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”
Hi, just to let you know that after reading all the horrendous harrassment people here have described, I decided to go ahead and do my survey. I’m an old cat, too old and nervous… But the ACLU has a section about the survey on their website: they are encouraging people to write to their political leaders to protest those weird intrusive questions on the survey. So, I encourage everyone who reads this to do that. God bless.
One of the driving forces behind the creation of the ACS is a group called COSSA. This is a group of social, behavioral and economic scientists. Cossa is a member of the 2010 census advisory committee and has lobbied congress to keep funding the CB’s invasive projects. And no, none of this data is intended to be private. The Cossa site has a list of its members and many articles involving the census surveys. If the ACS is a success, there will be more surveys to follow.
Anyone ever hear of a data set? It’s basically a collection of specific information that can be viewed/ analyzed multiple ways.
Check this out and then tell me ACS and private enterprise are going to keep that info confidential….
I don’t know how I managed to get so lucky – maybe they’ll try to hit me up in 2010. I recieved my ‘pre survey’ notices, 2 surveys, and reminder cards before I got one phone call. That’s right, just one.
I kept the survey long enough to share it with my parents and co-workers and get them p*ssed about it, too. I work at a state correctional facility, and everybody’s general response was something along the line of the CB ACS could smooch their lily white keisters…who says state employees aren’t smart?
Funny thing, the CB technically had a portion of my address incorrect. So when they called me (explain again to me please how an anon. survey is supposed to receive telephone calls?) I told the truth – that’s not my address… after I was done playing dumb and telling them I wasn’t buying or donating anything. =^)
But seriously…it may be possible to nip the harassment stage by informing them their info. is incorrect..and of course you won’t give them your info over the phone. After all you have no idea who you’re talking to, right? Simple self-preservation.
One more thing. Before I went to work for the state, I worked as a police officer. Reading about all the harassment and stalking (yes, that’s what it IS folks,) just boggles the mind. I’d like to say I couldn’t believe that would happen in the States. It’s like some social experiment gone wrong. I don’t know what the laws are in every part of the country, but I’m pretty sure the following is your best bet against these whackjobs:
1) After you’ve decided not to participate, Mr./Ms. CB is waiting for you at home.
2) Be Civil. Take their business card and information after you’ve identified them. Smile. (Yes, I know. Just pretend you give a sh*t about what they have to say. Just one more minute, promise. =-) This will help them to think you actually intend to cooperate with thier crazy inquisition. Basic psychology, folks.
3) Once you’re satisfied you have enough information about THEM, politely and calmly inform them that neither they nor any other representative from the CB is welcome to contact you in any way. Inform them that if there IS any further contact, you will immediately inform the police and file a complaint using the information you just gathered from them. If you’re feeling super vicious, inform them you’re also going to write to all the papers’ editorial sections and publish any harassment with their names attached. Tee hee.
4) Follow through. CB will try to call your bluff. Don’t get flustered. Don’t give them anything verbal or physical to use against you.
5) Relax. They probably screen these employees for bullying tendencies. Don’t give them any satisfaction.
Good Luck to All!
Hi, thanks for your website here. I got what I thought was a census form, but instead it was this weird form with strange priorities. When I read the question, “What time do you leave your home to go to work?’ and also the question of the cross streets and building location of where I work – it sent the hairs up on the back of my neck. It sounded like someone wanted to know when/where they might bump me off.
The questions suggest sattelite surveillance or surveillance training. People are up there on the International Space Station, they have the info on when you leave your home address, and they can watch and study you, train novices on how to focus the equipment and implement the face recognition software, possibly for some future purpose. It might be kind of interesting to assemble a casual list of everyone of us who has received this invasive form, and kind of keep track of what happens to us in the future.
For example, we might really wish to see what similarities we might all currently share here. And what similar events we might share in the future. Who knows, the so-called “American Community Survey” might actually be a hit list.
I’m in Oregon….Got mine stuck in the door last week and read this entire page so knew what to expect…..Sure enough ambushed a visitor a couple of days ago, but I had already told visitor to expect ambush so agent got no info. Have you noticed that their “Request for Appoinment” look more like a parking ticket (that hard, stiff, thick yellowish paper). Agent gave visitor a “Security/Property Manager Information Sheet” with the usual legal threat (this maxed out at $500 fine). Agent must have thought visitor might be landlord or something. Plan is to dodge her for 90 days. At least I know what her car looks like. I actually considered following her but not sure how useful that would be. Thanks for everyones “expieriences”. Came in handy……..
I am a social scientist (and in fact, have used survey research a lot in my career). The ACS would NEVER survive any insitutional review board at ANY university or research institution I have worked with…and any competent demographer knows that the only way to get data that are even close to accurate is to administer an anonymous survey with no personal identifying information. So it’s very good that people are questioning this intrusion. My household has been selected for the ACS, and we will NOT be participating. And by the way, I’m a liberal Democrat!
I’ve gotten one too. This will be my second go-round with the Census Bureau. The last time was for the 2000 Census when they sent me to “long form”. I won that one through polite stubbornness and I intend to win this one the same way.
It will be too expensive for them to get the answers from me.
We’d like to know where we can file a FORMAL COMPLAINT about the godawful harassment by these self-elected Vigilantes & Bounty-hunters who have been harassing us for at least two
months.
Our situation is more dire than many of those described here and we feel that somebody with some CLOUT should investigate the invasive, abusive tactics of these people who work for CB.
My spouse was hospitalized in Intensive Care, near death, and for past few weeks his SURVIVAL has been the ONLY thing on our mind… And these EVIL CBers have relentlessly harassed us all throughout the past month, even though it was December, Christmas season! Spouse now has finally been released from hosp., but has been diagnosed with Stage IV Cancer, and we are still afraid to answer phone, even though we need to answer many doctor calls and are wracked with fear & worry over this terrible disease and his chemo treatment which could begin any time.
Instead of being able to have ANY freedom from worries and ANY peace or spiritual focus on the sacred holidays, we have had to be harassed by those EVIL CBers who call MANY times a day, and recently when we came home from doctor appointment, in dark, we saw someone sitting on neighbor’s stoop with a clipboard. We RAN into our home and were afraid to turn on the lights.
Is this America or NAZI GERMANY???
These people should be SUED for harassment and criminal injuries to the peace of mind of innocent citizens.
WE HATE them and we will NEVER submit to their demands for our private info!!!
SHAME and ETERNAL DAMNATION to the gestapos behind all this Amerian Community Survey crap!!!
PS One of their calls came in just as I got out of shower, and I thought it was the surgeon who was about to do emergency heart surgery on spouse, and when I answered and they identified themselves as CB, I simply HUNG UP! To hell with them!
Can you imagine having these kind of personal horrors beset you, and having to deal with BULLSH*T from the Census Bureau like this?
This kind of BRUTAL HARASSMENT needs to be exposed and stopped!!!!
P.P.S. These invasive ****ers have called half a dozen times this evening alone; we’ve lost count of how many times they’ve called since they started their harassment–probably more than 100 calls. Who the hell do they think they ARE???
Christopher,
Just wait out your field rep. The visits should stop by the the 27th of the month so the reps can move on to the next group of victims in jan. The CB will record the types of complains in a effort to counteract them in the future. passive resistance gives them no info the counteract. Just remember this harassment when the 2010 census roles around!