Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The Problem with the Census

Every 10 years the United States conducts a census. The purpose of the census is to determine how many people live in each state, city, and neighborhood. The government uses this information to determine how many U.S. Representatives each state will be allotted. From this point the government can redraw congressional districts. For example, if the U.S. population is determined to be 300 million - this equates to each of the 435 U.S. House of Representatives representing about 700 thousand people each. A state with 3 million will probably be assigned 4 representatives with each district representing about 750 thousand people. From this information government funding can also be redistributed to both states and districts equally. For instance, it would make little sense to appropriate 50% of allotted national highway funding to Wyoming, a state with only about 600 thousand inhabitants. In a nutshell, the few reasons outlined above are the reasons for the census.

This year’s census form is fairly straightforward and easy to fill out. However, why does the government need to know personal information such as do I rent, have a mortgage, or own my home outright? How exactly does this information help the government do its job better? Yes, I answered the question honestly, but as far as I am concerned the government does not need this information. And what’s even more disturbing this year’s census will cost the taxpayers 14 billion dollars, 10 billion more than the 2000 census.

Just as with any job application, the census also wants to categorize us into racial, ethnic, and gender groups. The census wants to know if we are Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, along with a few other choices. If people do not fit into a certain group then they can select “Other” and specify what they are. Yes, I did my civic duty and honestly selected Caucasian, but was tempted to select “Other” and specify that I am an American. Isn’t that the bottom line, aren’t we all Americans first and foremost! All that being said, I could have also selected “Other” and specified I am Irish-American. This too would be accurate. My point is that classifying people categorically is nonsense. And of course we must tell if we are male or female. I am surprised there are not other gender classifications to choose from such homosexual, lesbian, or even transgender.

Unfortunately, race, ethnicity, and gender play a huge role in how the government operates. It is sad, but this information is used in defining districts since minorities and females are more likely to vote for a liberal. This information is also used to determine how the government will hand out entitlement monies. However, using the census government classifications, lesbians and Polish-Americans may not get their fair share of pie since they are not part of the government counting scheme. This is why categorizing people is idiotic since the methodology used cannot be applied consistently and accurately to cover all ethnicities and genders.

In this day and age most Americans are color blind. In fact, this is the first year that more babies of color will be born than white babies. Whites will be a minority in this country within the next 40 to 50 years. It is impossible to do away with racial and gender barriers if the government and employers continue to identify these differences in people. Essentially what employers and the government are saying is that females, African-Americans, Asians, and Hispanics are inferior to white males and that is obviously a bunch of nonsense – All people are equal. The only way to rid ourselves of racial and gender prejudices is to stop creating barriers by defining classifications of people. For this reason diversity policies of the government and corporations are failing to break down racial and gender prejudices and biases.

The census also wants to count all the illegal people in this country. First, most illegal aliens are not going to fill out a census form because they are fearful they will be caught and deported. But, the question is why does the government want to count illegal aliens? What purpose does this serve? Unfortunately, many states and cities are safe havens for illegal aliens and they therefore, receive government subsidies in the form of entitlements. This is one reason that California has a huge budget shortfall. This is ludicrous and the government should be working on deporting illegal aliens that are straining our economic system instead of counting them so they can receive their share of federal funding.

Finally, only about 70% of American citizens fill out the census form. Most of those that do not fill out the paper work are minorities. For this reason, Democrats want to use inaccurate statistical models to count people since it would politically advantageous for them. If Americans cannot fill out a simple form, then that district will rightfully be punished because they will not receive their fair share of government representation and funding. So be it! I am tired of the government spending excess money and bending over backwards to get people to perform their civic duties. If Americans do not do their civic duty and fill out the census, they should be penalized with a fine and should not be allowed vote. After all, if you do not exist statistically speaking, then you theoretically do not exist to vote.

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