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”
I’m am so please to see that as more people receive the ACS, that they move quickly from being scared to being empowered to fight this gross violation of privacy. Congratulations to all. This country is still in the hands of the people and it is high time that our gov learns that.
My wife just came in the door with our first ACS. I could tell she was upset because she can’t hide her feelings. I asked her what was wrong and she handed me the survey. After going though the second page I understood why my wife was not happy. This is almost as bad as being a soviet! What are these people thinking? I alwasy had the feeling that the government considered the general population to be less 50 inteligent but htis is a downright insult! After quieting down I wnet to my computor to search this whole thing out and lo and behold I found this sight.
After about an hours reading I am so happy to see that the general population has more than a 50 point IQ.
I want to thank Cathy and all of you out there. I am bracing myself for the coming 90 day asault.
I received my first notice that the ACS will be arriving in a couple of days. I immediately went to the God-forsaken internet and found this site. After hours of skipping through here reading threads I went from very worried and pissed off to confident and pissed off.
They don’t have my cell number and I have no worries about being bothered at my front door because I’m confident I can annoy them into submission.
I’m good at answering questions with questions. I’m full of smart ass comments. I have a healthy distrust for government. Let’s get it on!!
Thanks, cathy. I was away (timeout) for two days, just came back and got another letter from CB. I admit I was worrying for the whole time that while I was not at home he may come and knock down the door. I’m going to install an extra lock. I have irregular hours anyway so nobody would know my going or coming; I’d prefer to be at home when he’s here but I won’t open the door, of course. In the meantime I have been telling so many people about it already, both local and in other states because this bothers me.
Yes that pesky 10th Amendment. The thorn in the sides of the social scientists. The CB should just get this show on the road and fine people so that the court challenges can begin. Instead, we’ll have to wait for the CB budget to be cut. I, for one will totally boycott anything that the CB does until it returns to its primary function of enumeration. Statistical collection contributes to BIG gov and BIG policies which create BIG gov programs to perpetuate the job protection for BIG gov employees. All this statistical collection hasn’t contributed to the advancement of anything beneficial for the American public. The decisions that I make in constructing my life are off limits for study by people who are too dumb to do anything else for a living. The CB has become a group of VOYEURS. They need to stick to enumerating, only enumerating and not enumerating by category. We are a melting pot not a salad. No more questions about race, age, etc. As a result, district gerrymandering has left us with representatives who are too dumb to walk and chew gum, let alone go to congress and pass legislation. these same people feel also feel that it is beneath them to read the bills. If they don’t have to read bill, then I feel no need to read anything from the CB. I take a dim view of taxes funding surveys which violate the Constitution and that fellow citizens working for the gov have so little regard for that document.
Hi,
Yesterday evening I got another duplicated letter from the regional director in the mail Then came home from work today I got a note from the same rep. This is his 4th visit. So he saw my note- not to disturb the resident and no pounding on the door! Wonder what he did? Just stuck the note there and ran away maybe because I’m not sure he could stand there long from the summer heat….
One sentence on the card says “The USCB is the principal fact-gathering and statistic publishing agency of the US Government.” To me, the statistic is unreliable. How can a single unit with no car’s parking in the driveway represent another single unit with three cars in front, or to a two-story unit with four or five cars or trucks visibly in front of their homes everyday? And they’re not even chosen for the survey.
I read some of the statistic articles from the senior editors of a builder magazine; the statistic indicates something like, on an average, there’re about 2.7 or 2.42 persons live in each house, etc., lol. It’s totally wrong. It’s for a pleasure reading. I’m not going to volunteer my privacy for their entertainment purpose.
Oh, the AMENDMENT X is “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
Then I found comfort in seeing this by randomly flipping through The Book, “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Colossians 2:14. Pardon me for quoting it if you don’t believe….Thank you!
Sorry for my typo. It should be “Each night the Charters of Freedom are lowered into the vault….”
Wow! This, I didn’t know about: “The Constitution at the National Archives
The National Archives has the responsibility for preserving this nation’s documentary heritage. In carrying out this mandate, the Archives has preserved over three and a half billion documents that include valuable information on all aspects of American life and government. Among the most important is the Constitution of the United States of America. This document is a vivid symbol as well as a forthright statement of American democracy. Preserved in sealed cases filled with an inert gas, it is on display year round in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC.
Even though the nation has always cherished this charter of our freedom, it took more than a century and a half to establish a permanent home for it. The odyssey of this document is told in a publication available from the National Archives- A More Perfect Union: The Creation of the United States Constitution. In 1952, the document was transported in an armored vehicle under armed escort from the Library of Congress to the National Archives. The first and last pages were then installed in the marble and bronze shrine designed for them by famed architect John Russell Pope. All four pages are displayed together once each year on September 17, the anniversary of the approval of the Constitution by the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
Concern for the preservation of this document is evident in the manner and method of its display. Leaves of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution are displayed flat. Above them the Declaration of Independence is held in an upright case; all are shielded from ultraviolet rays by special filters of laminated glass constructed with a yellow cellulose inner layer. Armed guards stand next to the documents whenever they are on public display. Twenty feet below the floor of the Exhibit Hall lies a vault of steel and reinforced concrete. Each night the Charters of freedom are lowered into the vault by the use of an electric jack. The apparatus can be operated manually should electricity fail. Every precaution has been taken to ensure that no harm will come to these documents.
The Constitution is much more than a fragile piece of paper worthy of special preservation. It is a living document as important today as it was two hundred years ago. In fact, the text that follows is the blueprint for our democratic way of life; in these words we find the basic meaning of our national identity. Most importantly, the text underscores the fact that Americans need not travel to Washington to appreciate this special document. The wonder is in the words themselves.”
Hi,
This early morning I taped a note by the front door
attn: “American Community Survey”
Please
Do Not Disturb The Resident
No Pounding On The Door!
-Thank you-
Then I went to the bookstore and picked up two copies of The Constitution of the United States of America (one copy for home and one copy for the road). I’m studying it carefully right now. I remember a friend gave me a xerox version of it a long time ago; I know it’s an important document but I didn’t read it then. I think one can print it out from the website too.
Hi,
It’s almost midnight and I haven’t eaten my dinner yet. I just read the article “End of Census, and for Many, End of Job” someone sent to me earlier today. I felt really bad for the ones who will be laid off again; but I had to explain the difference between the head count census and the ACS which some people didn’t know about.
I also reread the ACS brochures I received today. This paragraph states “We may combine your survey data with data that you may have provided to other federal agencies. Any combined information is given the same protections as your survey information. Some households that respond to the ACS maybe asked to participate in other CB surveys.” It looks like more than enough information shared between them already. Don’t ask me anymore.
“Only a small sample of addresses is randomly selected to participate in the ACS and they represent other addresses in the community.” This is nonsense. My address has decided to decline the representative position which you have offered it.
At least this one ACS’s acclaimed credit made me laugh “Have you ever thought much about why it took so long for your favorite restaurant to get to your neighborhood?” Hmm….