One more census rant...

[wildernesslodgelover]

You are supposed to enter teh race that you self-identify with. You did that. All is good.

eh, I hope you are right. I am just curious to whether the label I chose can "stick". I personally do not agree with special preference being given to people of certain races...but yeah, if a hispanic scholarship came up for my daughter, or my husband's business can get work as a minority owned company...I don't want to be stupid!

Then again, I have seen paperwork for a certain politician that claims he is a different religion and nationality...and he seems to have been able to put it all in his past and discredit it. So I guess nothing is set in stone.

 

[moburg]

I'm still waiting on a visit from a Census worker. Unless they don't go door to door for partially completed forms. I answered some of the questions, not all, and sent back the forms. Nobody knocking on my door yet.

I answered far less in 2000 (only number of people) and never saw a Census worker then either.

It sounds like they have their own issues to deal with though. They can't even properly count their own workers for labor statistics. How can we expect the national count to be anywhere near accurate??

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/my_royal_runaround_with_the_census_RmHj7oXvGyK2JZnmtukEDK

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/two_more_census_workers_blow_the_OqY80N3DBTvL17VmxKKR0O

 

[RyeCrimsonMoon]

I don't see anything wrong with it, I think you saved your aunt from a few annoyances (I think it depends on where you live on how persistent the census people are).

I got a form, but I live in a college dorm and I didn't think I needed to fill it out, so I didn't. About a month later, we found a piece of paper attached to our door (and for some reason, no one else had one) asking us to call them and fill out the paper work. So I did and I gave the info for my four room mates as well, even though only me and one other were there. I didn't even know the other twos birthdays, but they let me skip that part (as long as I had their ages). I don't even think I told them about it, but I don't see why it would matter (or maybe I did and they didn't care.) I gave them my phone number and they haven't called back for their birthdays.

As for the race part, one of my room mates is half Korean and half White, and I just told them that and he marked it down, no other problems. She doesn't identify her self with just one race, she leans towards her Korean side, but she's not full Korean. I don't think she should pick one or the other and if its not clear on the form, then there should be an extra box to mark for those of mixed descents.

 

[Crankyshank]

As a genealogist, the census records are one of the most important tools to my research. I can't begin to tell you how many brick walls I have jumped over, and how much information I have gotten, all thanks to the census records.
Not only is not filling out the form against federal law, is robbing your community of I'm sure well-needed funds, but also makes it so much more difficult for your descendents to know your "story".

 

[SplashMtnCrew]

OP, I believe you already know what you did was wrong. I do hope your aunt finds out what you did and looks at ways to press charges against you, I know I would. You didn't tell your aunt that you made decisions on her behalf, and I'm certain that you didn't tell the census worker that you have not been granted legal permission in a court of law to act on your aunt's behalf. You only told half of the truth, that a census worker came to the door... you lied by omission.

 

[NikitaZee]

OP, I believe you already know what you did was wrong. I do hope your aunt finds out what you did and looks at ways to press charges against you, I know I would. You didn't tell your aunt that you made decisions on her behalf, and I'm certain that you didn't tell the census worker that you have not been granted legal permission in a court of law to act on your aunt's behalf. You only told half of the truth, that a census worker came to the door... you lied by omission.

Press charges? Court of law? She said in her OP that she had to indicate on the back of the form that she was the one filling it out. If it wasn't legal, the census worker shouldn't have taken it. It bothers me that some folks here seem more worried about what the OP did than her aunt's refusal to fill it out.

 

[auntie]

Press charges? Court of law? She said in her OP that she had to indicate on the back of the form that she was the one filling it out. If it wasn't legal, the census worker shouldn't have taken it. It bothers me that some folks here seem more worried about what the OP did than her aunt's refusal to fill it out.

Well, that is exactly my concern. I think it took a lot of..well, let's just say I think the OP over stepped in her decision to fill it out for her aunt. She should mind her own business and not her adult aunts. While I don't think the OP ought to be arrested, or hauled into court over it.. I do think she had NO right to interfere with her Aunts choice. Her aunt is an adult, not a minor child. While she's entitled to her opinion that her aunt ought to fill it out..it simply wasn't her decision to make.
That being said... Yes, I did fill out and send in my census.
However, I would not want someone filling it out for me, or making my decisions for me. Niece was out of line. Best to mind your own business and leave other's to theirs.

 

[SandrA9810]

I'll go to jail and she can pay the 5,000$ fine for her and my g'mother....

Sounds like a win win situation.

 

[pperfectmom]

OP, I believe you already know what you did was wrong. I do hope your aunt finds out what you did and looks at ways to press charges against you, I know I would. You didn't tell your aunt that you made decisions on her behalf, and I'm certain that you didn't tell the census worker that you have not been granted legal permission in a court of law to act on your aunt's behalf. You only told half of the truth, that a census worker came to the door... you lied by omission.

Oh please. It's not against the law to give information to a census worker. That's why they have a section to fill out using a proxy.

 

[mom2d&b]

Thank you for completing the data for your aunt's address. Census workers ( eumerators) can make up to 6 contacts per address. If they are not successful in obtaing the info form the resident, then they MUST look for a proxy to obtain the info. If the enumerator is unsuccessful, then a crew leader will hit the streets to obtain the information on the address. All info on the census is confidential and not shared with ANYONE for 72 years. By ANYONE I mean, FBI, schools, police, immagration, etc. Only statistics are shared. After 72 years, the form becomes accessable. In my area I have seen contractors, maintence men, property management companies, realtors, cable installers, as well as relitives be proxys. Goverment funding is split based on census data. It is in everyone's best intrest to complete the form so your area gets their fair share of $$$$

 

[SplashMtnCrew]

Press charges? Court of law? She said in her OP that she had to indicate on the back of the form that she was the one filling it out. If it wasn't legal, the census worker shouldn't have taken it. It bothers me that some folks here seem more worried about what the OP did than her aunt's refusal to fill it out.

I was going to mention earlier that I had doubts that the census worker had any legal training. So the worker told her to write her name on the back, big deal. Just b/c someone tells you something doesn't make it so, doeesn't make it right and certainly doesn't make it legal.

It bothers me that some folks here seem to think a census worker has legal training
It also bothers me that some folks here seem to think that obtaining census info is more important than the possibility of fraud

I never said that I wasn't concerned about the aunt's refusal to fill out the form, you said that. I find the OP's actions to be questionable, more of a concern than a form that the aunt will fill out and mail back or she will be contacted about in the future.

 

[rparmfamily]

Are people always this crazy about not doing the census? Or is this "new" crazy? LOL It's basically the questions that were asked in the first census (minus how many slaves you have, and a few others) people!

 

[SplashMtnCrew]

Oh please. It's not against the law to give information to a census worker. That's why they have a section to fill out using a proxy.

Oh please. Why then did the op not fill out the proxy section instead of signing the back? How many people here want other people filling out their census forms for them? I think that is something we all should do on our own, to make sure the information is correct and accurate.

 

[pperfectmom]

I'm still trying to figure out how it could possibly be considered fraud. How is it fraud to give out someone's info to a government employee? Now if she said her aunt lived with twelve kids, two husbands and a crazy uncle Elmo, THEN it would have been fraud.

 

[SplashMtnCrew]

Acting as the head of household is fraud if she isn't, which she isn't, at least not at her aunt's house she isn't.

 

[pperfectmom]

Oh please. Why then did the op not fill out the proxy section instead of signing the back? How many people here want other people filling out their census forms for them? I think that is something we all should do on our own, to make sure the information is correct and accurate.

I must have missed something in the OP's post that said she "signed" the back. There isn't even a spot for anyone to sign except for the enumerator. Unless different areas of the country have different forms. And, as far as I know, the enumerator should have filled in all the info and just used Sandra's name in the proxy section.

 

[SplashMtnCrew]

They were sent out, what 2-3 months ago?? And they've been sending out census workers for the past month??

My aunt has down right refused to fill out the form. And well yesterday afternoon while she was at work, a census worker came, and I filled it out for her. I knew she was not going to fill it out on her own. And she feels like it doesn't matter now that she's moving to a new city.

Seriously... what is the big deal??? it's a few questions. I hope nothing else comes in the mail, cause I had to put that I filled the info out on the back of the form. And I don't want to hear her wrath (I didn't tell her I filled it out, just that the lady showed up).

Ohh and she doesn't care that it's a federal law to fill it out.

 

[Colleen27]

Are people always this crazy about not doing the census? Or is this "new" crazy? LOL It's basically the questions that were asked in the first census (minus how many slaves you have, and a few others) people!

It is mostly new crazy. Paranoia is the new black.

 

[C.Ann]

I never got a census form and have not seen any workers in my area at all .

Me either.. I would be more than happy to comply - but so far, nothing..

 

[Purseval]

All info on the census is confidential and not shared with ANYONE for 72 years. By ANYONE I mean, FBI, schools, police, immagration, etc. Only statistics are shared.

Tell that to the Japanese Americans sent to internment camps during WWII

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=confirmed-the-us-census-b

Goverment funding is split based on census data. It is in everyone's best intrest to complete the form so your area gets their fair share of other people's $$$$

There, I fixed it for you

BTW, nobody has ever been prosecuted for refusing to fill out a census form. We tell how many people live in the house and their ages, that's it.