Wednesday, March 17, 2010

census

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So ... what is up with them getting it to us on March 17, and telling us to fill it out Now and mail it Now, but the questions are about who lived (their past tense) in the house on April 1 2010?

I mean, like, April 1 2010 hasn't happened yet, so, um, ?????????????????

If they were asking about March 1, then saying "Fill it out now and mail it now" would be understandable, but why are they asking us to predict the future?

I mean, I'm pretty sure I know who's going to be here on April 1, but...........

And.

Why is it the business of the census WHO, exactly, is here? They keep saying it's about counting, and that part makes sense to me, but why does it matter WHO (down to the middle initial!)???????????????????

I wonder if they'd get better compliance if they sent it some other time than when they are asking us for all that info on our tax forms............

Makes 'em seem awfully ... nosy ... asking for all that info all at once...... In my humble.

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3 comments:

Kady Cannon said...

The census 20 years ago had some inaccuracies as well. It just happens that we bought this house and moved into in in May of 1990. So at census time, Garth Diedrich lived here and we lived in Central Point. From a single old-guy to a family of four.

But then this address was selected for a more in-depth review and a census-taker visited for more information. He took down everything I gave him but wasn't exactly sure what to do with it as it wasn't correct for the April 1st date.

Maybe there's a reason they made the census on April Fools' Day. Or maybe it says something about the people running parts of the country ;-)

March 17, 2010 at 10:21:00 AM EDT
Cindy R said...

I had the same problem. I started to fill it out, get the job done --but how could I honestly report April 1 now? I can make a pretty good guess of course, but life happens. Some long-lost relative could move in (please no!), whatever. And it's just plain old journalistic integrity, not to mention truth, not to write about something that hasn't happened yet!

Nancy also asked why we couldn't list Betony, but I said I think they only care about human people, not dog people, alas.

March 17, 2010 at 11:53:00 AM EDT
I need orange said...

Carolyn, good point about it being on April Fool's day!

We were on some "check up with them every month" thing for the 1990 census. Every month they'd call, and every month all the answers were the same. We're pretty boring..... But at least we were the same people who were on the form at our address for that census!


Cindy, that's just how I felt! Clearly they don't care, but how they expect you to take the whole process seriously when there's something like that right off the top.........

Sort of like when I was having trouble getting signed up for one of those "we'll let you know every month if your credit info has been accessed" things (because my former credit union had allowed a thief access to a room in which my data was stored)...........

I couldn't get signed up for the process (can't remember why) so I had to call. Some guy who was clearly Indian told me his name was "Steve" and then proceeded to ask me for my social security number and everything.........

I understood that they had to have that info to straighten things out, but for the guy to start out by lying to me, right off the top, about what his name was........

Made me feel even more itchy about the whole process!

My compromise on the census was to fill it out but not mail it.....

Sheesh!

The guy who is in charge of the census this year used to work for the part of the U I work for. I bet his UMich email addr still works. I was thinking of writing to him and asking him "WTF, April 1, but you want it back on March 17?????"


They're so hot to have millions to count -- seems like we could put on the dog people! Two is such a small number, when they give you space for so many........

:-)

March 17, 2010 at 1:01:00 PM EDT

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