What Questions Should Be On The
Census?
There is a lot of debate about the
amount of information Google and Facebook are gathering on individuals. No one
seems to question the information the US government gathers on individuals when
it takes the census. The number of questions grows every 10 years. It gets more
and more into details on people’s lives. You don’t have the option to not
provide this information. They even go so far ask what time you leave to go to
work and how long it takes. If there ever was on overly intrusive grab by the
federal government on your personal information the census is it.
They claim the data is necessary for “public
policy.” I have a very cynical view on this. The form looks more like the
sociology profession trying to justify its existence. People need to be aware
of the data the government is gathering. They need to pressure their elected
official to greatly reduce the number of questions. The census comes from
Article One Section 2 of the Constitution. It was to count the number of people
to determine how many House of Representative seats each state would have. That
was it. It has now grown way past the original intent.
I never trust the government when
they claim they are collecting data to support public policy. I don’t want the
government to know what time I leave for work or how long it takes me. That and
a whole lot more questions they ask. You can count me, so my state has the
correct number of representatives. That’s all.
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