The 2010 Census is the 23rd since the nation’s inception. The census has been conducted in the United States every decade since 1790, as required by Article 1, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution.
· The 10 questions posed in today’s census aren’t very different from the six questions posed in the 1790 Census, except this time they aren’t asking how many slaves you own.
· Thomas Jefferson was the first director of what would become the Census Bureau; James Madison developed five of the six questions posed in the first census.
· The U.S. Census was the first census used to determine political representation for communities. Previous censuses — going back to Biblical times — were used mainly for tax-collection and conscription for labor and soldiers.
· Federal law prohibits the Census Bureau from sharing its information with any other agencies, including the IRS and Immigration.
· It’s a legal obligation to complete your Census form, but it’s also your civic duty. And by completing your form and mailing it back, you’re saving the government money — it costs the U.S. government 44 cents if you mail back your form. If you don’t, the government spends an average of $57 for each house to hire temporary workers to visit your house to get the information.
So if you haven’t already done so, mail in your damn form! It takes 3 minutes to fill out! If you did not receive a form, call 866-872-6868.
So, my census arrived on the day it was supposed to arrive. It’s arrival had been announced by a postcard AND a letter beforehand. I filled out my census and mailed it back on the first day.
On April 4, I got another census form. Exactly the same as the first. So did some of my neighbors. Should I file a second one?