I received a letter telling me that soon I would be receiving the American Community Survey, and that I was required to complete it and send it back. I was told that this information was crucial to the planning of my community for such important infrastructure items as fire stations, libraries, and schools.
The following week I received the 28 page booklet asking me for information that I would not share with 99.9% of the people I know. According to the US Constitution, a census is authorized once every ten years. If you complain to the Census Bureau, they point to Congress for authorizing the American Community Census. My contention is that this is unconstitutional. I reviewed my copy of the Constitution and saw no amendments that altered the frequency of the Census. If I have overlooked it, please point this out to me.
Second, the Fourth Amendment guarantees my right to be secure .
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
To gather all of the information below, they would have to invade my home, and search my documents for this data. I contend the information requested is my property and the US Government has no valid claim upon it.
My answers to this survey are not private forever, as in 72 years they are released to the public. None of the questions beyond how many people live at my address would seem to apply to fire stations, libraries, or schools, and so, I must confess I will not be answering them.
According to the Washington Post, over 1,100 laptops have been reported missing from the Commerce Department since 2001 including over 250 from the Census Bureau.
Do I really want the answers to the questions below floating around on a laptop that is misplaced or stolen?
Searching the internet, I have discovered I may be in for some harassment as Big Brother attempts to force me to complete this form. I have read reports of Census workers harassing individuals in an attempt to get them to complete the survey. For some interesting stories check out this link.
You will read some interesting stories about what will be done to collect the data.
Since this is not the year 2010 (truth be known I would answer this survey the same way if it was 2010), I feel in no way compelled to share with the government the answers to the following questions about my life the Federal Government wants to know:
Phone Number including Area Code
Sex
Age and Birth Date
If I am of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin
My race
What type of house I live in
When my house was built(year)
When I moved into this house(year)
How large is the lot?
Is there a business on this location?
How many separate rooms are in this house, apartment, or mobile home?
How many of these rooms are bedrooms?
Do I have
Hot and Cold Running Water?
Flush Toilet?
Bathtub or shower?
Sink with a faucet?
Stove or Range?
Refrigerator?
Telephone Service?
How many vehicles of 1 ton or less are kept at this address?
What fuel is used to heat this house, apartment, or mobile home?
What was the cost of electricity last month?
What was the cost of gas last month?
What was the cost of water and sewer for the past twelve months?
Did I receive Food Stamps?
Is my house, apartment or mobile home part of a condominium, and if yes, what are the fees?
Do I own the house with a mortgage?
Do I own this house free and clear?
Do I rent?
Do I occupy without rent?
What is the monthly rent for this house, apartment, or mobile home?
How much do I think this house, apartment, or mobile home would sell for?
What are the annual property taxes?
What is the annual property and flood insurance?
How much is the regular monthly mortgage?
Does that include the property taxes?
Does that include the insurance?
Do I have a second mortgage on this property?
How much are the monthly payments on all second and junior mortgages?
Where I was born?
Am I a citizen?
Have I attended college or school in the last three months?
What is my highest degree or level of school completed?
If I have a bachelor's degree, what is it in?
What is my ancestry or ethnic origin?
Do I speak any other languages besides English at home?
How well do I speak English?
Did I live here 1 year ago?
Do I have health insurance?
What type?
Do I have difficulty hearing or am I blind?
Do I have difficulty doing physical, mental, or emotional conditions that make it difficult for me to do errands alone, such as shopping or visiting a doctor's office?
Am I married?
Did I get married, widowed, or divorced in the last twelve months?
How many times have I been married?
What year did I last get married?
Am I a grandparent responsible for a grandchild living here?
How long have I been responsible for the grandchildren?
Have I ever served on active duty?
If so, when?
Do I have a VA service-connected Disability rating?
What is that rating?
Did I work for pay last week at a business?
Last week did I do any work for pay?
At what location did I do this work?
What is the address?
How did I get to work last week?
How many people rode with me to work?
When did I leave my house to go to work?
How many minutes does it usually take?
Who was my most recent job with? Name and location
What kind of work do I do?
What are my most important activities or duties?
What are my wages for the last twelve months?
What is my self-employment income for the last twelve months?
What are my interest and dividends(even small amounts)?
What are my social security or Railroad retirement amounts?
What are my Supplemental Social Security Income amounts?
Did I receive any public assistance or welfare payments from state or local welfare offices?
If so, how much?
What was my total income in the last twelve months?
(To my shock, there is no question about capital gains)
As I said, I cannot imagine giving anyone I know the answers to all of these questions, and I will not be doing so now.
All I will say is that one person lives here. If that affects the fire stations, libraries, and schools in a negative way, so be it. But the rest of the information is personal.
How far are we willing to go to let the government into our lives? Is there no limit to what they can sk of us? Or does it fall upon us to not only say "NO", but "HELL NO!!!"
I understand there is a $100 fine for not completing the form, and a $500 fine for giving false information. Perhaps this could be a new source of revenue for the government: keep your privacy for a $100 fee.
The Federal Government is supposed to do an accurate headcount every ten years to allocate Representatives for Congress. They are not supposed to dive into my private life regardless of what they believe.
From the questions they are asking, I can conclude that they are trying to determine how much more "wealth" they can remove from me so that we can "share prosperity" in the future. To provide this Federal Government with this information can only be asking for trouble in the future.
Did you happen to receive the American Community Survey? If so, what did you do? I would love to read your story.
©2009 EJ Moosa, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Monday, March 2, 2009
Last modified: Monday, March 2, 2009
The views expressed in this article are those of EJ Moosa only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. EJ Moosa is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
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Reader Comments:
Posted By: Jeff
Date: 2009-03-02 07:50:20
In 2000, I received the "long form" census, and had the same reaction that you have. We are racing ever faster to a 1984-style society where every thought, word, and deed are scrutinized by the government. I refuse to be part of that deadly slide.
In 2000, I simply completed the part that asked how many people live in my home, and their names; put it back in the envelope and returned it. About a month later, a lady came walking up my driveway with a census worker badge and a clipboard. I gave her the same information and explained to her that I considered anything further to be an invasion of my privacy and my 4th Amendment rights. She persisted in her questions and I politely informed her that if she didn't leave my property immediately that I was going to the telephone to call the police. She left and that was the end of it.
MLK was right in his idea that non-violent passive resistance is the most effective way to make a statement. Simply refuse to obey their edicts. If all of us peacefully refused to answer their census questions (or pay their taxes), the message would get through. Unfortunately too many in this country have forgotten what it means to be a patriot.
(I find that I'm referring more and more to "their edicts", "their taxes", and "their census." It no longer is "my government," and "our laws." I wonder how long it will be before it is no longer, "my country.")
Posted By: David S
Date: 2009-03-02 08:12:22
I agree with Jeff. Just don't answer questions other than the number of people in your house.
Posted By: John Galt
Date: 2009-03-02 09:41:22
This information will come in handy when they realize that they can use your extra bedrooms, and the extra space in your vehicle, to assist those that are less fortunate(and they can no longer tax you because the greenback is worthless).
If your cash can be confiscated, so can your other material belongings.
JG
Posted By: Patty Becker
Date: 2009-03-02 12:53:52
I am really sad to read your opinion of the American Community Survey. There are some things you should know:
1. If you respond to the survey by mail, it will never be on any laptop. It will be read directly into mainframe computers.
2. The data you provide are IMMEDIATELY separated from your address, so no analysis is done making the connection between them. The Census Bureau goes to extraordinary lengths to preserve privacy and confidentiality.
3. The information is needed so it can be AGGREGATED (with the responses of many others) and used to inform policy-making and allocation of resources throughout society--by business, non-profits, and religious organizations as well as by the government.
4. The information will never be released, even after 72 years. Only the information collected in the decennial census is released after 72 years.
5. If you don't respond, the Census Bureau will try to call you. If that doesn't work, they will come out to your home. If you respond then, when the enumerator comes, the data will be on a laptop.
6. Go to www.census.gov/acs for more information about this critically important survey.
Posted By: Jason
Date: 2009-03-02 17:30:30
I agree and when the census comes I will only answer how many people are in my home. The government has some sneaky ways of getting in our business dont they.
Posted By: WY_Not
Date: 2009-03-04 16:13:17
Got one of these a couple years back. Took a big black Sharpie marker and put a big X across every single page, wrote a nasty couple of paragraphs on the front cover detailing what they can do with their survey, and stuffed it all back in the envelope and returned it. Haven't heard a peep from them since.
I will grudgingly supply the number of people in the house when asked during a real census. ANYTHING else, even my name, is none of their business.
Posted By: Comity Guy
Date: 2009-03-10 07:46:21
My wife and I recently got the 2009 survey in the mail. I took one look at the lengthy survey probing into our most private affairs and threw it away. Then the phone calls started; at first they were "private" calls which we refused to answer. Then the calls were made by a 3rd party on behalf of the census bureau; we refused to answer. Then a census worker came by our house and dropped off a copy of the statutory provisions enumerating the civil penalties for refusing to answer, or providing false answers. I will never answer their questions other than to say how many people live in our house.
Posted By: EJ
Date: 2009-03-10 08:35:56
WY_Not and Comity Guy,
I commend you for taking a stand against this invasion of our privacy. More people need to say no.
I have printed a copy of the fourth amendment to hand to any census worker that presents me with a list of penalties and threats. I can only imagine it will be the first time they have ever read it.
EJ
Posted By: David S
Date: 2009-05-28 14:54:48
"I reviewed my copy of the Constitution and saw no amendments that altered the frequency of the Census. If I have overlooked it, please point this out to me. "
You didn't overlook anything. Congress did. They overlooked their constitutional limits. It seems government can't be happy unless it's sticking its big nose where it does not belong.
Posted By: In Western PA
Date: 2009-05-29 22:45:06
I recieved one in 2006, I think. I threw it away and never heard from anyone about it. If I get another one I will contact an attorney, and probably end up throwing that one away too. They are doing a census in 2010, they can get the constitutionally required info from me at that time. Another farce and waste of my money is this GPS business. If they use Google Earth for FREE, they can find my house, and most everyone else's on the entire fricken planet. But NOOOO, they have to go out and PAY census scab workers 15 bucks an hour to collect the GPS coordinates of my front door. WHY? I think the true reasons of all this survey and measuring business is for more nefarious 1984 style Orwellian monitoring of us. It is NOT simply for the "census". Remember the Trojan Horse?
Posted By: mspradlin
Date: 2009-05-30 00:33:20In the 38 years I have been married I have never seen census taker at my home...nor received any form in the mail...(maybe the 6 large dogs had something to do with that (don\'t know)...I am hoping that it stays that way...the government is totally out of line...I pay my taxes, property taxes, insurances....they need no other from me...just the names and ages of the people living in my home...This is the only time that I would invoke the ACLU....
Posted By: cathy
Date: 2009-06-10 14:38:13Don't you just love Patty Becker? I've read her comments before. She may have to get used to being sad.
I received the CB' 90 harassment treatment well over a year ago. I shut down the landline so that the CB calls didn't go though to my answering machine and didn't answer my door when the reps came. I had 2 reps visiting me. A camera set up to watch them captured their cars. Didn't take much to find out where they lived either.
Posted By: TS
Date: 2009-06-19 20:14:19Received my second mailing, been informed over the phone that I could be charged with a $5,000 fine. I am refusing to anwser, and I wrote my Congressman stating that this is nothing but the Federal Government trying to expand its control and influence in the day to day life of the populace, by ballot if possible and by bullets if not. I have been told that I may receive a personal vistitation. I will have my video phone ready to record and will be sending it to the local TV network. Maybe something good will come out of it, I just might be famous like Joe the Plumber. I wonder if the census worker that comes to the door can out run a dog?
Posted By: AH
Date: 2009-06-24 14:57:18The first one I opened and when i saw the questions and how personal they were, I shredded the document. The second one went right into the garbage unopened as i have the right to filter my snail mail and determine which letters enter my house, and I can tell if it doesn't have a first class stamp, it's garbage and never gets in. The phone calls recently started, and as soon as I hear them say they are from the census bureau, I say no thanks, I'm not interested, and hang up. Good ideas to have a video camera and a copy of the 4th amendment handy--an't wait for the next level of harassment.
Posted By: EJ
Date: 2009-06-24 15:03:24AH,
I have placed a copy of the 4th Amendment near my front door as well. But the first step is to not answer the door. There is no law that says one must open the door for anyone.
And if it is the police with a warrant, they will tear it down rather than wait for you to answer it.
Good luck with the continued intrusion, as they will keep trying.
EJ
Posted By: Betty
Date: 2009-06-30 15:53:49Do you guys really think that you have privacy? If you knew how much about you was already out there about you, you would be shocked! and NOT by big brother either. as for the dogs well, your homeowners insurance should cover the cost of the injuries that are inflicted and then most likey ,They will cancel your policy. oh and do you like having services for your town? many of the business's use the staticiscal info, for where to place a business and who they will hire. the federal funds for transportation use the data too. how many people are carpooling etc. do the teachers in your town get paid as much as the teachers in another state? oh wait how much does it cost to live where you live? can you or your family afford to really move to that other state and do you even want to? how do you think info like that is collected? oh wait the CENSUS pays real people not scabs to do the job correctly and to let the people know that the info is important and they appricate the people who do take part. reporters search to find info, for the stories that they let people know about. Where is the Best Place To Live in the USA. is one of those stories. they go to the bureau for the info. many people use the info. students in school, why be so hard?
Posted By: JB
Date: 2009-07-11 14:20:16Patty Becker mentions in her post above that as soon as the government receives your survey, the data you provide is immediately separated from your address. (She doesn't say that the data is separated from your name. If it's not separated from your name, then having your address separated is of little significance.) If your name and address are indeed separated from the data you give, I suppose a case could be made that the government's purpose in collecting this data is a benign one. But - if the purpose is benign - if there are no nefarious reasons for collecting this data - why not allow those who respond to do so anonymously?
Posted By: Anonymous
Date: 2009-07-29 12:32:51I work for a research company that uses this information weekly to help provide funding to schools, libraries, nonprofit organizations, illiterate children, people with drug issues, and to create overall Community Assesment Reports. By you refusing to respond because you think your rights are being violated, you are harming everyone around you. If you are so conserned about your privacy why are you using a computer? You know they can get all the private information they could possibly want about you straight through the internet...
<<<Think before you type>>>
Posted By: ej
Date: 2009-07-29 12:47:28Anonymous,
The idea that I am harming anyone by not disclosing personal information is hilarious. Please describe the "harm" I am doing.
I choose to use a computer. I am not forced to under threat of law. Can you understand the difference?
And if they can get all the information, why the redundancy?
EJ
Posted By: asdf
Date: 2009-08-06 15:37:43You really dont understand, do you EJ? You really should go to a census training some day and learn a little about the stuff you are talking about.
You will be happy to know that the census next year will only contain 10 questions; simple ones that even you might be able to answer without throwing a hissy fit. Although I am sorry to inform you that the ACS will continue to be held, surveying 2% of the population each year. Perhaps you could move to a different country before your name comes up! I think that would make everyone happy!
Enjoy living in a shell, fearing your government.
Posted By: Buddy
Date: 2009-08-06 15:41:28Hey ej, I noticed your comment about the constitution. You do realize that the census is also part of the constitution? Just checking...
Buddy
Posted By: ej
Date: 2009-08-06 16:12:48asdf,
I know exactly what I am talking about. I do not need to be indoctrinated by government workers.
I have no reason to move to any other country. The Constitution is there to protect me from others when they attempt to violate my rights. And sometimes those rights must be defended.
The ONLY questions I will answer are the ones authorized by the Constitution regarding how many people live at my home.
LOVE YOUR COUNTRY, FEAR YOUR GOVERNMENT
EJ
Posted By: EJ
Date: 2009-08-06 16:14:27Buddy,
The Constitution limits the Census to every ten years and limits what they can ask.
Big Brother has decided they want to know a whole lot more, and a lot more often.
EJ
Posted By: J
Date: 2009-08-07 18:02:29Let's not forget the abuses of the census in the past. During World War II they used it to round up anyone who disclosed they were of Japanese heritage for the internment camps. Even more recently its been use to track anyone who disclosed they were of Arab heritage in the name of national security. The census is racial profiling at its best. It really hit home though this week when a census worker threatened to have my dad arrested and fined when he questioned who the stranger on his doorstep was. This was after the guy scared the living daylights out of my 12 year old sister who answered the door. It doesn't matter which side of the political fence you're on with this issue, there's plenty to hate about it for everyone. As for Patty Becker, she's the Executive Director at the Southeast Michigan Census Council so her views should come as no surprise.
Posted By: Prairy
Date: 2009-08-14 09:38:45First, I'd like to say I have worked for the Census bureau, Dept. of Commerce, on several occasions in the past few decades for a little extra income, both as an enumerator and mapping during dicentennial census years.
Next I'd like to state that I received this American Community Survey in the mail earlier this year, and I set it at the bottom of my "to do" list of priorities, as I was swamped with real life emergency situations. Some time went by and I received another letter saying that it was my Duty to fill the form out, against the law if I didn't fill the form out, and would be receiving another form in the mail in case I lost the first one, which they did send another one. Then they started calling.
So I looked at the survey and couldn't believe some of the questions they were asking. I was perplexed, as this was not a census form, but just a Stasi type inquisition.
I looked up my civil rights, and if I recall, even the ACLU were telling people that yes, the government could fine people, so just fill it out survey and be done with it.
I didn't agree, but filled out the form and sent it back. I kept wondering why, with all this new Homeland security interagency sharing going on, why do we the people have to be subjected to such interrogating question, repeatedly, over and over, by individual governmental and corporate entities.
Well, sending the questionnaire back in didn't seem to satisfy the census bureau. After some time went by, they called and said some of my answers weren't quite good enough. I was astonished and by now becoming alarmed by their inquisition type questioning. I'm not kidding. Of most concern to them was Race, financial status, health and then the census lady started arguing with me about the doors or entrances on my house and if business was separated from house entrance and all this home lay out curiosity, which has NO reasoning for marketing purposes, school/emergency funding, etc., etc. Neither does the race question. It wasn't good enough that I put down what color I was, they wanted to break it down for them and find out more of my genealogical make up!
If I recall, IBM started making cards to keep track of certain types of information on people. The Nazis used the IBM cards and machines to sort people out during WWII.
This is serious and a harbinger of what is coming, or perhaps already exists. Prairy
Posted By: geehwhizz
Date: 2009-08-18 10:06:51Apparently I was grandfathered into the ACS since the former owner of my new home had participated. When I balked, the enumerator began visiting my gated community, unannounced...and leaving her business card in my door. Effectively announcing to all that I was not home. (I travel a lot.) When I called her and asked her to cease and desist, I got a bunch of rhetoric. And then I asked "How did you get the gate code to my gated community?" She hemmed and hawed, then said "The government has all the codes." Next, I emailed the regional office in Colorado. A supervisor called me back and after more rhetoric, insisting that I was legally obligated to participate, she told me that the gate code had been given to the enumerator by the previous owner. So then I'm thinking, "So they are liars too? More reason I don't want them in or around my home." I thought I had dodged a bullet, and then in June of this year, a friend was visiting me...a friend who has a traumatic brain injury. While I was out, another enumerator, whose business card indicates she's a supervisor, interviewed my houseguest...despite the fact that he clearly told her he had a brain injury, memory issues, and was under a doctor's care. This suspect information has now been submitted for my household. So, my question now is: don't they care about the accuracy of the data they submit? And I began an email campaign. I easily found, via the internet, where these two local enumerators live and work...and in addition to emailing anyone whose address at the census bureau I could find, and any local political contact I have (I worked in TV news for many years,) I also emailed the enumerators employers and employers of their spouses. The second woman's husband is a maintenance worker at a neighboring HOA. I figured I'd let another HOA know what may be in store for their residents. Well, I got a call from someone at the Commerce Dept. Thinking he was investigating my privacy violation, I called him back, and he was accusing me of harassing the enumerators!!! Weeks have passed, and just this past weekend the first enumerator was back in my community, interviewing my neighbor...violating the gate security AGAIN, and parking down the street so her car wouldn't be identified during the interview, I suppose. I have people I know in our state's AG's office, and our senators and Congressmen's offices investigating this. I am most concerned about the privacy issues, and secondarily concerned about their submitting questionable data for my household (which seem like a waste of my taxes, no?) More and more people are returning from active combat with brain injuries, and I believe taking advantage of someone with a disability is appalling. I believe these workers get bonuses for the information they are able to glean from us, and the accuracy doesn't matter. Why don't the schedule interviews? Why the surprise factor? Why not conduct the interviews over the phone? Why not use the security gate properly? Why do they lie? Why do they only show up on weekends? Who screens these deadbeats and why are so many of the census computers missing?
Posted By: Josh
Date: 2009-08-20 08:40:15I wrote my Senators, Representative, and the White House a few weeks ago about this. So far, my Representative has been the only one to get back to me. His office assured me they were investigating because apparently I wasn't the only one in my community to complain. It's good to know that I'm not alone in being worried about this. Thanks for writing this article and also all the comments as well, it's encouraging.
Posted By: Gary
Date: 2009-10-04 12:15:56Is there everyone out there that has been fined for refusing to respond to this survey?
Next, they will want to know many gun you have.
Posted By: Hubert
Date: 2009-10-20 14:19:00
Why The American Community Survey will fail
There are two flaws in the system, ACS data becomes less reliable for small geographic areas.
In a Statement of Linda Jacobsen, vice president, Domestic Programs, Population Reference Bureau, before the Joint Economic Committee, U. S. Congress, July 21, 2009, she explained some differences between the census long form and the ACS. Foremost was the fact that the sample size of the current ACS is much smaller. As a result, ACS data from multiple years must be combined to provide reliable estimates for geographic areas with smaller population sizes. The ACS provides 1-year estimates for areas with populations of at least 65,000, 3-year estimates for areas with populations between 20,000 and 65,000, and 5-year estimates for areas with less than 20,000 people. This last group, the first 5-year estimates for 2005-2009 are schedule for release in 2010. She made it clear that without additional funding the ACS could not provide the detail data desired. More funding will be required to keep up with the changes in population. This is one more project that has a runaway budget.
With more information requested each year, they will not be able to convince the public to provide all the personal information. In Linda Jacobsen’s statement, 15 million addresses were surveyed resulting in only 10.5 million final interviews. Or about 1 in 9 households responded to the survey. If you look over the questions asked you can see why, take question number 2: How is this person related to the owner of the house. If this is an adopted child and they do not want it known, how are they going to answer? How about question number 6: What is this person’s race? The first choice is White, the only White people I have seen are albinos. We have mixed marriages in our family with children, how could they answer this question and what difference would it make anyway? America is a melting pot for the races. What are they looking for with questions like this? Is it anybody business how many vehicles are kept at this house? If they want to know the electric bill, why don’t they talk to the utility company? I believe the people that receive Food Stamps would not be willing to share that information. Do they seriously think that if someone is living in a rental without paying rent they would admit it. Then they want you to do an appraisal of your home! I guess when people fill out all the questions about expenses they may realize that they are in over their heads!
For a family of four, there are 213 very personal questions on the form. And my favorite question is number 47 for each person, What was your income and where did it come from. I bet the IRS would love to get their hands on this one. Make a mistake here and guess who will be knocking at your door next.
Posted By: mkj
Date: 2009-11-01 10:59:10I just looked at my second mailing of this form. It is such a tremendous intrusion on our privacy. Like someone said, they are asking for information I would not share with anyone outside of my husband & myself. And to Betty, what does the time you left for work in the morning have to do with community services? If you have a privately owned home, why do they need to know how many rooms in your house and how many of those are bedrooms? Why does the amount of my mortgage payment have any bearing on community services? Not to mention all of the other intrusive, personal questions. And if some say, the government already knows a bunch of this information about us, then why do we have to answer the survey? This is ridiculous.