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