Census

[joviroxx]

same letter, same thought!

 

[luvmy3jewels]

In my job, I have had to deal with the Census preparations over the last couple of years. I know that they are trying to get the word out about the Census is coming, but honestly the amount of money being wasted by them during this marketing campaign has been ridiculous!!! It's like they think the more money they throw out the window, the higher the response rate is going to be.

I don't think their attempts are going to work. In the end, the same people who would have responded otherwise are going to respond and the ones that don't want to take the time (or they mistrust the gov't) won't. I am really po'd about the whole thing to be quite honest. When you hear reports about the US deficit and then see things that are so obviously wasteful it makes you mad!!

 

[dislaney]

I agree - I really needed a letter to tell me the census is coming next week. You would have to be living under a rock not to know!

 

[RayaniFoxmur]

Hermes Conrad: [a letter comes in on the mail tube] Great gorilla of Manilla! A letter from the Central Bureaucracy.
[Reads letter]
Hermes Conrad: "Attention, Hermes Conrad. You are about to receive a letter from the Central Bureaucracy."
[Another letter comes in]
Hermes Conrad: [Shocked] Oh, my God! It's from the Central Bureaucracy!

Thank you and goodnight.

(The video is http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=156353&title=bureaucrats-joy if you want to see it!)

 

[FireDancer]

FireDancer - is that a picture of you in your signature?

It is. It was taken up on a wall over Siena, Tuscany, Italy.

 

[bettymae1121]

I don't mind the tv ads, it's actually a pretty good way to get the word out to just about everyone in the country. There aren't too many American's that don't watch any tv!

But the letter was just stupid, and I said as much when I got it last week!

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

I thought the same thing. What a waste of money and paper. With all the financial issues, why are the spending so foolishly?
When it finally does arrive by mail, I am sure we are not all going to say "wow, glad i got the reminder that it was coming." For goodness sakes, just send it to us.

 

[eliza61]

Yesterday we got what we thought was our census form in the mail. Nope, it was just a letter telling that we would be receiving our census forms soon. Really! I can only imagine how much it cost to tell us something we already knew...

I think the intent was so people won't throw the letter out in the junk mail without even opening it. I've been known to do that a time or two. I see an envelope don't recognize the return address and throw it away. I get so much junk mail.

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

I think the intent was so people won't throw the letter out in the junk mail without even opening it. I've been known to do that a time or two. I see an envelope don't recognize the return address and throw it away. I get so much junk mail.

I always shred anything i dont recognize, but on the envelope, they could just print something about it being the census so you won't throw it away.

 

[mumom95]

We got ours a few days ago and I had the same reaction. When I realized it wasn't the census, my first thought was what a waste of money.

Somewhere along the way in this countrie's history our government lost the ability to make rational, logical, responsible decisions.

 

[LukenDC]

Yesterday we got what we thought was our census form in the mail. Nope, it was just a letter telling that we would be receiving our census forms soon. Really! I can only imagine how much it cost to tell us something we already knew...

I was annoyed by that letter too and considered it a waste of taxpayer dollars. I don't mind the public information campaigns on TV, print media, online, etc., but an individual letter to each household seems excessive.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

I got the letter too, and felt it was a real waste of money. DH said if anything, it would make him NOT want to fill out the census, cause he's ticked at what a waste it is.

 

[disney1990]

I got the letter too, and felt it was a real waste of money. DH said if anything, it would make him NOT want to fill out the census, cause he's ticked at what a waste it is.

In the long run, this would really run up the cost. Somebody will contact you up to six time to get the census form completed.

 

[FireDancer]

I think the intent was so people won't throw the letter out in the junk mail without even opening it. I've been known to do that a time or two. I see an envelope don't recognize the return address and throw it away. I get so much junk mail.

Here is the problem with that logic. If the person opens the warning letter that says census on it there is no reason to believe they wouldn't have opened the same envelope with the actual census in it. If they throw out the warning letter they haven't been warned anyway.

There are also much less expensive advertising options then prime time network television and Super Bowl ads. Hoe about a little fiscal responsibility when you are spending our money to buy these ads.

 

[disykat]

The more people respond the less people they have to employ to track down non-responders. I think it's probably financially worth it to them to have the massive PR campaign.