Census 2010

Some of that information (special needs, commuting time) also helps determine how federal dollars should be allocated. Do we need more home heath care workers, or more busses?

dntw8up
i have to agree with you here. i have also heard through other people that this information is not as private as they would have you believe and not as confidential as they are supposed to be. i have heard that they do alot of talking behind those closed doors about what responders answer.
hmmm how do they use this information. if i ever get the form , i will only answer non-personal questions.

Linda: Have we really fallen so far that people think it is the government's job to allot home care workers and buses??

Buses are run by the government? When did this happen? My grandfather operated a trolley before GM bribed government officials to destroy the trolley systems across the country. The he drove a GM bus. He worked for a private company, not the government. When I was growing up we had 3 private bus lines operating in our town. The government runs the buses? Amazing!

I apologize for not being clear. Let me use a simple example. In order to ensure there are enough classrooms in the future, we (the big WE) need to know how many children are coming along. The FEDERAL census is used for this purpose by the states as well as many others.

I repeat, anyone who is citing a statistic regarding any aspect of our population, is probably citing from the federal census. But the feds are by no means the only ones who use the census.

The census dude just picked up our form. We answered the first few questions (name, phone, sex, age, bday, race) and left the rest blank. He said he'd have to interview us to answer the rest of the questions. I said we weren't going to answer the rest, that we think we answered what was required by law (and more), and we didn't trust the info to be kept confidential, and he said a lot of people are saying that and leaving questions blank, and he left.

Linda: I would argue that it is not the Federal government's job to ensure classroom space. That is for the local authorities to determine. But this is the crux of many of the discussions- health care, census, bail outs. What is the proper relationship of people and the government? The framers of the Constitution did a pretty good job describing this, IMHO.

Okay, when is invading my privacy okay?
The door bell rang 3 different times, I was laying down and did not answer the door. Then I hear someone yelling at my back door, I go to see WTH is going on and it's the census dude. WTF, why is he now at my back door. He asked if I could talk to him and I said no.
A little while later my neighbor called, they were at the beach and came home to find that the census dude had been at there back door, he left a noticed under her flip flops. I feel that a back yard is private. If we don't answer from the front door then leave the notice there, don't walk around my home. This really pisses me off.

Will you please just let the burglar do his JOB......we need more burglars....don't we ???? Broad daylight ...casing the joint ...come on this guy is a professional ...give him ...some respect LOL just kidding:D

This will be my last post on this subject. The census data itself is public information and is used by a whole host of public and private entities to allow the country to function. To those who do not understand this, I suggest you research. The state of Kentucky's state data center website might be a good place to start.

poorthang, true, I don't like someone creeping around my house, I was just getting ready to start the phone tree for our neighborhood watch when I saw him standing down by my pool, then I noticed the Census 2010 shirt he had on.
Unfortunately, we have to be on alert all the time. I hope the burgulars don't get ahold of the Census T-shirts.

Linda J -

Nobody is objecting to the Census questions, which are name, age, birth date, gender, ethnicity, and place of residence. However, the VI has included over 50 additional community survey questions that are not officially part of the U.S. Census, questions whose answers are definitely not "public information", questions whose answers most people do not want to share publicly.

I don't like anyone on my property .unless your invited.....official,by mistake,curious whatever and that is the front yard..... You come into my backyard chances are your going to get a really good view of my grass...cause I.m going to make you drop at gunpoint and listen to your "pitch" in a very loving way.....oh you poor dear I'm sorry you got grass stains on those nice clothes....now WHAT DO YOU WANT ???? and they would reply ....some toilet paper please....:-o

I don't see why people are being so childish about people with a job to do. Don't like where he left the notice? Fine, don't call him back. But it's very common for people to use their back door instead of the front, and there's no way for that person to know that it would have bothered you. If you felt like what he did was rude, be an adult and tell him so, rather than kvetching about it on the internet. If you don't feel called upon to answer certain questions, don't. But talking about pulling guns on people? How on earth is your refusal to do as you're legally required to do worth threatening another human being with a firearm? That's ridiculous.

Ever heard the term....". Private Property..." I paid for it ....,for MY peace and comfort....would you rather my DOG chew his ass when he comes into my backyard. My dog is trained not to bark....he will get no warning from the dog...Have you ever needed protection from an intruder? There are people who will do you harm ya know. If a stranger is bold enough to enter my private back yard he takes a risk of not seeing potential dangers ie...dogs...Ever had small children and you lost track of them for a few minutes on your own property...very scary feeling....So yea ... You better be ready to hit the groung when i tell ya to....... To further my argument steph.... I 'll tell you a quick story...I was working outside at a customers house, a man in his 20's walks out of the woods with a shotgun and a doberman pinscher,he starts walking towards the customers house ...,lady was all alone inside...I see him and approach him....I got close enough to him and grabbed his clothes by his neck and took the shotgun ......THEN ... I asked him what he was doing....His story was he was lost.... the lady saw all of this happen fromw her kitchen window and thanked me repeatedly saying I don't know what would have happened if you weren't here... moral of the story ....SH...T HAPPENS...

So, firearms and vicious dogs coming after innocent people doing a job has what exactly to do with armed robbers? And I really don't appreciate the "there are people out there who will do you harm ya know" remark--as a rape survivor, I'm fully aware of that fact, thank you very much. As I mentioned, I'm close to someone who's working for the census, and I lose enough sleep at night worrying about him going out knocking on people's doors without reading the bragging on a census thread about vicious dogs and firearms.

It's a bit different here; if someone comes into your driveway they usually honk their car honk and say "Inside" a few times. I cannot believe anyone would get out of their car and walk around someones house--that is just asking for a problem.
Homes are robbed by kids on bikes "casing" the property then calling someone with a car to let them know the house is empty.

You just don't quietly go on to someones property and take the liberty of walking around their house. Just because they were hired to work the Census does not mean they are honest--it probably means they were unemployed when the job was listed. All they have to do is go home and tell their sister,brother,cousin of friend about the house they visited that is empty duing the day and there you go.

When criminals start wearing a shirt marked ....BAD GUY..... maybe I'll feel better and more secure....

Our census will be outside our only entry door which is at the back of the house. He or she can take it if we're not here or I will go outside to answer any q's they might have, but they will not be allowed to come inside the house. We are not legally bound to allow entry into the home by a census taker. I realize they have a job to do but I'm not obligated to allow them into the house -period!

I was working outside at a customers house, a man in his 20's walks out of the woods with a shotgun and a doberman pinscher,he starts walking towards the customers house ...,lady was all alone inside...I see him and approach him....I got close enough to him and grabbed his clothes by his neck and took the shotgun

Were you concerned about the dog attacking you?

STXBob...yes I was ...before I let go of him I said will your Dog be good.....he said it would and the dog didn't react so I let go of my hold but held onto the gun....yes it was loaded and I ejected the rounds immediately....Dobermans...are not on my favorite dog list either.. very unpredictable I ended up giving this guy and his dog a ride about 5 miles away to a farm he said was his dads'...I kept the shells and dropped him off....crazy does happen......his story was he was tracking a friend of his with the dog and he got lost...yea I know BS

We had two very sweet young ladies to come and collect our census forms. They were so nervous. We had already been counted in the states and had not filled out any questions on the form. We did have to answer some questions and it was no problem.

stephyjh, I don't think that I'm childish and I think it is rude that you said that. BTW, I did tell him that I didn't like that he came to my back door. We called the office and they said they are told NOT to go to anybody's back door. I know they are doing there job and that's fine but I just don't like anyone coming to my back door. How did he know anyone was home in the first place, I had no cars in the driveway, so he rang my doorbell 3 times then walks around back. WHY? I just don't understand that.
I have been robbed in my home while I was here so when someone is creeping around my property I'm very uneasy.
I would never go to anyones back door unless invited.

I think that people are losing sight of the fact that these census workers you're so vehemently opposed to are people too. Many of them are working two or three jobs just to stay afloat and have people close to them who are worried sick about the fact that they're out knocking on people's doors. If you've addressed the problem with the individual and with his supervisor and were able to talk to someone about your concerns who could actually do something about it, there was no need to bring it here--that's just spreading the drama around. But what really upsets me is the talk by other posters of vicious dogs and shotguns--what if it were your partner or a member of your family who was being threatened that way?

the census lady came today, easter sunday! i'd failed to fill out my form. i did not let her in, i didn't think my place was presentable (i'd not been expecting her, and was having a nap when she arrived). she stood just outside my door and asked all questions and was very patient and kind.