[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 58 (Thursday, April 25, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H2302-H2303]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CENSUS BUREAU ECONOMIC QUESTIONNAIRE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Posey) for 5 minutes.
Mr. POSEY. Mr. Speaker, generally, we believe that what's good for
the goose is good for the gander. That's why I was a little bit shocked
when it was brought to my attention by a number of my colleagues that
they received an economic census in the mail--a very complex, 14-page
document asking them in very great detail about their business, about
their suppliers, about their cost, about who they sell to, and who
their customers are. These were received by mom-and-pop businesses,
sometimes just mom businesses, no pop--one-person businesses. One said:
It will take me two days to fill out this questionnaire. I
have to work. If I don't work 2 days, my business will go
down the drain.
I wondered how important this information was, so I wrote a letter to
the Department of Commerce and the Census Bureau to ask just a few
questions about it. I asked about their constitutional authority to do
that, and they gave me their statutory authority. I'll talk about their
letter in a minute. Then, while they didn't have time to answer my
letter on a timely basis, they did have time to send another relatively
harassing letter to the businesses threatening them with more
penalties--a fine--and just scared the daylights out of them if they
did not take time to return that form.
I finally got my response from them, and what I found was that they
didn't answer all my questions. I asked them:
Please provide me with the information describing the
universe the economic census questionnaires were mailed to
and how they were selected.
No answer.
One constituent who received a questionnaire was a sole proprietor
with no other employees; another was a sole proprietor with two
employees.
Please provide me a summary, if you have one, as to how
many of the businesses to which economic censuses were mailed
were sole proprietors or small businesses or corporations?
How many would you consider to be large corporations? Were
there any Fortune 500 companies?
[[Page H2303]]
They didn't tell me.
Please tell me how many Federal employees from your
agencies were involved in the development and execution of
the economic census. Do you not need to count Postal Service
time while delivering or returning the forms?
No answer.
Please provide me with the names of any Federal employees
associated with the development of the economic census that
have ever owned or operated any business whatsoever in the
private sector.
They did not answer.
Please provide me with the identity of any Federal agency
which has ever provided the kind of detailed financial
information and operating information to citizens that you've
requested from the people you are supposed to serve.
No answer.
The cost of completing the questionnaire will be costly for
small business. How much do you anticipate the cost of labor
will be to a business to comply with your request to complete
the questionnaire?
No answer.
Please advise how the information gleaned from these
questionnaires will be used.
They gave me some generalizations.
Please explain the benefit you anticipate the public will
gain from the questionnaire.
Well, sort of. They said it would help them look at statistics.
Please provide me with a one-page summary of major
activities performed by your agencies. Please cite the number
of times you perform each activity and the cost of performing
each activity on a unit cost basis. The aggregate cost of all
performing activity should be equal to the exact amount of
money that was passed through your agencies during a 1-year
period.
Of course, they did not answer that.
They have no problem demanding that information from the private
sector, but the government sector is completely unwilling to go through
the least little amount of trouble to provide Congress with that same
information.
We are often thought to believe that what's good for the goose is
good for the gander, and so I will persist on trying to get answers to
those questions for the constituents in my district, and hopefully for
those in your districts that have also been interested.
Awarding Congressional Gold Medal to Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry
Regiment
Mr. POSEY. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to say I am pleased to be
here today and joined by Resident Commissioner Pierluisi in support of
a bill awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Puerto Rico's 65th
Infantry Regiment, also known as the Borinqueneers.
When the Korean war erupted in 1950, the soldiers of the regiment
served in a segregated unit, despite President Truman's order
desegregating the military 2 years earlier.
Army commanders doubted the effectiveness of these Puerto Rican
troops, calling them ``rum and Coca-Cola soldiers.'' They were required
to use separate showering facilities and ordered under penalty of
court-martial not to speak Spanish. They were even told to shave their
mustaches until ``they gave proof of their manhood.''
Despite this adversity, the Regiment embraced their Hispanic
heritage, calling themselves ``Borinqueneers'' after the Taino word for
Puerto Rico.
The Regiment served with distinction during the Battle of Chosin
Reservoir in December 1950. Fighting alongside the 1st Marine Division,
they covered one of the greatest strategic withdrawals in military
history. Fighting in temperatures as low as Negative 37 degrees, the
Borinqueneers were among the last defenders of Hungham harbor, and
suffered tremendous casualties during the evacuation.
The Regiment later participated in numerous battles, conducting the
last recorded battalion-size bayonet charge in Army history. Though
they struggled with a grave shortage of trained non-commissioned
officers and personnel policies that pushed it to the breaking point,
they overcame these challenges, fighting valiantly, and earning the
respect and admiration of their commanders.
The Borinqueneers are part of a proud tradition of service in the
face of adversity that includes the Tuskegee Airmen, Montford Point
Marines, Navajo Code Talkers and the Japanese-American 442nd Regimental
Combat Team--all of whom have already received the Congressional Gold
Medal.
I therefore rise in support of the Borinqueneers--the Forgotten
soldiers of a Forgotten war--and urge all of my colleagues to join us
by cosponsoring this legislation to ensure that the Borinqueneers
receive their long overdue recognition.
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