soon be harassing all of us. And given the current high unemployment rate, government officials will have an over-abundance of choices to fill the part-time census taker jobs. I don’t consider this to be advantageous as government will be able to choose more obnoxious and more power-driven individuals to do its bidding than normal.

This is not a new subject matter for me as I have been threatened by the U.S. Census Bureau in the past. In a previous article, "Threatened by the Census Bureau," I talked about the intimidating and threatening approach that this organization uses to scare the citizenry into compliance. In my case, at least concerning the incident mentioned in the above article, I was threatened with fines and/or imprisonment if I did not comply. The only census that is to be taken according to our constitution, an obvious affront to liberty regardless of its so-called legality, is a simple head count every ten years. Therefore, the business census that I was sent was fully unconstitutional.

Already, the federal and state governments are preparing for this invasion of our privacy. The complicit mainstream media has been hired by government to announce and solicit compliance with this survey. Even my local radio station and newspaper are running ads for census taker positions daily. Testing centers have been opened and applicants are being interviewed. High wages are being offered to anyone willing to strong-arm the local populace. If this is going on here in my small community, it must be going on in every community. Just what is the cost of such a venture and how many new government agents will be hired to take on this task of counting heads?

The main problem, of course, is that over the years the U.S. census has taken on a new, lengthy and very intrusive nature. The census for 2010 though, as claimed by the Census Bureau, will be one of the shortest on record. Before you jump to the incorrect conclusion that the government is paring back its plan to know anything and everything about you, some explanation is in order. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s site, the 2010 census will be a "short form census" only. This is deceiving. The long form that is normally sent to 1 in 6 families during the actual census, "The American Community Survey," (52 pages) will not be sent in the 2010 census count. The bureau claims that "Decoupling the short form and long form allows the Census Bureau to focus efforts on the constitutional requirements to produce a count of the resident population, employ technology to improve efficiencies, provide more timely data, improve coverage accuracy, and contain costs while keeping operational risk to a minimum." This statement is simply a smoke and mirrors statement (a lie in other words) intended to pacify the public at large. The American Community Survey or long form, that used to go to 1 in 6 households during the decennial count, is now being sent to many every year. In addition, other census surveys, such as the business survey I received, are also being sent on a regular basis. All these surveys are mandatory. This means that there could be very adverse consequences should one refuse to comply! Are you beginning to get the picture?

In other words, the Census Bureau is as nosy as ever, even more so, and they are using the threat of force against those willing to stand up for their rights. The government is now just rearranging the process so as to give a false impression. So what else is new? Lying, cheating and misleading the citizenry is the government’s modus operandi.

Now to the meat of the problem! In my opinion, the harassment and threats for non-compliance will be intensified and more obvious than ever this coming year. Since I wrote my first article concerning this subject, I have received letter after letter from many who have been harassed, threatened, intimidated and just plain bothered by census takers. These people (census takers) are trained to not take no for an answer and they can be and will be aggressive and abrasive. I have always tended to be polite and to tell them only how many people are in my household. If they persisted in their endeavor, I simply asked them to leave my property. If they continued to be impolite, I then demanded that they leave my property at once, or I would take other measures. That, at least considering personal contact situations, has been enough to solve the problem so far. This has not been the case, however, considering other types of census taking. I believe that the Community and Business surveys, if not adhered to, will be the cause of more government wrath visited upon those properly refusing to answer such intrusive questions.

One particular individual has written to me on several occasions and explained exactly what was going on due to not fully complying with one of these very unconstitutional surveys. This individual received threats, letters from census supervisors and several personal visits without prior notice. One census worker was actually hanging around trying to find an opportunity to confront this citizen. Fortunately, this person never complied, but most under these same circumstances would have. I find this troubling and wish more would stand up to these simpletons doing the bidding of leviathan.

Much of the problem stems from the fact that local, state and federal agencies depend on "good" census participation in order to allocate more federal dollars. There is also the little discussed advantage of capturing and recording extreme amounts of personal data from the now vassal-like society dependent on government. According to the 2010 Census Bureau site, there are many needs concerning the census, so many questions on the census are followed by a list of Community Benefits gained due to answers given. These so-called Community Benefits include education, government, planning, social services, employment, housing, banking, etc. I don’t know how one can separate this agenda from something akin to a socialist or communistic agenda, but I do know that attempts by government to plan society are antithetical to liberty, and therefore should be shunned.

The incentives for forced compliance are evident and at all levels of government, but the incentives for us to resist this invasion should be stronger than government’s will to control us. For those willing to stand up to these trimmers in government, confrontations are likely, and I should know, as I have now seen this dynamic from more than one angle. But I hope that during this upcoming census many will stand their ground and put these imbeciles in their place! Just how much more are we going to take?

April 11, 2009

42

Gary D. Barnett [send him mail] is president of Barnett Financial Services, Inc., in Lewistown, Montana.

Copyright © 2009 by LewRockwell.com. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.">>>

WWW.CAMPAIGNFORLIBERTY.CON 11APR 11PM 142269

gulch

Edited April 12, 2009 by galtgulch

[syrakusos]

<<<" In Preparation for the 2010 Census! by Gary D. Barnett

I’m not going to lecture anyone here or attempt to describe, define, outline, analyze or rewrite the constitution. I am not going to go through the historical reasoning set forth for census taking and I will not even speak of the initiation of this tainted policy in this country. ...

Article I

Section 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of members ...

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 [see Amendment XIV]. 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. The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each state shall have at least one Representative; and ...

It is clear to me that the Census is required by the Constitution.

Moreover, I cannot think of another way to allocate seats in the House of Representatives in the context of the existing republic, except to actually count the people in each state and district. (Objectively, there are other ways to do it.)

Howver, I do not find any Constitutional Amendment that changes the proportional representation from "1:30,000" so I expct that a fully compliant Congress would have about 10,000 representatives.

I remember back just after the last Ice Age, before Great Lakes were more than icy puddles, the John Birch Society told me that the government wanted to know how many rooms there were in my house so that they could quarter people in my home against my will. I took the advice of the JBS and dodged the census and apparently avoided having anyone placed in our home against our will. So far, so good.

Edited April 12, 2009 by Michael E. Marotta

[galtgulch]

<<<" In Preparation for the 2010 Census! by Gary D. Barnett

I’m not going to lecture anyone here or attempt to describe, define, outline, analyze or rewrite the constitution. I am not going to go through the historical reasoning set forth for census taking and I will not even speak of the initiation of this tainted policy in this country. ...

Article I

Section 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of members ...

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 [see Amendment XIV]. 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. The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each state shall have at least one Representative; and ...

It is clear to me that the Census is required by the Constitution.

Moreover, I cannot think of another way to allocate seats in the House of Representatives in the context of the existing republic, except to actually count the people in each state and district. (Objectively, there are other ways to do it.)

Howver, I do not find any Constitutional Amendment that changes the proportional representation from "1:30,000" so I expct that a fully compliant Congress would have about 10,000 representatives.

I remember back just after the last Ice Age, before Great Lakes were more than icy puddles, the John Birch Society told me that the government wanted to know how many rooms there were in my house so that they could quarter people in my home against my will. I took the advice of the JBS and dodged the census and apparently avoided having anyone placed in our home against our will. So far, so good.

Michael,

I am easily intimidated by the govt and will choose not to make a stand on this census. If they want to know how many bedrooms and bathrooms I have in my house I will tell them and hope for the best while keeping the Third Amendment in mind.

gulch

[BaalChatzaf]

<<<" In Preparation for the 2010 Census!

by Gary D. Barnett

I’m not going to lecture anyone here or attempt to describe, define, outline, analyze or rewrite the constitution. I am not going to go through the historical reasoning set forth for census taking and I will not even speak of the initiation of this tainted policy in this country. As an aside, I do realize that we are currently in an economic depression, and that worrying about a government census at this time seems minor, but is it really? I am simply trying to warn all those who still remember what liberty is, and all those who now have a new or reawakened curiosity about freedom, what to expect from the 2010 census and the census taking gendarmes who will soon be harassing all of us. And given the current high unemployment rate, government officials will have an over-abundance of choices to fill the part-time census taker jobs. I don’t consider this to be advantageous as government will be able to choose more obnoxious and more power-driven individuals to do its bidding than normal.

This is not a new subject matter for me as I have been threatened by the U.S. Census Bureau in the past. In a previous article, "Threatened by the Census Bureau," I talked about the intimidating and threatening approach that this organization uses to scare the citizenry into compliance. In my case, at least concerning the incident mentioned in the above article, I was threatened with fines and/or imprisonment if I did not comply. The only census that is to be taken according to our constitution, an obvious affront to liberty regardless of its so-called legality, is a simple head count every ten years. Therefore, the business census that I was sent was fully unconstitutional.

Already, the federal and state governments are preparing for this invasion of our privacy. The complicit mainstream media has been hired by government to announce and solicit compliance with this survey. Even my local radio station and newspaper are running ads for census taker positions daily. Testing centers have been opened and applicants are being interviewed. High wages are being offered to anyone willing to strong-arm the local populace. If this is going on here in my small community, it must be going on in every community. Just what is the cost of such a venture and how many new government agents will be hired to take on this task of counting heads?

The main problem, of course, is that over the years the U.S. census has taken on a new, lengthy and very intrusive nature. The census for 2010 though, as claimed by the Census Bureau, will be one of the shortest on record. Before you jump to the incorrect conclusion that the government is paring back its plan to know anything and everything about you, some explanation is in order. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s site, the 2010 census will be a "short form census" only. This is deceiving. The long form that is normally sent to 1 in 6 families during the actual census, "The American Community Survey," (52 pages) will not be sent in the 2010 census count. The bureau claims that "Decoupling the short form and long form allows the Census Bureau to focus efforts on the constitutional requirements to produce a count of the resident population, employ technology to improve efficiencies, provide more timely data, improve coverage accuracy, and contain costs while keeping operational risk to a minimum." This statement is simply a smoke and mirrors statement (a lie in other words) intended to pacify the public at large. The American Community Survey or long form, that used to go to 1 in 6 households during the decennial count, is now being sent to many every year. In addition, other census surveys, such as the business survey I received, are also being sent on a regular basis. All these surveys are mandatory. This means that there could be very adverse consequences should one refuse to comply! Are you beginning to get the picture?

In other words, the Census Bureau is as nosy as ever, even more so, and they are using the threat of force against those willing to stand up for their rights. The government is now just rearranging the process so as to give a false impression. So what else is new? Lying, cheating and misleading the citizenry is the government’s modus operandi.

Now to the meat of the problem! In my opinion, the harassment and threats for non-compliance will be intensified and more obvious than ever this coming year. Since I wrote my first article concerning this subject, I have received letter after letter from many who have been harassed, threatened, intimidated and just plain bothered by census takers. These people (census takers) are trained to not take no for an answer and they can be and will be aggressive and abrasive. I have always tended to be polite and to tell them only how many people are in my household. If they persisted in their endeavor, I simply asked them to leave my property. If they continued to be impolite, I then demanded that they leave my property at once, or I would take other measures. That, at least considering personal contact situations, has been enough to solve the problem so far. This has not been the case, however, considering other types of census taking. I believe that the Community and Business surveys, if not adhered to, will be the cause of more government wrath visited upon those properly refusing to answer such intrusive questions.

One particular individual has written to me on several occasions and explained exactly what was going on due to not fully complying with one of these very unconstitutional surveys. This individual received threats, letters from census supervisors and several personal visits without prior notice. One census worker was actually hanging around trying to find an opportunity to confront this citizen. Fortunately, this person never complied, but most under these same circumstances would have. I find this troubling and wish more would stand up to these simpletons doing the bidding of leviathan.

Much of the problem stems from the fact that local, state and federal agencies depend on "good" census participation in order to allocate more federal dollars. There is also the little discussed advantage of capturing and recording extreme amounts of personal data from the now vassal-like society dependent on government. According to the 2010 Census Bureau site, there are many needs concerning the census, so many questions on the census are followed by a list of Community Benefits gained due to answers given. These so-called Community Benefits include education, government, planning, social services, employment, housing, banking, etc. I don’t know how one can separate this agenda from something akin to a socialist or communistic agenda, but I do know that attempts by government to plan society are antithetical to liberty, and therefore should be shunned.

The incentives for forced compliance are evident and at all levels of government, but the incentives for us to resist this invasion should be stronger than government’s will to control us. For those willing to stand up to these trimmers in government, confrontations are likely, and I should know, as I have now seen this dynamic from more than one angle. But I hope that during this upcoming census many will stand their ground and put these imbeciles in their place! Just how much more are we going to take?

April 11, 2009

42

Gary D. Barnett [send him mail] is president of Barnett Financial Services, Inc., in Lewistown, Montana.

Copyright © 2009 by LewRockwell.com. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit is given.">>>

WWW.CAMPAIGNFORLIBERTY.CON 11APR 11PM 142269

gulch

I have filled out census forms since 1960. I always give the same reply: the names, and ages of everyone in my household with a reference to the clause in the constitution that specifies the census as an instrument for determining congressional representation. I have never heard boo! from the department of the census. Just give them what the constitution requires. Name and age. That is all they are supposed to get.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Rich Engle]

I thought it might be useful to add a field report.

I am convinced that we can assume, with certainty, that data collection of any kind now has more ramifications than simply the basic tenets by which the census was created.

Day before yesterday, we got visited by one of them. I live in a pristine, over-55 mobile home community in Florida.

So, she shows up, this one; she is average, older, engaging. She's carrying a U.S. Census bag. I watched her scoping out places for awhile, then she showed.

Her raison d etre was "We are collecting information for GPS data." Then, she mildly scolded us for not having house numbers on our unit (we were just about to go out and replace w/ new ones that day, in fact).

Bottom line, early read: The purpose is to pinpoint, triangulate, or whatever, every single location, who is in there, etc.

This data alone is not all that significant, but surely works well when assembling, er, meta-data.

No doubt in my mind, they are pinning things down to sattelite spyview level. All systems go.

rde

And no, this isn't conspiracy mindset, it's just what they are doing.

Edited April 12, 2009 by Rich Engle

[Selene]

Rich:

The last census, I was living in the house I was raised in, while my lady and I were taking care of my Dad. My neighbors know me and how anti-government I have always been.

So when the census taker showed up in our little hilltop community in Queens, I got a report within 20 minutes of their penetration. I met them on one of the blocks and basically walked with them explaining to my neighbors and any new folks that all they were required to answer was how many resided at that address and nothing more. Many of these folks had known me since I was 6 and had voted for me and knew my family.

Within seven blocks and some hectic phone calls from the census takers, a supervisor showed up. Unfortunately, I had my pocket Constitution and the supervisor had his arrogant government mind set.

Not a fair contest.

At any rate, the supervisor told me and the small crowd of my neighbors that I was obstructing the "...orderly process of the Federal census." My neighbors are professional blue and white collar business people and basically smart folks.

They peppered the supervisor with the Constitution that several of them had since I had distributed them a few years earlier and I had mine.

At any rate, their census team started to kind of huddle together and the well behaved crowd grew around them. It was visually a delightful kinesic kaleidoscope of the proper relationship of power. I think Glenn Beck calls it the "we surround them movement."

Gulch will like this story, I am sure.

At any rate the 6' 3" pussy supervisor called the local precinct. The cars arrived with another supervisor, who, several of us knew quite well. Now we had a number of teenagers really involved and they each agreed to pair up with a parent to walk with each of the 4 people in the Census team.

The police quickly evaluated the situation and, since a few of us had a quick conversation with the police supervisor, the census team was told that they were not being interfered with and they would be treated with respect.

Let us say, that they counted quickly and go the hell out of Dodge.

We should all do the same thing this year.

Not to mention that we will acquire publicity which will always give us opportunities to explain our ideas. We each need to have a one minute tape in our heads that we can powerfully and passionately deliver to a "reporter".

Street theatre works. Works even better when you prepare it well. Luck comes to the well prepared.

In fact, we should spread the word about the Census at the Tea Parties each of us is attending on Wednesday.

It would be nice to create a thread with "reports from the tax revolution".

La nous Faire! < which I am led to believe means "leave us alone!"

Adam

[galtgulch]

Rich:

The last census, I was living in the house I was raised in, while my lady and I were taking care of my Dad. My neighbors know me and how anti-government I have always been.

So when the census taker showed up in our little hilltop community in Queens, I got a report within 20 minutes of their penetration. I met them on one of the blocks and basically walked with them explaining to my neighbors and any new folks that all they were required to answer was how many resided at that address and nothing more. Many of these folks had known me since I was 6 and had voted for me and knew my family.

Within seven blocks and some hectic phone calls from the census takers, a supervisor showed up. Unfortunately, I had my pocket Constitution and the supervisor had his arrogant government mind set.

Not a fair contest.

At any rate, the supervisor told me and the small crowd of my neighbors that I was obstructing the "...orderly process of the Federal census." My neighbors are professional blue and white collar business people and basically smart folks.

They peppered the supervisor with the Constitution that several of them had since I had distributed them a few years earlier and I had mine.

At any rate, their census team started to kind of huddle together and the well behaved crowd grew around them. It was visually a delightful kinesic kaleidoscope of the proper relationship of power. I think Glenn Beck calls it the "we surround them movement."

Gulch will like this story, I am sure.

At any rate the 6' 3" pussy supervisor called the local precinct. The cars arrived with another supervisor, who, several of us knew quite well. Now we had a number of teenagers really involved and they each agreed to pair up with a parent to walk with each of the 4 people in the Census team.

The police quickly evaluated the situation and, since a few of us had a quick conversation with the police supervisor, the census team was told that they were not being interfered with and they would be treated with respect.

Let us say, that they counted quickly and go the hell out of Dodge.

We should all do the same thing this year.

Not to mention that we will acquire publicity which will always give us opportunities to explain our ideas. We each need to have a one minute tape in our heads that we can powerfully and passionately deliver to a "reporter".

Street theatre works. Works even better when you prepare it well. Luck comes to the well prepared.

In fact, we should spread the word about the Census at the Tea Parties each of us is attending on Wednesday.

It would be nice to create a thread with "reports from the tax revolution".

La nous Faire! < which I am led to believe means "leave us alone!"

Adam

Adam,

You are quite correct, I enjoyed your story. But what is the point of antagonizing them over this issue?

I imagine the days, reminiscent of life in the Soviet Union, when a hammer and sickle or red star is nailed to the door and the next thing you know a bus arrives and people pile out and several families move into your house to occupy and share your bedrooms with a clothes line hung up as a room divider.

Eminent domain can be used for more than just to enhance tax receipts for the local govt.

Just read the latest Liberty and there is the quote from Sandra Day O'Conner. I paraphrase, the day may come when a Motel 6 is taken to be replaced by a Ritz Carlton, your home replaced by a strip mall, and your farm taken to be replaced by a factory. That was from the dissenting opiniion of the Kelo decision which was lost by one vote in the Supreme Court.

I think we should set out to win back our country not just to engage in stop gap measures.

Most peoples concerns remain close to home, their work, their lawns, their cars, the teams they root for, their children, shopping for food or clothes, watching their favorite TV shows and going to church where they are told that what happens here doesn't matter because this is a veil of tears and all that matters is eternity once this is over.

At some point we will run up against the wall, people who don't care, are beaten into submission, or are motivated to interpret the Constitution to mean whatever they want it to mean, e.g. that the "necessary and proper" clause at the end of Article 1 Section 8 applies not only to the powers spelled out above it, but to make any laws enabling the Feds to do whatever they damn well please and still claim it is constitutional.

www.campaignforliberty.com 12 Apr 2PM 142341, 10PM 142431; 13Apr 6AM 142481

gulch

Edited April 13, 2009 by galtgulch

[Selene]

Gulch:

Step back and objectively see what I was inferring - you cannot change someone's mind unless you have their attention.

This is damn street theatre lol. Keep it simple stupid [KISS] - the sales law along with always be closing [ABC].

You catch a person's interest. The census affects everyone and it makes people think about why can't the current government just follow the fucking Constitution.

Moreover, what is the increased cost to the taxpayer for this "long form" questioning and why does the government need to know whether and what type of birth control I use.

I would also use the mandatory registration for the draft for only males as another example.

Look at the attention the Tea Party action is getting. Imagine reporterettes asking folks whether or not the government should be wasting their tax dollars on unconstitutional invasions of a citizen's privacy.

Think outside the rhomboid dude.

Adam

[syrakusos]

The last census, I was living in the house I was raised in, while my lady and I were taking care of my Dad. My neighbors know me and how anti-government I have always been.

Nice story, thanks! I think you did the right thing. All politics are local.

I always have a Constitution close at hand.