Census Bureau Kicks Off Once-a-Decade Count
AP WASHINGTON (Jan. 4) -- The Census Bureau kicks off its $300 million campaign Monday to prod, coax and cajole the nation's more than 300 million residents to fill out their once-a-decade census forms.
The bureau will mail out the 10-question forms to about 120 million households in March.
On Monday, Census Director Robert Groves starts the nationwide campaign with an event in New York City where he is scheduled to unveil a 46-foot trailer called "Mail It Back." In all, 13 vehicles are to be present at about 800 events around the country, from small community happenings to the Super Bowl and the NCAA Final Four.
U.S. Census Bureau / MCT
Workers enter census data in Phoenix in 2000. About 67 percent of households mailed back their forms for that count, ending a three-decade slip in response rates."The whole purpose is to reach out to people at local events," Groves said.
Residents can expect to receive letters in early March notifying them that census forms will arrive between March 15-17. Residents who don't respond will get a follow-up postcard. Those who still don't respond can expect a visit from a census taker by early May.
In 2000, about 67 percent of households mailed back their forms, ending a three decade decline in the response rate. Follow-up visits are expensive. For every percentage point decrease in the response rate, the Census Bureau says it costs an additional $85 million to find and count those people.
The Constitution requires the head count every 10 years to draw congressional districts and to dole out Electoral College votes to the states. Congress uses the count to distribute more than $400 billion each year in federal aid to state, local and tribal governments.
Census data is used by government agencies and private companies alike, to locate pools of skilled workers, determine where schools and hospitals should be placed and to trace victims of natural disasters. In the Gulf Coast region, this year's census will provide the most accurate measure to date of how Hurricanes Katrina and Rita affected population trends.
"There's political power involved because of the Constitution," Groves said. "There's money involved as well."
The 10-question form is one of the shortest in the history of the census. Residents will be asked the number of people living in each household as well as their age, race and whether they own their home or rent. Other questions - on income, education levels and other characteristics - are addressed in the annual American Community Survey, which has been phased in over much of the past decade.
The Census Bureau faces special challenges locating residents because of the high number of foreclosures, as well as immigrants wary of government workers amid a crackdown on illegal immigration. Census officials emphasize that responses are confidential by law, meaning they cannot be shared with other federal agencies or law enforcement. Under the Constitution, the government is required to count everyone, regardless of their immigration or citizenship status.
Advocates have urged the Commerce Department, which oversees the Census Bureau, to improve outreach to minority communities, which are typically undercounted.
This year, about 13 million forms in both English and Spanish will be sent to areas with high concentrations of people who speak Spanish. Residents can also request forms in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Russian.
"I don't think you can ever do enough," Groves said. "What we are doing, I think, is something to be proud of."
In 2000, the Census Bureau noted for the first time an overcount of 1.3 million people, mostly from duplicate counts of more affluent whites with multiple homes. About 4.5 million people were ultimately missed, mostly blacks and Hispanics.
Filed under: Nation, Top Stories
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Ok Guys and Girls...let's get this started! Let's have good discussion on your thoughts from this article. Remember-no current events :)
ReplyDeleteKevin Sabouni- 4th Period
ReplyDeleteThe Census Bureau tries very hard to get the information that it needs about the citizens living in the U.S. but there is no way for them to get everyone. There are many factors involved in getting in contact with people. Some people might not have anywhere to live so they wouldn't have mail or an accessible address. This therefore causes them to be hard to come in contact with. Also said in the article is that there are many illegal immigrants in the country that are not being counted for. But even though they do not have their citizenship, they still must be counted by the Census Bureau. "Under the Constitution, the government is required to count everyone, regardless of their immigration or citizenship status." Language may also be a problem. Some people might not speak "Spanish...Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Russian". Also people might have physical or mental disabilities which can make them ineligible to respond. There are many factors that make this plan flawed which I have only begun to list.
Good points and great post Kevin! Let's see if your classmates can get on board and do the same! How about an extra credit slip for you for being a leader and being the first to post :)
ReplyDeletePreston Graham 6th
ReplyDeleteI think that the census is a good thing because it counts most people and finds out populaion trends which means the know where to build schools and know where the greatest number of people are
Jonathan Cheung 4th
ReplyDeleteAs with anything the government does, not everyone will cooperate. Yet the government is stepping up by providing censuses in various languages so citizens cannot create a excuse to elude taking the census. Providing a census taker can help ensure additional censuses. Yet fearing their own safety, a census worker will not approach certain neighborhoods which are deemed "unsafe". Though no country can ever take a census of every single person in the country, America is certainly moving towards that goal with the addition of new features.
Alexandria Ward period 6
ReplyDeleteHere in the article in says,"For every percentage point decrease in the response rate, the Census Bureau says it costs an additional $85 million to find and count those people."
I never knew not responding was such a big deal. Thats just crazy, but it shows how important the census is. Immigrants however disturb the count. When this information is read in the future it will be a bit false because of them. I understand why the goverment sends representatives to families who dont respond after a certain amount of time. Besides who can't answer a 10 question survey. While the Census is a great success it is failing in other places because of problems like immigrants and foreclosures. The government even goes so far as to make the surveys avaliable in different languages to encourage responds from citizens.The Census is like a blueprint, providing information for the future on where to build schools and other important buildins and corperations by recording the population changes each decade. Because of this people should be more determined to commit themselves to something so little that has a huge impact on the people they love. In 2000 i didnt know my parents had taken part in the Census. But this year when the form comes around i will difinently be taking part and leaving my mark.
Carlos Betancourt 4th
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see how the Census Bureau is doing all it can to accomplish it's goal, of getting a head count of every individual in America, and in a way where it doesn't affect anyone in any way. Eventhough it may seem like a perfect plan to send out forms in all sorts of languages, keep everything confidental, and promise a better future, in order to receive better results, the results will continue to be inaccurate. One can't say it is their fault for not receiving all the correct numbers but rather ours. Many of us are to busy, scared of being reported(illegal immigrants), or simply to lazy to fill out the form and send it back. Along with Kevin, I agree that there are clearly too many factors that make this goal imperfect and it will be a long time before the numbers are precise.
Carlos Betancourt 4th
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see how the Census Bureau is doing all it can to accomplish it's goal, of getting a head count of every individual in America, and in a way where it doesn't affect anyone in any way. Eventhough it may seem like a perfect plan to send out forms in all sorts of languages, keep everything confidental, and promise a better future, in order to receive better results, the results will continue to be inaccurate. One can't say it is their fault for not receiving all the correct numbers but rather ours. Many of us are to busy, scared of being reported(illegal immigrants), or simply to lazy to fill out the form and send it back. Along with Kevin, I agree that there are clearly too many factors that make this goal imperfect and it will be a long time before the numbers are precise.
Grace Amaku peiod 4
ReplyDeleteUltimately,the census can never be accurate or even to the estimate due to many problems in the country.Illegal immigrants would not want to be discovered even if they knew the census wasn't aiming for that goal, their being recorded as a person in the united states wouldn't match up with the amount of citizens in that area and they know that.Also,there will always be people going in and out of the country and it would take quite some time to average that out for their records.As they said,there are also people on the streets mainly minorities like blacks which could really set the count off balance.
But if they specified why the census is being made, and how it will benefit the people of this country it would really motivate people to participate; seeing that it affects them too.
Noel Jacob 5th period
ReplyDeleteI think that the census is worthless and is a complete waste of time and money. If the government is so exited about wasting time so much, why not waste time every year. I am positive there are people out there who feel that the census make them feel a part of some thing. It is nonsense. In a census you are just another person and an other value in a computer out of the other 200 million. It used to be valuable but now it is just there for traditions. They had a over count of 1.3 million but had 4.5 million people who belonged to minorities missed. What is the ultimate point of having a census in the numbers are all wrong. You cant blame the government. It is one thing the president cant "change". it is like having a rock trying to stop a water fall. The water is our traditions. The government cant do any thing but go with the flow. I am not blaming the government because they are really trying but it is a lost cause. They are sending out people but like Jonathan Cheung said it will be a waste. The geographical information is also lost because of the question cut. Any useful information is lost. In conclusion the census is just another major waste of time. it is a good thing they make it only every 10 years.
Ariyo Adeogun 6th Period
ReplyDeleteI think the census is both bad and good it counts people and finds out the population. But there is flaws. Many People out there am sure are not being counted. My opinion, the census will never know the exact amount of population which cause flaws in census. We will always have an inaccurate number to the census. You cannot count everybody.
Adam Pye 5th period
ReplyDeleteI agree with the other people that posted that the census will never be 100% accurate in the fact that theres just too many people. You know how in the small towns they will have the sign out like, Welcome to Maryville population 83, if we could do that now it would save the census people alot of time, and money. How hard would it be to go block by block and find out how many people there are in a city, much easier then finding out in a state or a country.
Alexis Willis - 5th Period
ReplyDeleteLike the other students that agreed by saying the census will never be 100% accurate, it is true. I understand about half way why the goverment wants to count everyone, but to me it almost sounds inpossible. With children being boring left to right every single day, it just seems unrealistic. Also i kind of dislike the census, because what is the point of counting everyone 10 years. Also to mention, not everyone gets count. So the numbers the goverment collected last time was just an estimate, when they're looking for an accurate amount. They just waisted their time by collecting an estimate instead of just exactly knowing. Because to me, it is just impossible.
Jackie Miller 6th Period
ReplyDeleteHaving current statics of the population is very important in any society for obvious reasons (defense, medical,education,etc.) In order to obtain this vital information, I think the government needs to "rethink" it's policy and methods of taking the census. If they thought like those in the marketing business, I think incentives would appear. Tying in a small tax refund/credit for those with IRS returns might work. Trying to reach people where they go most often (grocery stores, Walmart, etc.) and offering small rewards might work also. The store they set up a booth at might also contribute (ie. gift cards) seeming as it would be attracting customers.
Where does the money for incentives come from? The money saved from chasing down people.
I agree that this year with people moving frequently and giving up permanent housing due to the recession, it will be very difficult to get the census done. The government will have to adapt to the current situation!
I have mixed feeelings about the census. As Noel said, I think it is a waste of time and money. It isn't 100% accurate and it costs the country millions of dollars. But on the contrary side, I believe it is a good way of getting a relative idea of how many people there are and what the United States is composed of. Although the information is inaccurate, it can still be useful for school, construction, and business purposes. The article said it was off by 4.5 million people; big whooptee do. The country is made up of over 300 million people and in the grand scheme of things 4 million really isn't a big difference.
ReplyDeleteMilan Doshi- 5th Period
ReplyDeleteI think what the government is out to do is a wonderful task and goal that they’ve set for themselves. This goal that they’ve set is really quite extraordinary because they’ve set out to count every single person in the United States. As much as this is possible, it is also impossible because of the lack of cooperation we face in our society today. All the way from people not following the laws to people not participating in their OWN governments by voting and a lot of people decide to not follow the laws or don’t make it their priority to participate in the government and it is their loss. I think it would be an honor to be a part of this count and to be part of history. To think that you were a person in this count is remarkable because generations in the future will look back to this number that you were a part of. Again, getting the cooperation of the whole United States is tough because people don’t always cooperate and they can’t make people who don’t do it make them answer their questions and open the doors to their homes. This count is something that will never be flawless but it’s a good step toward success that our government had made because of the benefits that the whole country can reap from this. One of the many is that the distribution of capital is more even and is reaching more people and the government wouldn’t be spending millions of dollars over an idea that will not benefit most of society. They need people participation because after all the government is of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Sean Dotson- 6th Period
ReplyDeleteI think that the Census Bureu is a very important agency because they collect data inorder to help the U.S in its goverment funding and ways to improve our communities. Although its never going to be 100% accurate. I feel as though that each decade that passes by, the data collected by the Census will become more and more useful. I feel as though the Census shouldn't be so worried about getting EVERYONE in the U.S to fill out the Census. I also think that it does not cost $85 million to find and count the people that didn't partake in the Census.
Jibin Kuzhippil-6th period
ReplyDeleteI think what the census bureau is doing an amazing job but what they are trying to accomplish is almost impossible or at least very difficult. As the article states many people don't respond because they are afraid of the illegal immigration thing, and not many of them know that what they send in would be private. They have come up with some very good ideas though, such as the variety of different languages they have offered. The system does however have a lot of room for improvement though but I'm sure it will be even better as the years pass. I also believe that the bureau is spending way too much money trying to find the few people who didn't participate. Overall I believe the census bureau is doing a good job.
Sidney Okon 5th
ReplyDeleteI believe that Census is very important not only to the U.S government, but to companies needing people with specific skills or citizens looking for a place to move. They made the census only 10 questions long so that more people would actually take the time to fill it out, as opposed to a 30 or more question form that many would find time taking and most likely, boring. Spending 400 billion for federal state aid I believe is a really good thing, especially since it's based on the responses of those living in the areas. Spending 85 million to count those who didn't respond is not worth the money in my opinion. By doing this they're being less progressive and increasing the money spent overall resulting in a loss. The Census Bureau is a very progressive and important agency because they view the society from the citizens prospective, and make adjustments to fit the need in the area, no matter how extremem the cost.
Chris Gallagher- 6th pd
ReplyDeleteI think that the census bureau is a pretty good idea for understanding effects on population. It helps the government understand how outside factors can disrupt population such as hurricanes. It also helps the community by marking the best areas for schools and stores to be built. There are some flaws to it also. To really get a reasonable answer to poulation the government needs a significant amount of people to fill the form out and turn it in. Some percent of the population decide not to fill it out and turn it in which affects the system. The census bureau in my mind is alright, it could be much better though. Plus the money spent on this thing it very high, so citizens need to respond or it would pretty much be a waste of money.
Jeralyn Laran 4th Pd
ReplyDeleteThe Census Bureau tries to get information from the citizens but tries to make it easier for them by making it 10 questions, one of the shotest surveys they've had. The need information from the citizens so that they may help them like the information of education and income. The Census Bureau is good and bad. It can be good because they get information to help them and to find help on anything. It could be bad when they try to decide for them. There is some mistakes in it like not all of the citizens are doing the survey. The government should try to make it easier by trying to do it while they are trying to vote, that way they have one place to do it every year and dont have to worry about it.
Hunter Henderson 5th Period
ReplyDeleteI think that the census is a very good idea, But I also agree with my peers that the numbers will never be exactly right because of the massive population. It is good because it finds where schools are and where they need to be. I think that the Census Bureau will be much better in the future when it has been worked on a little more because improvements can be made.
Delma Mathew 6th pd
ReplyDeleteThe Census Bureau is very helpful to many by getting them information they need to live. This system can tell the citizens about economy, education, and other information they need. They try to get the information to all of the citizen even the ones who don't know english. Grooves said that the whole point of this is to tell all the citizens what is going on around them. They are very helpful because they have it in many different languages. There are some drawbacks to this system because not all of the people get this. There are illegal immigrants in the country. There can also be people who cannot re-mail it. It can also be a waste of money because only 67 percent re-mailed it. On the whole it is something that everyone should be proud of because it can help so many citizens. The government should try to mail it to all of the people in the country, and decide only after they get most mailed back.
The census helps us in many other ways than mentioned here, as some people pointed out, it helps us see where new schools and other important buildings should be built. Other things like judging how many electoral votes each state gets is also extremely important. Although people were pointing out how it is a "waste of time and money," I really can't agree. The article mentions of overcounting by 1.5 million mostly by "affluent whites who have multiple homes," and another "4.5 million were ultimately missed." This may seem like a lot and for others, was a reason for their thinking that the census entirely, was a waste of time, but in my opinion, only a few million is not that much. It is absolutely impossible to get every single person. People flow in and out of the country every day and some people are just plain impossible to get a hold of. As well, spending 85 million for every percent of the population who doesn't send the applications back is not that much. The amount of money that these people have at their fingertips is probably a huge amount and the census is so important it is completely worthwhile to spend the money.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jackie in that it would be a great idea to give small incentives for people who returned the surveys in a timely manner, or even penalties for people who don't. The census affects everyone in the country and people who can't take time out of their day to answer 10 questions may deserve to be penalized. As for everyone saying that maybe there should be a new method of getting the census completely, I think, depending on the method, I would most likely disagree. In reality, this seems like it is actually a quick and cost-effective way to get the numbers that they need. In my opinion, slight changes would probably be the more practical way to go.
One thing I don't understand though, is why illegal immigrants should be counted. They are exactly that, illegal, and are not healthy or beneficial to the country. The population of illegals helps states get more electoral votes. When the illegals can't vote in the first place, it seems like the college is representing people who don't deserve to be represented at all. Overall, I don't think anyone could argue that the census is a completely bad thing if they really think about the good things it does for the country. The good outweighs the bad tenfold. With the new features and adaptations that the survey has taken on, people don't have much reason not to do this little thing that helps their country in a big way.
My wonderful students,
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a great job! Many of you have brought up some great points that I had not thought of. I love it!
Please keep in mind I will reject your post if it is written in texting/facebook/or any other social lingo. You must use correct punctuation and grammar.
Keep up the good work! You make me proud!
Miranda Molina-period 5
ReplyDeleteWell, while reading the article about the Census “Once-a-Decade Count” I asked my mother if she ever filled out the form before and she told me that she didn’t remember. Hearing this really shocked me, considering that is one of the main defects in the counting of Census. After that I asked her how she could forget signing and answering a form and she simply replied that it only comes every ten years. I think that the united states Census Bureau should at the very least consider mailing out these Census forms every five years. Many things can happen over ten years, such as illness’, deaths, and missing persons. What would one do if their child is missing? Theses persons would be stuck, they wouldn’t know what too do. I mean come on, its not as if a person can just go up to the officials of the Bureau and say, “ hey, um, my Childs missing. What do I do? Do I still count her?”. And what if the bureau was to say that she shouldn’t count her child, that would make her feel depressed as if she had no other choice but too give up. In my personal opinion, since there is so much time and money going into this, what’s the point in doing it?
I know what the point in doing it is, but why must it be so complicated? So many of the simple things in life are complicated, I don’t even if they should still even be considered simple. For instance, voting. Over the years it seems that voting has become such a hassle for many people in the United States.
As for the closure of this commentary entry, I’d like to ask a question too my peers : considering the issues I have addressed in my commentarial entry, How and what do you, the people believe should be done to correct the many defects in the Census number counting’s? And how do you think your answers to this problem will honestly improve Census number Counting’s? THANK YOU!
Jared Cooper-6th period
ReplyDeleteI think the Census is a trying its best to get a good count but its never going to be accurate. They have to take count of how many homeless people there are and the fact that illegal immagrants are to scared to send the bureau back,but they dont know that it private. Even though that the census is off 4.5 million people i think its still a good idea because that 4.5 million is just a small amount. We have over 300 million people. I cant believe how much money that put into this. 85 million dollars to me is way to much.
Tatiana R 4th-
ReplyDeleteCensus is just doing their job. Not many people contact back because they are lazy and just see this as a waste of their time. Also, if their are illegal immigrants, they probably wouldn't want to respond. They could see it as someone trying to rat them out.
Mandy Kochen- 5th period
ReplyDeleteSounds like a waste of money to me. They probably don't even count children that aren't in school...... They're people too, or is child that hasn't yet come of the age to attend school now cosnidered some kind of animal. If that's the way is works then it's sick. Homeless people and illegal immigrants should be counted as peoples too, even though most homeless people are treated as if they're dumb animals from what I've seen and read about. 85 million dollars and the government doesn't even get a proper count, it's no wonder the economy is going down the drain.
Mandy Kochen 5th period
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jared, but my question is.... why can't the government see that? It's kinda really obvious don't you think? 85 Million dollars on an incorrect count.... If I had that much money I'd use it to get homeless people off the street instead of using it for a count that ignores them, the homeless are classified as U.S. citizens too aren't they?
I am answering miranda's question. Honestly the only way to get the participation of each and every single person for this count we have to make it a law. Whenever people see a law they tend to follow it but when they see optional they seem to think that it loses its importance. A law has it's mental backing up. The only other way to do this is through the media. The government has to let the people know through the media. The times have changed. Who writes letters!! The government has to use the continuous bombardment of all media usage. They have to let all TV stations know, post stuff on myspace,facebook, twitter, and even try to see if cell phone companies will send out a free text message that people can read for free. As the times change, so does the government with it.
ReplyDeleteThe last comment answering Miranda's question was Milan Doshi!
ReplyDeleteLindsey Biggart-5th period.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Census is a good and helpful action the government does, but just like many other things the government is involved with, not every person will follow and complete what they are being told to do. In this case its not so much the people not cooprating its more along the line that there are a million road blocks along this concept that can stop them from getting every person accounted for. Having the Census will help people in the future know what certian areas in the world were like, just as we can see that with Census numbers taken from the past. The Census not only helps people learn about the future and past but also learn where we need to have the government add or subtract things in order to improve our communities around the world. Of course not everyone will get counted, but its better to have some then none.
May Lin- 4th period
ReplyDeleteI think the census is a very serious matter, because it is important for the future and well being of the people and the nation. The country spent a lot of money to conduct this census and every resident, irrespective of their immigration status, should participate. The outcomes of the census are very important because the government used the census data to determine where and when to build factories, schools, hospitals and many other matters. However, it is very difficult or perhaps impossible to have a perfect census count because some people, especially illegal immigrants, would probably not want to participate, for fearing of exposing themselves while homeless people may not receive their census letter. Hence, it is very imperative for every people, who are called upon, to participate in this census. The people that don’t participate in the survey will lose a great opportunity to help the Government to do the right thing.
Eric Li-6th period
ReplyDeleteThe census is a good idea as it determines whether an area in the nation has decreased or increased in population. It figures out where the concentration of people are and use the information to see if they need to build a school or another government building. The other 33% should feel ashamed as they live in this country, they should respect what the government does. The government puts money into the census and as we are already in debt, this probably means that the census is that important to them.
Tyler Caldwell-6th period
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with Jared because for starters, no matter how hard anybody tries, what they do including themselves is going to be perfect. It is a great idea to continue the census and how, as Hunter had said, it's good to know where schools are and where new ones can go. While the money that is being paid for the census is considerably high, I still feel that nonetheless it is important to our nation.
Seena Keerikattu-5th Period
ReplyDeleteI believe the Census Bureau has both its pros and cons. It does its best to reach out and longs for our cooperation. They send out short 10 questions so they can attain population information based of participation.They ask about our view on and more information about the economy, education,etc. The information sent is kept cofidential. They send it out to everyone yet no everyone participates and shows cooperation. This activity is worth alot of money and I believe it can be a waste of money.
Reid Stacell-6th period
ReplyDeleteI'd like to discuss the amount of money the government spends on the census, because although I find knowing population density and such important and that it supplies many american citizens with a job; I find that an roughly 33% of population not responding quite appalling. I believe it is a right as well as a responsibility for all United States citizens to answer and provide information to this census, much like voting is. Without knowledge, our country can not move forward in fixing our nations many problems. I think it would be beneficial for the government to explain to citizens, even if they must advertise it on places such as TV commercials, the importance of the census, and how their tax money is being somewhat wasted when citizens do not comply to the letter.
Jordan Davies 4th
ReplyDeleteLike some of my classmates i have different feelings towards the census. There is a lot of disadvantages but also some advantages of the census.
One on the disadvantages of the census is that the money that is spent is a complete joke and could be used to fund more important matters. Another disadvantage is that like kevin said is that it might be hard for them to reach the people to gain the necessary information from and also the information they collect will not be accurate as 4.5 people are missed.
Even though there is a lot of disadvantages there is also some advantages to the census. such as it can be used to help find places to build schools and businesses and also as a number of people have said that 4.5 is just a small number compared to the amount of other people that there is.
Casey O'Malley- 4th period
ReplyDeleteThe Census is trying hard to get the number right, but it will never be accurate. Putting that much money into it is a little pointless to me. I think it's good that they are trying to help people and build school, but that is just way to much money.
Paula Salmon-6th period
ReplyDeleteI think that the census is a good thing to do. I think that it was a really smart idea to send out forms in many different languages so that everyone can read and understand it. Some people may be able to answer it but not able to give it back because they have no way of sending it or getting to the postoffice, but it was a very smart idea to put vehicles at events where people can turn it in. I don't think that illegal immigrants should be included in the census because they are not citizens and should not be counted as such.If they are counted then the number of electoral collage votes will not be representing American citizens but anybody that lives in the United States. The article states that there was an overcount of 3.1 million people. Because of this I think that the government should make it clear that you are only supposed to fill out and send in one form so that way the government doesn't have as big of an overcount as last time.
Josh McKay 5th Period
ReplyDeleteI think the census is good and bad. It's good because you can get the total of citizens in communities as well as the nation. Which is a good thing for the government to know so that they can see the impact on population when things such as natural disasters happen. It is bad because, like Noel said, it is a waste of time and money. The government could easily save the millions of dollars they spend on this head count just by making a website where you have to fill out the form and email it in. They could get people to know about by using commercials or something of that nature, but either way they should make it so that they don't have to send out millions of letters with certain languages. It's a waste of money, time, and paper, but hey-we know the number of the population...if everyone does it.
Andrew Tran 5th period
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I don't think that the Census is a good idea at all. There are huge flaws in their methods, and like Noel said, it's a complete waste of the government's time and money. I had no idea that so much of our country's money is being spent on counting the population. Also, if they're going to spend a whole $85 million for every percent decrease they should at least try to get more people to respond. If not then even more money is wasted.
Though they're trying hard, the United States will never be able to count every person in the country. There are just too many things going against them like illegal immigrants who don't want to be counted, and like Jonathan said the worker's own fear of approaching "unsafe" neighborhoods. Also, I think that ten years is just too long a time for people to consider the census aa significant. It's true that having the census counted has its benefits but I really don't think its worth all the trouble.
Amber Washington- 6th period
ReplyDeleteIt seems rather silly to me that the government will spend millions of dollars to have a head count of people in the United States when they could be spending their money on trying to pay off the massive debt that we are already in. However, it seem like a good way to the the population density of the area (i.e. finding out what type of people live in what regions, and which places are more densely populated).
Also, the count for the Census is not going to be an approximate number seeing as they only send the questionaire to about 120 million people, and not all of the people send it back. Personally I think that they could be doing something more useful with the money.
Edward Qin 5th
ReplyDeleteI think the census is a very important system. It provides many important statistics and information for future use and planning. Not only does it find the nation's growth rate and a moderately accurate overall population count, the census also show how to distribute federal aid according to the population distribution in the country, thus allow the government to make the most out of the 400 billion dollars in federal aid each year. Companies and the government alike would be also be able to use the data to plan the most efficient location for houses, schools, and hospitals throughout our country.
Although the census have many important functions, it is not without flaws. There is no way to perfectly count every head in the country as there are homeless people, factors that causes the mail not received, but most prominently, people that don't care. Is the 300+ million dollars used more spent than it actually helps? Can the 300 million dollars spent on something else be more useful than the census? I personally think it depends on the stability of our nation.
Scott Samwell-4th period
ReplyDeleteI think the Census bureau is doing its best to make sure that everyone takes the Census , they have made it in many languages to make sure that immigrants from other countries can read it.Overall i think that the Census is important to the people and the government because it gives the people an opinion and helps to see what areas in their community that needs improvement ,for example after hurricanes Rita ans Katrina the government still needs to know what needs to be improved in their society's basic infrastructure like roads,buildings,lights,etc.Even though the bureau is trying very hard for 100% participation on the census, it is hard to get evryone in the country to cooperate.
Anissia Wilson-6th
ReplyDeleteI agree with the Census because it is trying to better the community we live in, but of course every one can not be counted. Its impossibly for every single person to be counted like Kevin said. There are people who do not speak the languages given, there are homeless people who do not have an address to receive a Census form. Although the Census is a great thing its not far how mostly African Americans and Hispanics are missed more than Caucasians. Personally, I thinks its because blacks and Hispanics are minorities and whites are the majority. Do you think it has anything to do with race or is this just a mistake because mistakes can happen?
The government can never do anything that will please all Americans some one will find something they do unfair or not right. But this decade they are trying harder to please Americans like Jonathan said by having multiple language for the Census. I do respectful disagree with Alex because I don’t think any one can “disturb” the count because the Census is counting so they know where to put schools and jobs etcetera. Although we do have some illegal people in our country I do think their children deserve to have an education that is one of the reason they many have come to our country. I also agree with Alexis at some points because if some people are being missed and others are being counted multiple times the Census isn’t accurate (it will never be 100% accurate but its not really coming close). The Census can not be great over night it takes time for things like the to become perfect, by the next Census there will be more problems and more disagreements but look at the Census from the past we are making some sort of progress .
Beth Sutton - 5th Period (:
ReplyDeleteWhile the cencus is a well thought-out plan, and has many good uses such as mentioned above, it does have it's flaws. We've pointed out that homeless people and illegal immigrants would be almost impossible to correctly count, and other people value their privacy, and thwart the efforts of cencus counters by refusing to answer and attempts of contact. And even more people are unaware of cencuses even taking place. Miranda mentioned that she had asked her mother of the cencus, and she said she did not remember ever filling a form out. And yet more people,those who spite technology and buisinesses, would refuse to even take notice of a cencus, for the believe it to be "a scheme to get your address so they make you buy stuff you don't want!" and immediately throw the "junk mail" away.
With a country as large and heavily populated as ours, cencuses of the entire country are obselete. What would be of use, would be cencuses of smaller regions, where one could manage to keep track of the growing population of citizens.
Jonathan Pecson-6th Period
ReplyDeleteI believe that the Census is a great way of collecting information about the population because knowing where there is a large or small amount of people is very helpful in building infrastructures that will help build a stronger community. But I also have my dislikes with the Census, such as the amount of money it takes to do this. Even with all that money being spent, not everyone will do it making the money spent wasted. The Census has its positives and negatives as everything else in life does so it is not perfect, but I believe we should continue to do this but every five years, and insted of treacking people down at football games or carnivals where the will most likely throw it away, the government should use technology to get more people to pay attention. And kudos to the government for trying to do this difficult task.
My question is: Would you participate in a Census? Why?
JT Jakubik 5th Period
ReplyDeleteI believe that the census idea is a great one. How the expect to count every single person in the United States seems impossible. But I guess they're going to try. It's also good because it will mark the best locations of where schools and stores shall be built. It is a great call, and I'm glad the government is doing so.
Taylor Allerman Per.5
ReplyDeleteI disagree with everyone who said that the census is pointless. It is used to distribute the amount of vote each state or districts get, and in such a politically split country this is a key factor.
Cara Slaybaugh-5th. Period
ReplyDeleteI think that the Census does a very good job in trying to count all the people. It's always great to have those numbers for the future and to know what's needed at the present time. I also agree with many of the other students saying it pretty much is impossible to be 100 percent accurate in the counting but they do try hard to atleast be close. If these indiviuals recieving the letters and notices don't reply to anything at all then they don't get their contribute in history. It really is shocking to know how many people didn't even bother replying to the letters when they know how hard the Census works. It's a hard subject to talk about because there are so many sides and opinions, but I personally think they are working too hard and wasting so much money.
Annie Donovan-5th period
ReplyDeleteI believe that Census is doing a good thing by trying to get an accurate population count. But sooner or later they are going to have to face the truth; they are never going to have accurate results. Even if they send people to each person's house, there will be uncounted people. And some people could LIE on the survey sheet they have to fill out. There are many sections to the answer sheet such as race, age, whether or not they can pay for their home, etc. But the Census officials have no way of knowing if the answers are TRUE! There are many flaws in the system of the Census Bureau. They need to be fixed, and if they aren't, then we will never know the true answers.
Mikayla Winland 5th
ReplyDeleteI think that the Census is a long and tiring process that never is accurate or 100% correct. I agree with Adam in the thought that it would be much easier to go around every city or town and calculate the total number of people in each town. I also think that these towns should change them every once in a while, lets say every five years, to keep an accurate account. It would be more effective if the towns kept track of everyone in that town instead of the country. It is stated in the constitution that keeping track of the number of people in the country in a neccesity. This is important because the government needs to know how many state representatives are needed for congress. The state representatives are increasing, because more people are moving to the south. Since more people are moving to the south, the number or representatives for the north are decreasing. I guess none of us will ever know exactly how many people are living in the U.S today.
STEPHEN HARRIS-5TH PERIOD
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. Census is extremely important, we as Americans have been using it for the past 200 years. The U.S. Census is a way of gathering basic information on citizens of the U.S. The Census is a way of trying to get the basic ideals. Its true the Census isn't going to be accurate but its a way of understanding the U.S. a little better. Now if you sent it to every person currently prosiding in the U.S. you would have different results because you have to include immigrants constintly coming in and out of the U.S. and the homeless and many other people that are constintly moving out and moving in. The census is starting to become a harder job to accomplish seeing as we are only sending about 1.3 million Burous out to the citizens and most of them are white which means there will not be an accurate count of the distribution of what race and how many are in this country.
Joel Jacob - 6th period
ReplyDeleteI believe the census is an excruciating task that the American government has taken upon itself. This goal the people have, to count every person in the USA, is very valuable but now is not the time to do it. The census has been degraded to a tradition done by America every 10 year. According to the Commerce Department Inspector General Todd Zinser, “the cost of the census will ultimately surpass the current estimate of $14.7 billion.” Because of the economic crisis that America is going thought this is not the time to be wasting 14.7+ billion dollars on something as invaluable as the census .There are many things that America could do with 14.7 billion dollars. Now very few people care about the census for what it is worth, people often see it as a job that they are forced to do. About half of the data received from the census is unavailable to the general public. Most people don’t even benefit from the data recorded from the census because they really don’t care or because they are not allowed to. With this in mind is it still such a great undertaking to do a census.
Brittany Kuusisto- 6th Period
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jared Cooper, 85 million dollars is too much to spend on this. I think no matter how hard they try to get a count it won't be accurate, it's too problematic. When the article states, "In 2000, the Census Bureau noted for the first time an overcount of 1.3 million people, mostly from duplicate counts of more affluent whites with multiple homes. About 4.5 million people were ultimately missed, mostly blacks and Hispanics.", it shows that other times they have done this they haven't succeeded how they desired to. If previous times weren't successful what makes them think this time they'll do better? Also some illegal immigrants will be scared to mail back, causing problems. This, to me, doesn't seem like it will work out. If it’s been unsuccessful before, why would they spend so much money on it now? Shouldn’t they learn from previous mistakes?
Noel Jacob 5th Period
ReplyDeleteI completely disagree with Jackie Miller. There is not a pinch of usefulness in a census even if it were accurate. Like Alexis Willis said the numbers are constantly changing. If we only want to get a estimate we can just go into space and do a head count. Another thing i disagree with is rethinking. Sending out men is about as good as sending out cards or posting things in Walmart. It is useless. Giving out incentives is also not a way of adapting to the the situation. America is going through a ression and the last thing we need to be spending our money on is cards. If real humans won't get to them then how will cards at walmart get to them. I really would not care about a card a walmart. It would cost millions. If we have that much money to waste then why we don,t hand everyone 100 dollars in cash.
I also dis agree with Milan Dosi when he said that it is an honor. What is the honor in being a part of few hundred million inaccurate numbers. When you see a drop of water in the ocean do you see that drop as an honorable drop. To be honored by being one in a million means you have some low standards. It is about as honorable as being the president of a club with only one person inside it. There is no "honor" in being in a census
Ethan Clark-5th Period
ReplyDeleteI think that, in theory, the census would be a very good thing. However, it isn't necessarily that way. On paper, the money used would make up for the advantage of knowing where to build things, but it may not be that way. What the officials that wrote this article did not take into effect is the number of illegal immigrants that would be skipping over the census anyways. What we need to do is find a way to take account for all of the illegal immigrants that live here, but don't count on paper as part of the statistics that the government has. I say, until we find a better way to take care of them, taking on a full scale census like this is just a huge waste of money.
Josilyn Thomas-6th period
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the government is doing a great job maintaining their goals they have set for themselves. This vision they have to count every person in the United States is very odd and unusual. This task to me sounds very complicated and hard to accomplish. As much as the government wanting this to happen, it is most likely not to occur, reason being we really don’t have much cooperation occurring in our society today. Like people not living according to laws, not making it a priority to follow the government. Even though this is unlikely to happen I would be grateful to be counted. Also getting the cooperation of millions of people of the United States is tough because people don’t always listen and you can’t really make the people of United States want to be part of this. This counting hopefully won’t cause any commotions because it would be a great deal of success for our government and many benefits for our country. For example the distributions of goods can reached to more people evenly and our government won’t have to be spending millions for waste towards our society. Hopefully people will participate in this, but if not what can we do?
Mebin Mathew-5th period
ReplyDeleteI think a census necessary. It tells us where to build schools, stores, hospitals, and many other things. Getting everyone to cooperate is a different story. Many people will not take census for many reasons: they're illegal immigrants that do not want to go back to their country of origin or they can't because they're homeless or they're just plain lazy. One decade is too long for a count. Every 1.6 seconds one person dies. 85 million dollars is a lot of money to put into a census most of the people won't fill out anyway.
Trevor Mitchell-5th Period
ReplyDeleteWhile 4.5 million people may seem a small amount in comparison to the estimated three-hundred million people, one must still remember that four million and five-hundred thousand people is still a huge number and represents an enormous shortcoming of the census: not everyone is accounted for. The census is still important, though, counting citezens for governmental representation, tracking population growth, etc. Certainly a cost of roughly one dollar a person is worth such benefits.
Bruce Liu-4th period
ReplyDeleteThe government's effort in trying to follow the Constitution should be admired, but as the article stated,"you can never do enough". Even though so many different methods are utilized in order to ensure accuracy of the census, many people in the country still choose to finish such a simple task of filling out a 10 question form. People should realize the benefits of an accurate census, but more importantly, the consequences of an inaccurate one. If a census were to be inaccurate, it could affect the amount of money a state receives as a stimulus or federal aid. That would indirectly affect the state's infrastructure conditions or even job opportunities, for high joblessness rates are extremely concerning to everyone. People ignore the forms not because they think it's too much work, but rather believe that it has nothing to do with them. However, when they realize the huge impact it could have on their own personal environment, seriousness on the matter would come naturally.
Eriel Yeldell 4th period
ReplyDeleteI think that this census has it's pros and it's cons. I think that is because it's not going to be efficient in counting everyone, in the previous census it miscounted millions and counted certain people more than one. But, it also is useful in placing schools and other things. This census does have it's flaws but hopefully this year it can do a better job in counting minorities and do what it's designed to do.
Vanessa Hurtado - 4th pd
ReplyDeleteI believe the census can have its pros and cons. Trying to know the exact number of people that are living is not possible. Like Jared Cooper said you can not have an accuarate count of how many homeless people are living and illegal immagrants are in the country. It has its pros because it gives a round estimate of how many people are living. I do not believe the census was worth spending all that money when it could have spent on other things a little more important.
Brittany Bernard-4th period
ReplyDeleteI think what the Census Bureau is doing to make results more accurate is a good thing, and will help the goverment as well as our country a lot. Knowing the exact population can be very effective and making the country a better place. Though the goverment is never going to know the exact number every decade, it is showing signs of improvement when reaching the exact number. It doesnt help that some citizens are not filling out the simple forms. The goverment is making it more and more easier for people, such as immigrants, to fill them out by putting the form in various languages for better understanding. One day the United States will have an effective way to count the total population.
Jasmine Morris 4th period
ReplyDeleteI understand that recording the fluctuation of the population in any given region is important but think we've been going about it all wrong. People lie cheat and forgetful and deceitful. How can we trust about one out of every fourth person who decided to actually fill out a piece of paper and send it back with information that may or may no be true to determine the distribution of $40 BILLION for things as important as health care and education. That's alot of money to simply but in the hands of the people and hope that it goes the way we hope it will. I have no idea how long we've been doing this census thing but i think it's about time it was modernized.
Imani Hicks- 4th period
ReplyDeleteIt's nice that "67 percent of households mailed back their forms”, so that the "three decade decline in the response rate" ended. It's also good since the "Census Bureau says it costs an additional $85 million to find and count those people that" don't "send in their forms". It's best for people to send in their forms because the census data helps the government and private companies determine how people should be helped, how important issues should be solved, where to build other helpful places for people, etc. For example, "Census data is used to locate pools of skilled workers, determine where schools and hospitals should be placed and to trace victims of natural disasters". Another reason why the reforms are important especially during these times of natural disasters is because, “census will provide the most accurate measure to date of how Hurricanes Katrina and Rita affected population trends". The census will give data on population for hurricane Ike and the earthquake in Haiti also.
I think the Census Bureau is helpful and people should send their reforms because when they don't they effect the population trends, and money is wasted on finding these people when it could be put to better use. It's only 10 questions and it helps the person filling out the reform. if you can't understand the reform you're given they have them in English, Spanish "Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Russian", so you can request one you will understand. I feel that sending in reforms should be a law because spending "$85 million" to count someone is a waste of money.
Sruthi Jayadevan
ReplyDeleteperiod 6
:)
The census has many negative and positive aspects to it. Counting everyone is a very important thing in the census. Federal funding, voting rights, economic development, private investments, community services, infrastucture, and data for decisions are all affected by the census and that shows the need for getting an accurate head count.
There are many populations that are at high risk of not being counted such as immigrants, undocumented persons, families with young children, families with mixed legal status and displaced families such as migrant workers, homeless etc. These are very hard to count and it's great the the census has decided to try to include them as well.
The finances however, post a huge problem.
Elizabeth Smith - 4th period
ReplyDeleteOops totally forgot my bad. won't happen again! : (
I think the census is a good and bad. How else will we know where to bulid schools? It does give us an idea of the things we need in our community.Though i do agree with Edward Quinn how do we expect to count everyone in the country? You couild easily miss thousands of people, such as the homeless, who could maybe not afford to go to these events that have the census campaigns. Plus spending 85 million dollars to locate these people is a little much. That money could be used for something that is needed a little more then finding about how many people live in your house. take into account the homeless man that sleeps on a park bench in a big town? He needs a homeless shelter that will provide for his needs till he can get back on his feet.
Bascially i am saying is though how hard the government will try they still will probaly miss a percentage of the people who live in the United States
Mehgan Patterson 5th
ReplyDeleteI think the census is trying as hard as they can to get the number right but it's just impossible to. There's no way they could ever be one hundred percent accurate. I think the census is a good thing because it helps us figure out where to put hospitals and schools. Some people have thought it's a waste of money but if they didn't know how many people there were they would not build enough hospitals and schools for everyone. We would all be packed into one school which would be horrible trying to get to class.
Christian Gomez 4th
ReplyDeleteI think that the census is good in the sense that it helps find out the skills and characteristics of many citizens, yet, it uses a lot of money. The program is so expensive, and the money could very well be used to promote higher standards of living for America. I think that instead of making the country 'better', it wastes that money checking how much 'better' the country has become, defeating the purpose of the census in the first place.
Iram Nandolia, Period 4
ReplyDeleteI think what the census bureau does is great, but there is no way they can know the exact number. Regardless, this helps the states to decide where people need most help like hospitals, and schools, which is really helpful. Still I think that they should try and find a cheaper way of getting the census number.
BETH SUTTON FROM 5TH PERIOD! :D
ReplyDeleteAnything that makes drugs look “fun” is a bad thing. With the brightly colored packaging, candy-like appearance and easily concealable size of the products, it's just screaming bad news. Kids these days are already inclined to do drugs based on peer pressure, parental abuse, and just trying to be “cool” and it seems like companies who produce these products might even want teenagers to buy their tobacco. But it's just business, yeah? No. Tobacco industries should stop thinking about what puts money in their wallets and start thinking about the affects of the health and futures of teenagers who could possibly consume their products. They should make clear the risks that will happen if you do drugs. I do think though, that these products are great for adult smokers who are trying to quit. But maybe they started smoking when they were teenagers because tobacco looked like fun.
Trey Moore
ReplyDeleteI think the census is good because it helps to find our population. With out it we would not know what persent of ethnic backgrounds we have in our country. I think that there census are good to have.