Did anyone else receive one of these? According to their web site, US Code Title 13, sections Section 141 and Section 193 your response is required by law.
In reality, those sections outline that The Secretary (who is presumably defined elsewhere) can take surveys as a part of their census process. It is Section 221 that requires you to respond:
Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any other authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the Secretary or authorized officer, to answer, to the best of his knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in connection with any census or survey provided…
That’s just a crock.
Oh, sure, census information is useful and all that. It’s just the principal of it. I guess I’ll have to ask the nice lady who came to my door for some evidence that she is an authorized officer or employee of the Deparment of Commerce, or a bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of The Secretary.
Heck, I’d pay the $100 if it weren’t for Title 18, Section 3571 (allegedly Section 3559 as well, but that seems to deal with imprisonment and not monetary fines). With it on the books, the “not greater than $100” fine becomes “not greater than $5000” fine. That really blows.
Comments
718 responses to “American Community Survey”
@Another Concerned Citizen – check the link in the original post (admittedly, way up there). It points directly to what you seek: Title 18, Section 3571.
Subsection (b) item (7) sets the fine for individuals at $5,000. Subsection (c) item (7) sets the fine for organizations at $10,000. It doesn’t mean it will be levied, as many have attested above. But I believe that is what you are after.
Why do they threaten? Because they can. They need the private info to keep all the data junkies happy. The CB is under the illusion that the info collected can be given out to social, behavioral and economic scientists to analyze and formulate conclusions about the public. The data junkies know that they can’t get the info from the public directly so they petition the CB to ask the questions for them. Politicians love the info so they can pander to their voters.
Yes, some of the info is part of the public record which makes it more difficult for the CB keep the rest of it confidential. My town already knows how many bedrooms each residence has and what the taxes are. What the ACS does is to connect home characteristics with utility costs, property taxes, income, investments,health status, marital history, car purchases and education. The CB says that it is about roads, schools, hospitals, etc. Yeah, right. The federal gov has been stepping on states and citizen rights long enough. I have a right to keep my life off limits to the snoops of the world, regardless of how important the data junkies think it is to collect.
The CB is targeting rural areas because there is little data available. You can ignore them, which is what I did. I unplugged the phone and didn’t answer the door. I left all the field rep notes stuck to the door till the wind blew them away. Some people have complained to the police. They can be asked to leave the property, told to get a warrant or given a firm “NO not responding”. I had a camera installed to watch the front door. It became fun to hide out in the house. My goal was to waste as much of their time as I could.
The CB counts on people being isolated and afraid so that they will answer the questions.
Congressman Ron Paul tried to get the ACS stopped and Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann has said that the public only needs to answer the enumeration question on the 2010 census and nothing on the ACS.
We received a letter telling us we would be receiving the ACS form.
I have one question. I want someone to please send a copy to me of the exact wording that supports the rumored ‘Title 18 amends Title 13’ making the fine go from ‘not more than $100’ to ‘$100 to $5000.’ I know everyone is saying it…and I have read both laws, but I see nothing that says one amends the other or that they can fine more than $100 for refusing to answer.
Thank you.
read more and saw this
knowledge is power! I will NOT answer the ACS! Bring ’em on!!
PS again….i’m not the brightest bulb in the pack….but I’m not stupid either. I don’t watch news and and i am pretty ignorant when it comes to politics….but I don’t see this as a politcal issue…it affects everyone.
some of the information they are seeking is already a matter of public record!!?? some is just plain ridiculous!
I don’t make much money I am disabled and the government has made it very clear they won’t work with me so why should i cooperate???
I would be better off if i was not a citizen and come into this country and then grants up the you know what to start a convenience store….but i digress….what are my rights? Can I have these people arrested for trespassing? are they trespassing?
then why do they threaten all this if they cannot prosecute? I have spent the last few hours reading the net….yes I have a cell and if they do get the number I will block the calls
what are my rights? are they allowed on my property? What are their rights? the questions are absurd! I have never done anything this daring…LOL But in all seriousness…..what are my rights! I live in a pretty rural area. And they can follow me around my yard if the like.
I dunno…..sigh….what a nightmare….just want to be left alone 🙁
Scared,
Relax and know that you are not alone. Many others have refused before you.
While the CB considers a landline proof that the residence is occupied, not having one may alter the 90 day harassment cycle for you. So, for the 1st month you get the mailings; surveys, reminder cards or possible FEDEX delivery of CB flyers. If the CB can get your cell number, you could be called, skip to the visit the home phase or get a month with nothing happening. After 2 months, you could then get visits if that didn’t happen during the 2nd month or you could be skipped entirely. Not everyone gets the home visits. The CB doesn’t have the money, so only 1/3 of the non-responders for the ACS get visited while all non-responders for the 2010 census get a visit.
You will not be fined, only threatened with one to get you to answer the questions.
There is no law which requires you to read your mail, answer your phone or open your door.
PS…my town slipped something in my mailbox a couple of months ago asking very detailed and personal info….i threw it away! They have some nerve…they didn’t even use a stamp!!
still scared but more confused….what is real here?
i don’t have a land line does that mean I do not exist? I am not answering this….i did respond to the census but only answered the how many people in the house…nothing more nothing less.
I just received notice today I will be getting the ACS and I googled it….NO way will I fill that out! it isn’t like I have anything to hide but I don’t wish to volunteer either
Am i going to jail? My dogs will be really happy when they come to my door….i am confused and upset…..will someone come and visit me in jail?
Scared
The 5K fine is the title 18 change to title 13. It was done to scare people because too many people who received the census long form were not sufficiently intimidated by a $100 fine. The the CB separated the long form from the decennial census when the public went nuts over it in 2000. Now the CB runs a stealth program with the ACS.
There are articles out there about the ACS. World Net Daily ran a series of articles a few years ago. The rest of the media outlets are in the tank for the CB because of the articles which can be written using the data (your info.) Any media outlet which prints unfavorable articles or a policy questioning congressman will get a visit from the CB’s “Rapid Response Team” to set them all straight.
The CB doesn’t do anything beyond the 90 day harassment cycle. The survey is tied to the residence. If the individual who receives the survey moves, the CB will camp out at the residence and not follow the original recipient. Mostly, there are no fines because that would lead to a court challenge, which the CB does not want. It’s image is tarnished enough.