Community Chat

[Toppers]

Romary, you have probably realized this by now, while reading this thread, but there are two different forms that are sent out during the census.

There is a short form that just asks for some basic information, and then there is a long form, that asks for more detailed information in it.

The long form is quite lengthy. As I already mentioned, we filled it out twice here, in our household.

If you don't fill the forms out, you will get a personal visit from a census taker. It happened to a neighbor of ours.

[naturalfan]

Thank you dooBdoo - Guess I did not read thoroughly enough. Won't be the last time.

[Plaid Pants]

On 1/11/2015 Jezzebell said:

On 1/11/2015 RetRN said:

Adults acting like children. Grow up and do your civic duty and fill out the form.

^^^^^this!!!!!

^^^^^this!!!!! x2

I consider it my patriotic duty as an American citizen to fill out my census completely, and I always do.

After all, when one does genealogical research, those census comes in handy. What if, 2, 3 4 generations from now, your descendants want to research the family tree, but are stonewalled simply because their ancestor was too stubborn to fill it out completely?

Sometimes we have to think of others, and not of our own selfishness.

[dooBdoo]

On 1/11/2015 naturalfan said:

Thank you dooBdoo - Guess I did not read thoroughly enough. Won't be the last time.

You're welcome, naturalfan. Once the comment count starts to get high, I miss a lot of what's been written.

[Suhse]

When they start enquiring about Bowel habits and favorite se. x. u al positions, I'll worry about intrusive. I don't find collecting demographic information intrusive. I'm quite sure it's all computerized and there is no Census Bureau agent, salivating over the fact that I have 2 bathrooms, cable TV and sometimes take the bus,

[151949]

I think some people just have to keep everything secret - as a nurse who frequently had to work in the ER I can tell you trying to get information from some folks is really like pulling teeth.They just won't or can't just tell you what the problem is or what led up to them having this injury or illness - or their medical history. So it all becomes a guessing game on the part of the poor doctors.

So I suppose those same people don't want to tell the census bureau anything either. Stupid in the ER and on the census.

[ROMARY]

northernlights: Yes, very true. I'm just trying to 'slap myself' to stop thinking that they should all be the same longer (perhaps somewhat shorter/modified for ease of filling out) forms. For the simple reason of accuracy/accurate monetary allotments for various infrastructure, etc. But, as someone here at home mentioned to me, don't worry about everything/everybody else. If it ends up being inaccurate, it shouldn't bother me, and who cares, anyway? (But it does bother me, and I care.)

[Toppers]

I understand your concern, Romary.

The best that I can tell you though, is that if someone doesn't fill out either form, they will normally get a personal follow-up visit from a census taker.

I think that they figure that if you haven't returned it, that maybe you need help filling it out because you didn't understand some of the questions, etc., and that is why they will send someone out to follow-up with you.

Like I said, that happened to a neighbor of ours. So, it's just easier to fill out the forms in my opinion, whether you get a long one or a short one.

They use that information to provide our communities with all different kinds of services, so it's to everyone's benefit to fill them out.

[Ms X]

The "Question Authority" generation has turned into the Do As I Say OR ELSE Brigade. God help those who will not answer any and every question the federal government asks on the long and intrusive census. They are dismissed as paranoid, etc. Never mind that the info is available elsewhere. Never mind that they ask some weird questions that leave most wondering why they want to know about that. Never mind that one poster claims the feds sell some of the census info they get. We must comply. In full. Every question no matter how strange. Big Brother Is Our Friend, don'cha know!

[terrier3]

On 1/12/2015 Ms X said:

The "Question Authority" generation has turned into the Do As I Say OR ELSE Brigade. God help those who will not answer any and every question the federal government asks on the long and intrusive census. They are dismissed as paranoid, etc. Never mind that the info is available elsewhere. Never mind that they ask some weird questions that leave most wondering why they want to know about that. Never mind that one poster claims the feds sell some of the census info they get. We must comply. In full. Every question no matter how strange. Big Brother Is Our Friend, don'cha know!

The Founding Fathers started the census..I doubt they even considered that people would refuse to participate,

The refusal, based on groundless fears and people's strange notions of "freedom, is the new phenomenon.