Posted: March-12-2010 at 5:54pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Question:  When someone claiming to be a census worker knocks on you door, how can you be sure that he or she is legitimate?

Answer: First, ask to see a photo ID and a badge that shows that the person represents the U.S. Census Bureau. The worker will also have a hand-held device that is used to take your information, a canvas census bag and a confidentiality notice.

Census workers will not ask for your Social Security number or for information about your bank accounts or credit cards. The Better Business Bureau advises you not to invite the worker, or anyone you don’t know, into your home. To protect against identity theft, the BBB also warns you never to give out personal or financial information to anyone who shows up at your door.

For more tips, go to the Better Business Bureau website. 

Source: Better Business Bureau

Posted: March-12-2010 at 10:49pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Got a question for you "SpeedRacer," or anyone else who knows answer.

Are we required "by law" to fill a Census form out? The reason I ask is, I don't know the answer.

On Friday, while out eating lunch with a couple buddies, the table beside us had three men sitting at it discussing the Census. One of the guys said he wasn't filling the Census form out, and he'd never filled one out. One of the other guys told him, it's the law, we've got to fill the Census form out and return it.

The guy who said he'd never filled the Census form out, said he wasn't going to give the government information about him and the number of people under his roof. It was funny, the guy who hadn't spoken in their trio said, "Eric, trust me ... the government knows more about you than you think they do. Even without you never having filled out the Census."

I will say this: I read last weekend the monetary deal with Roush Racing for a three-race sponsorship deal with the U.S. Census on Greg Biffle's race car was worth $1.2 million. That's $400,000 per race, and it's not even for full-sponsorship on the car, either. I think it's idiotic the U.S. Government spending that kind of money to sponsor a race car, or for that matter ... for the government spending money advertising the Census through any sporting event.

Posted: March-13-2010 at 1:49pm | IP Logged	Tweet

It's especially idiotic considering the staggering national debt and the fact that having the Census Bureau's logo on the 16 car does absolutely nothing to facilitate the taking of the census. It's just another huge waste of taxpayer money. What are they going to do next? Put a $2 million sponsorship on one of Hendrick's cars to remind us to file our Federal income tax return by April 15th? 

Are you required by law to complete and return the census form?   YES

If you do not return the form, that is when they come to visit you and help you fill it out.  HA HA

Frequently asked questions concerning the census taking procedure:

http://2010.census.gov/2010census/how/questions.php

Posted: March-13-2010 at 3:50pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Yep... inside story there folks.... but sometimes the little guy does prevail.   LOL

Posted: March-13-2010 at 11:57pm | IP Logged	Tweet

I'm telling you, last week at Atlanta during practice, one of the SPEED Channel reporters was interviewing Greg Biffle in the garage area about how his car was running, etc. Then he asked him about his sponsor for the weekend, the U.S. Census Bureau. Biffle was even wearing a uniform with U.S. Census Bureau across the chest.

Man, that immediately didn't sit well with me. I'm not referring to Biffle's uniform, I'm just talking period about the U.S. Government spending taxpayer money to sponsor a race car. It could've been any sporting event, as far as that goes. It's just not right spending taxpayers money like that.

I agree with you "SpeedRacer," seeing the Census info on Biffle's race car isn't going to make anyone fill out their Census form. The $1.2 million is just money wasted by the U.S. Government, bottom line!!!

There was a lengthy article this past week in the Johnson City Press regarding the Census, with quotes from "some guy" who oversees the Census. He said once all Census forms are received, they will determine which households haven't returned one and then will send a field worker out to the residence. Hmmmmmmmm, what if no one contunually is home to gather the info?

I know city's and county's depend upon Census figures when applying for grants, etc. It's important for local government.

Myself, I don't see anyone raising a big deal over filling out a Census form and returning it.

Posted: April-02-2010 at 10:18am | IP Logged	Tweet

Just curious.... How many of you fellow forum members actually received the census form to fill out and send back?

We did not receive one..... and I have talked with quite a number of others in my area who did not receive one.

Is that the fault of the Postal Service, or did the Census Bureau just not send them out?  We are "required by law" to complete the form and submit it. How does one comply with that requirement if they do not send you a form to fill out and submit?????

Is that perhaps how they justify the thousands and thousands of census workers who will be going door-to-door?

I would much prefer to mail in the form, and would gladly have done so... IF they would have sent me one.....

Posted: April-02-2010 at 3:08pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Like "66 Nova," I also first received a letter stating I would be receiving the Census form ... and then about a week later I received the form in mail. I filled it out that night and sent it back the next day.

When you look at the cost-factor regarding the Census, just figure the postage amount of first mailing people a letter saying they will receive the Census form. Then the postage amount of sending the Census form out. Why waste money sending out a letter telling people they will be receiving a Census form?

Posted: April-02-2010 at 4:27pm | IP Logged	Tweet

I did a little checking this afternoon..... The Census Bureau says that the forms distribution is, in their words, "running behind"..... all the forms were to have been in our hands this week. They say that many thousands of the forms haven't even been sent out yet and that they should all be distributed by no later than April 12th.

I suppose that many of us in this area are just in the tail-end group.

Posted: April-13-2010 at 9:37pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Well... here it is April 14th, and we never did receive the census form to fill out and send back.

I suppose that we just don't count, huh?   HA HA

I asked around. Several people who I asked did not receive the form either. Typical government run project.......

Posted: April-13-2010 at 10:07pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Hey "SpeedRacer," why don't you just call the White House and ask to speak to President Barack Hussein Obama and tell him you never received a census form. Tell him with all the 2010 Census advertising money spent you figured you'd receive your form. Ask him if you and your wife don't count? Ask him about ALL the other people in Southwest Virginia, ask him if they aren't important enough to count?

Posted: May-03-2010 at 6:07pm | IP Logged	Tweet

I read a really good (by "good", I mean funny) AP story in our area daily newspaper last week..... 

The topic was that fewer census forms were mailed in from some areas of the country for this year's census than were mailed in last time the census was taken.... and the Census Bureau representative who was interviewed was perplexed as to why fewer forms were mailed in.

Got an EASY answer to that one folks..... A danged lot of us did not get the preliminary letter, and did not get the census form. They simply were not mailed out to us. I haven't done any major analysis in my area, but I have talked with several people from different areas of our county who did not receive the mailings. Ya can't mail back what isn't sent to you to mail back.

The AP story mentioned Southwest Virginia as one of the many areas of the country where the number of submitted forms was down significantly from the last census. The Census Bureau lady who was interviewed just couldn't understand why people wouldn't take the time to fill out the form and mail it back since the census count is "so important when it comes to things like government funding, grants, public works projects and the like......

Hey lady.....don't have to tell me about that.  HA HA  Heck, I even contacted the Census Bureau twice to tell them that a lot of us in this area received no forms. The only repply I received was to tell me that not all forms had been mailed out yet (after they were due in), and to tell me that we would have them later because they were behind on sending them out. They were to be in our hands by mid-April they said......   Never got 'em.

So, when they tell the AP that people in areas such as SW VA just don't seem to understand the importance of mailing the form back in.... maybe they should check to see if they ever mailed them out.   LOL

Posted: May-04-2010 at 2:07pm | IP Logged	Tweet

  The census worker came to my door today.

   Since I was in my shop, and my rifle was in the house, I decided just to answer her questions . I don't think there was even 10 questions, I just don't see what all the fuss is about, not of the questions were at all what I would consider personel.

  I started to ask her why they just didn't send the form in the mail. But she was just a temp. worker, and I doubted she'd know the answer.

Posted: May-04-2010 at 2:49pm | IP Logged	Tweet

Exactly right Tom.  The door-to-door census takers are just doing a job and wouldn't have any answers to why the program is administered so ineptly.

Even the person at the Census Bureau who I spoke with seemed to think that it was sort of humorous that a private citizen would be so concerned as to contact them and ask "Why didn't I get a form?".

The response was just sort of a nonchalant "Don't worry about it. You will get one sooner or later. If you don't, somebody will come to your house and get the information".   (....like I'm gonna be sittin' here waitin' on 'em to stop by......)

My whole point is that I actually do understand what it all means.... and I want every living soul in my area to be counted so that when allocations, doll-outs, entitlements, redistributions of wealth, etc., are made our area gets every danged Gov'mint cent we are entitled to.  I don't want us short-counted.. and I sure as heck don't like some government employee in Atlanta saying that we "hill folks" are too stupid to send the forms back in.

You are right Tom that the questions asked are simple straight forward impersonal questions. It's just a simple head count. Only the federal Government could make such a simple task into such a mega-costly boondoggle.

It would have been a heck of a lot simpler if they had just mailed out the forms as they were supposed to have done.... or if maybe they had been delivered as they were supposed to have been...... It's just amazing that so many people in SW VA didn't get the forms in the mail.