Forceful census takers? Anyone else being bagered?

[PineappleMama]

Quote:
It's not the cactus you see that pricks ya... all I'm saying.

I don't care if it's my neighbor, someone threatening, bullying, harassing is wrong... others said they've done the training and it was very much NOT like that so that isn't policy... now maybe folks in your area... they were trained that way by this particular super, in which case call the county/state building to report... but if it was only this one woman who was that pushy, the rest just left a simple note and moved on, then call the closest one (and if they blow you off go up the ladder) and let them know that she is trying to invite herself in...

Seriously, some houses that could get you killed... so it makes total sense that they'd tell you never ever do it... I'm leaning towards it just being this one lady and because you 'know her' she thinks she can use your personal 'relationship' as a lever in her professional life... never cool when peeps do that, but it happens all the time. Just hope she doesn't try the same with the wrong person...

 

[smileybritches]

Well hello there, I am a census worker---the number one thing i will say is this--it will do you no good to yell at the bottom of the totem pole. Believe me, that's what we are. Very simple, if we have a questionnaire with your address on it we have to go and attempt to get it filled out. Personally i am not rude to anyone unless they are completely obnoxious to me. And then i just tell them they are being rude, we are people just like you. The census jobs are part time temporary positions, with zero insurance, days off or anything else. While we do have a legal right to be on your property, we are highly discouraged from entering your home--frankly i don't want to be in your house. If a census worker scares you call the police, and a census supervisor will be contacted immediately. Have there been issues this census?? yep sure has been---it is a massive undertaking. Please remember we not out there to spy on you nor do really enjoy having to go back to the same address over and over again. Oh and I have had to fill out my census twice--so far. The workers at our level are not privy to why we are having to get people to fill these out things out over and over. My PERSONAL thoughts are that our work was generated by computer before the mail-in questionnaires were all received. I will say this again--if we have a computer generated questionnaire we must attempt to get it completely filled out, not just number of people but completely--that is our training. And yes if you refuse to answer all the questions (yes i know you already have) we will come back, and yes it may be someone different. I have no ideal why send they someone different. It will soon be over and we will go away for 10 years.

I have to step off this soapbox

 

[EweSheep]

I do alot of genealogy research on my family and there are information online of how they did the census. Those kind of information I do not mind and it was very interesting how they do and what they did back then.

Here what they did:

On the census they would ask, name, ages, birthplace, parent's birthplaces under the mother and father list, rent or own, address, married or single or widower, if farmer, they would ask how many acres they own, property they owned, livestock, etc.

As the later census, they do not ask property stuff anymore.

I would not tell them of SS numbers, how much I make a year and how many animals I have or my checking or mortgage stuff for the house. It's too personal. They can access to that in public records at the courthouse.

I filled mine out on the second time they sent paperwork because hubby threw away the first one (he said it is none of their business) and as for me researching and doing my duty, I was lucky to get the second census, filled it out and mailed. Four weeks later, a male census taker arrived and my hubby shook his hand at the introduction and the guy asked some questions, hubby got defensive and said none of your business and my wife filled it out a month ago. Hubby walked away and the census taker went down the road going about his business.

 

[Miltonchix]

This years census, to me, has seemed almost...............militant in nature. I've never seen such unnecessary questions, or the forceful nature of the "We need your response NOW" ads on TV and radio.
I filled mine out with "2" and sent it back. Got another one with a note that there was a problem with my first one. Sent a 2nd one that was filled out with "2" again. Nothing more. I'll probably see the nuts at my door soon too.

"NUTS?" Yes, I would NEVER be a census taker again. Was not worth the pay or aggravation. I had an area to cover that was most of Eastern Washington, south of I-90 and east of Ellensburg. I had to provide the gas then wait, and wait, and....so on, for reimbursement.

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
If you met my hubby who hates any government officials, never voted, etc. and he tells them to hit the road, what would happen to him? Would he be arrested for not providing information? I honestly think the government can not do that and if they really want to know, they can go ahead and see our income tax returns. So he says....

As for me, I don't see this as a problem at all but only know when census takers are taking it too far. A big waste of money when paperwork gets lost in the mail....has it ever been a problem in the last few census years?

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
I agree! LOL

Two it is! as the census taker says upon opening up the paperwork you filled out.

 

[Miss Red]

They showed up at my neighbors birthday party. The dude was nice, educated, and well dressed. But I swear every person that showed up for the party he would suddenly sour and rudely ask if they we're also members of the house hold.

Yes, 13 people live there dude. Get over it. My 17 year old neighbor was the one who talked to him, in her bathing suit. When I showed up with my nephew he looked us over and asked her something. I told him no, I don't live here and went on into the house.

What I want to know is why they get EVERYTHING down to your birth date? If I were jen I would have told him how many people LIVED there and gone about my party.

 

[PineappleMama]

Oh yeah I'd like to know that too.

We filled ours out and mailed it in, no problems At All, but I am curious... if you don't answer, or say only answer the # of occupants part because you figure that the government already has all the rest (actually has that too, but anywho) so there's no reason to give your DOB, SS, etc to a total stranger... well what WOULD happen... yup, done went and got my curiosity piqued now.

Edit... googling I found this thing... http://people.howstuffworks.com/question345.htm

What happens if I don't fill out my census form?

If you refuse to give out the information or you deliberately give inaccurate information, you can be in legal trouble. According to United States Code, Title 13 (Census), Chapter 7 (Offenses and Penalties), SubChapter II, if you're over 18 and refuse to answer all or part of the Census, you can be fined up to $100. If you give false answers, you're subject to a fine of up to $500. If you offer suggestions or information with the "intent to cause inaccurate enumeration of population," you are subject to a fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in prison, or both. Here's the official verbiage:

221. Refusal or neglect to answer questions; false answers

* (a) 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 for by subchapters I, II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title, applying to himself or to the family to which he belongs or is related, or to the farm or farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be fined not more than $100.

That right there kind of worries me... they could ask you ANYTHING and you are required by law to answer... something funny about that. But, for those willing to pay $100 every ten years, and get the thing on your record, then you can avoid it. IF this is the current thing, donno if it is or not.

I'm with others... originally it was just a # thing to determine # of Reps per state... nowadays this is supposedly used for allotting funds to states... but why should race have anything to do with that? Do states with more minorities get more money, that's blatantly unconstitutional... but let's say it doesn't... donno what they want that for, but assume no matter race funding is only based on numbers... well if you want to know how many people need Medicaid, Medicare, Food Stamps, Housing, etc... pull the files from those offices... add up the applications... those are gov't run offices, so use the info available.

All a census does is try and track the people who aren't paying taxes (no income OR tax evasion) or applying for aid... well if they aren't applying for aid then how do they have any impact on the aid funding for the state? They don't, so leave them alone. If you're comparing notes between IRS stuff and Census to try and catch tax evaders that's a sneaky (entrapping?) way to do it.

Whole thing makes no sense to me

 

[MagsC]

I sent ours in as well and have had people show up here three times since then.

 

[PineappleMama]

Thing I found said there's an April deadline... to mail it in I guess... so they tally those up, and then send out workers? Seems like I've been hearing about workers being out longer than that though. Anyone know?