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The US Census Bureau recently "randomly" tapped my house to participate in a one of the big surveys they occasionally do so they can generate reports to justify their existence beyond the once-a-decade work they do.
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| and I responded. Won't be what they expect, but I responded. |
The form is a long piece of work. It sought a bunch of details about the people in the house.
Among the details asked was race. I checked the OTHER box and wrote Human in the space provided. I do that on any form these days which asks my race.
Flip past that and the form began to ask detailed questions. I didn't object to answering the questions, per se. I know the Census keeps the information sealed for decades, so privacy is not a worry.
What I objected to is the Census asking the questions and telling (lying) to me that the information is used by local, state and national government to decide about taxes and how resources are allocated. What I objected to is having to answer a suite of questions which the Census is not Constitutionally obligated to ask.
About halfway through the form's questions about me, I quit answering. Didn't bother to do the rest for anyone else in the house. I shoved the form in the envelope and sent it back to the Census bureau.
It reminded me of the Selective Service registration I had to when in high school. Kids, excuse me, males today still have to do this. I had to in order to get financial aid for college (so it was said.) So, I filled the form out. And I filled another form out. And I filled another form out. Selective Service had (has) three different files for me, each with different information.
One of these days I'm gonna file a Freedom of Information Act request with the federal government about myself. I know I've said in the past I was gonna do it, but I just can't work up the interest to do so.
In the meantime, I'm gonna keep shoveling sand into the gears that is our government and hope someday it brings stuff to a grinding halt. Maybe then we'll work as a nation to straighten things out and prevent it from happening again.
Ok, so I'm being a pollyanna. A me bud Mel said today on IM, "everyone has to have a goal."
I recomember back in college, during my Atheist/Agnostic Phase When ever I had to fill out forms that asked my religious affiliation (Which was technically S. Baptist at the time since I was still attending services with my Mom due to the fact I had to get up and drive her)) I'd always put down "Druid/reformed" (Only worships bushes Old MASH joke)on the forms. Inevitably when I would get my copy of the processed forms/cards etc, the person would have checked "Unknown" or "Other" instead of typing in what I put. I had grand fun going back to the offices and complaining of religious persecution. So much of the Shitte that our government forces on us is unnecessary to the extreme or has long since been perverted beyond what it was intended for. We are way past the point where we need to take a long hard look at Every aspect of the government and fix it. Yeah right, like that will ever happen.
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