One of my favorite lines in the “welcome letter” of my census mentioned that if I don’t fill this out, I or my community might not be eligible for tax dollars to build roads and other government sponsored structures.
I understand the constitutional main use of the census to be determining the number of representatives for regions from Article 1 Section 2.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
And the 14th Amendment Section 2
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_amendments_11-27.html
Well – they’re asking mostly for how many people live in my house, the SSN/DOB of my kids, and our ethnic backgrounds. (What if a friend or family member was living with me trying to get back on their feet? The IRS gets my dependent’s SSNs/DOB. Why is the color of my skin relevant?)
http://2010.census.gov/2010census/why/constitutional.php
Now the Census Bureau cites their ability to do this based on precedence. If the Census is asking for this information now (and we’re not sure exactly WHY they’d need to know ethnic info and SSNs), what will they be asking for next time? My issue with this, is this principle:
Precedence is Not Law. And as a result, we just need to be aware of what We the People actually want from our government in regards to securing our Liberties.
I cite what Jesus taught about this precedence issue in regards to divorce in Matthew 19:3-8
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’
5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.
In this regard, we need to watch more closely what we somewhat blindly do or are asked to do – like how some retail stores ask for your phone number so they can get your address and put you on mailing and call lists. This principle applies to all legislation. It’s not that the census is “necessary”, but it’s all in how you look at what’s going on. I did fill mine out by the way as I pick my battles (don’t get me started on taxes). Did you have fun filling yours out, or did you sort of feel a little intimidated to do it and question some things? For me, I would rather have simply replied with “2 voting adults and 2 kids”.