[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5059]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                           CENSUS DAY PLUS 10

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 1999, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, this is census day plus 10. My 
message to the American people is, if they have not already filled out 
their form, please do so now and mail it in. Be part of this great 
civic ceremony.
  As of today, over 61 percent of Americans have responded to the 
census, with 39 percent to go. This is a critically important milestone 
for the 2000 Census, and I am extremely encouraged by the American 
people's effort and by the Census Bureau's transparent tabulation 
efforts. Just months ago, the General Accounting Office warned that the 
initial response rate for the 2000 Census might peak at 61 percent. 
Well, with 8 days still to spare, the 2000 Census has reached this 
point and forms continue to flow in daily.
  I am extremely heartened by the response thus far, and tonight I say 
to the remaining 39 percent, please complete your forms. Do it today. 
Put it in the mail. As always, this is our main message. Fill out your 
form today.
  Unfortunately, we have reached 61 percent despite the amazing 
comments of some of my Republican colleagues and even Members of the 
Republican leadership. With 39 percent of the American people still not 
heard from, we have Members of Congress who should all know better 
telling the American people that the census is optional. We have 
Members of Congress saying that they, and I quote, ``believe in 
voluntarily cooperating,'' end quote, with the government; but beyond 
that they will not follow the law. Since when did following the law in 
this country become a voluntary, optional thing?

                              {time}  1930

  Others have compared the long form to a college exam where some 
questions can be skipped. Is it because some people do not know the 
answers? I certainly hope not. Do they want participation, or do they 
want to make participation optional?
  Last week, Census Director Ken Prewitt testified that the initial 
response rate for the long form has been almost 12 percent below the 
response rate for the households receiving the short form. This is 
almost double the differential from the 1990 census and could seriously 
threaten the accuracy of the final count.
  What is really disheartening is the fact that most of the questions 
on the long form have been around for decades. They were part of the 
Bush and Reagan census. Even more astonishing about this new-found 
concern about the census is that, over 2 years ago, the content of the 
long and short forms, while they were being finalized, absolutely every 
Member of Congress received a detailed list of the questions to be 
asked, including a description of the need for the asking of it, along 
with the specific legal requirements supporting it.
  Notification of Congress is required by title 13 for a very good 
reason, to prevent the very situation we face today, a census effort at 
risk because Members of Congress simply do not know or do not care 
about the importance of the census data.
  Members of Congress received this information with all of the 
questions in 1997 and 1998. I know that all of the Members who are 
complaining about the census got a copy. Did they not read their mail? 
The time for input on the questions was then, not now when they will do 
more harm than good.
  Even last week, the Republican leadership convened a press conference 
supposedly in support of the census. But they went on to urge Americans 
to skip questions they were uncomfortable with. Maybe the Republican 
leadership should be reminded that the questions asked by the census 
represent a balance between the needs of our Nation's communities and 
the need to keep the time and effort required to complete the form to a 
minimum. Only information required by Congress to manage or evaluate 
programs is collected by the census.
  Federal and State funds for schools, employment services, housing 
assistance, road construction, day care facilities, hospitals, 
emergency services, programs for seniors, and much more are distributed 
based on census figures.
  Also, the Census Bureau uses data acquired from the long form to 
establish the baseline for many of the economic reports they release 
year-round, including data on the Consumer Price Index and 
unemployment. Without accurate data, we would be forced to manage our 
economic policies with even less information than we currently have 
available.
  We should remember that the Census Bureau has gone to great efforts 
to make both the short and long forms as brief as possible. The 2000 
Census short form contains eight questions, down from nine in 1990. The 
2000 Census long form contains 53 questions, down from 57 in 1990, the 
shortest long form in decades.
  The only new question in the census, which was added with my support 
as part of welfare reform, asked for information on grandparents as 
care givers.
  I am a bit confused, too, because the same people who today are 
making such a fuss over the long form just 6 months ago tried to add a 
question to the short form which everyone has to complete.
  I have a series of editorials from around the country urging 
Americans to stand up and be counted for their communities, for their 
representation, for their distribution of Federal funds. I would like 
to put in the Record an editorial from the Daily News from New York 
City, the city that I am proud to represent. The editorial is as 
follows:

                        Stand Up and Be Counted

       That's the slogan of Census 2000, and nowhere is that cry 
     more urgent than in New York. Last time around--10 years 
     ago--New Yorkers sat down. There was an undercount. And the 
     state lost out on everything from political representation to 
     new schools. New York, particularly New York City, must not 
     let this happen again.
       The filing deadline came and went April 1. But the ``Be 
     counted'' Web site doesn't shut down until tomorrow. So if 
     you haven't returned your census form, take a few minutes (or 
     a few seconds, if you have the eight-question short form) and 
     do so. Now.
       And, please, try not to get your dander up about how nosy 
     some of the questions seem to be. Answers on how you get to 
     work and what time you leave each morning, for example, can 
     be used by local officials for highway and mass-transit 
     improvements. Nobody's tracking your movement. Other answers 
     will aid in planning for health, housing, education, 
     employment, police and so forth. As for those racial-
     identification categories, just follow the Census Bureau's 
     advice: Put down whatever race or ethnicity you identify 
     with. It's simply a part of drawing an accurate population 
     profile in this multicultural nation.
       So far, returns here are hovering about 55%--with some 
     areas (like central Brooklyn, with a dismal 37%) considerably 
     lower.
       A study by Price Waterhouse Coopers after the 1990 census 
     determined that New York State was undercounted by 277,000 
     residents--245,000 of them in New York City. That cost the 
     city three Assembly seats, a state Senate seat and half a 
     congressional seat.
       As Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Queens), the ranking member of 
     the House census subcommittee put it: ``It's your future, 
     don't leave it blank.''

  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois 
(Ms. Schakowsky), an outstanding leader and actually a new Member of 
Congress, representing the City of Chicago. She has been very active on 
the Subcommittee on Census and has worked very hard to bring up 
participation.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlewoman 
from New York for her tremendous leadership on assuring a complete 
count of all Americans.
  I wish I could be as optimistic. Unfortunately, in the city of 
Chicago, we are 10th out of the 10 largest cities in the response to 
the census so far. My hope is that all responsible elected leaders will 
be encouraging people from our States, from our cities and communities 
to fill out that census form.
  I have heard a lot of political pandering, we all have in our days, 
but rarely have I heard anything quite as irresponsible as the trashing 
that is going on of the census long form. One would think that some of 
those elected officials who are doing it, Members of this body on the 
Republican side of the aisle who are doing that, one would think that 
they had never seen that form before.
  As the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) pointed out, every 
single Member was able to scrutinize every single question. As a 
consequence, we came up with a form, a long form that is, in fact, 
shorter than it was in 1990 and adds only one question. All of us are 
interested in knowing how many grandparents now are taking care of 
children. We hear that all the time from our constituents.
  They had total control over what was going to be in there. There were 
no complaints in 1990 from them.
  How long does it take to get to work? People say, oh, why do you have 
to know that? Well, why does one think that we want to know that, so 
that we can understand where we need transportation dollars. Do we need 
a new road? Do we need more transit to shorten that time? Do we need 
more affordable housing so that people can live near the jobs?
  Employment questions. What is this new economy about? Let us use the 
census to understand that better. Is our prosperity really being 
shared? Are there more people who are working for themselves, and are 
they making a decent living when they are working at home?
  In Illinois, in the Chicago area, in Cook County, we undercounted 
enough children in 1990 to fill 78 schools. That is why we need an 
accurate count, so that we can make sure that we get the educational 
opportunities to our kids.
  Now, one listens to John Stossel on 20/20 last Friday night, and one 
would think that the census is simply a tool of big government, in 
fact, he said a government that is selling dependency, that is his 
word, that is what the census is about in his conspiratorial tone.
  But who really is using this census data? I would posit that ABC, the 
very station he was on, that 20/20 probably uses the census data to 
figure out who the audience is, where to sell advertising. The private 
sector surely as much as the public sector uses the census data to 
figure out where investments should be made, where are we going to put 
our money in communities, who is living out there.
  This is not a conspiracy of government. This is a partnership with 
the people of the United States so that we can distribute public 
dollars and private dollars.
  We need to be doing the census form for ourselves. This is not a 
favor to anybody. This is going to bring results to every single 
community. There is not a district in this country that will not be 
better served if there is a complete count.
  So for any politician to get up and pander and say, oh, you do not 
have to fill this out, it is really intrusive, is counterproductive for 
their own constituents. Leadership is about explaining to constituents 
why this is important, why it is in their interest to fill it out. When 
people complain, we encourage them to understand what the real meaning 
of this complete count is.
  I am so proud to join with the gentlewoman from New York in her work 
and so many of us who are trying every single day to make sure that the 
people in this country get what they deserve. Anyone who has ever said, 
``I send my tax dollars to Washington, what do I get back, am I getting 
my fair share?'', if they have not filled out the census form, then 
that is not an appropriate question, because if they do not fill out 
this form, then they will not be counted.
  So I join my colleagues in urging all Americans to get this census 
form in. They have got a few more days to do it. I encourage my 
colleagues, Mr. Speaker, to inform their constituents about the 
importance.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman 
from California (Mrs. Napolitano), another leader for a complete count.
  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to add to the comments 
that my colleagues have made in just the last few minutes. But I, most 
of all, want to thank everyone who has completed their census form so 
far. Wherever you are, whether you are an American citizen, a recent 
immigrant or whoever, you are making a difference for your community 
and setting our Nation on the best path for the new century.
  For those of you who have not yet filled out and returned your census 
questionnaires, please, you have 10 days to finish. Do it today. Do it 
now. Do it this very minute. It is not too late.
  As of last night, over 60 percent of Americans have completed and 
sent in their census form. This is very exciting news. But we must keep 
working with the census, with our communities, with our neighborhoods 
across the Nation to reach out to the remaining 40 percent of Americans 
who have yet to return their census questionnaire.
  As we have heard, 61 percent return has already been received. In my 
district alone, 68 to 71 percent of the people in the 34th 
Congressional District have completed and returned their census form. 
The City of Norwalk completed 71 out of 78 percent targeted; Whittier, 
70 out of 72; Montebello, 70 out of 73; Pico Rivera, 68 out of 77 
percent; Santa Fe Springs, 71 out of 78 percent; Industry, 69 out of a 
targeted 33 percent; and La Puente, the best in the area, 70 percent 
out of a targeted 67. They have overpassed their target. This is better 
than the anticipated rate out of California and nationwide.
  However, there are a lot of people that still have to be counted. If 
30 percent of our people go uncounted, that is 30 percent less money to 
pay for schools. That is less money for repairing our roads, for 
funding hospitals, for providing services to our senior citizens and 
for our recreational programs for our youth.
  Now, we all know that some people have had difficulties with our 
census forms, especially the long form which asked 53 questions. Some 
people find some of those questions intrusive and awkward. Personally, 
I question the way in which the form asked about my race and my 
ethnicity. But what I do not question is that it is vitally important 
to my community of Norwalk and to my surrounding communities, that I be 
a responsible citizen and complete and return my census form.
  An important fact to remember, whether one is filling out the long 
form or the short form is that one's responses are confidential. The 
information one gives is not, I repeat, it is not sold to marketing 
firms. It is not handed over to the IRS, nor to the INS, nor to the 
FBI. In fact, it is against the law for the Census Bureau to give or 
sell information to anyone. That is including this House. The law 
works. In the last census of 1990, not one single case of information 
leaking occurred.
  The Census Bureau has gone to great effort within the mandates of 
Congress to make the forms as brief as possible. The 2000 Census short 
form contains eight questions, down from nine in 1990, and the long 
form contains 53, down from 57 in 1990, the shortest form in history.
  The Census Bureau uses long form data as a baseline. That means the 
bottom line for every single economic indicator they publish. Without 
this accurate baseline, we cannot produce any economic information 
needed to run our Nation's economy effectively, to identify the areas 
in need, and take on other indicators to be able to help our 
communities.
  We need a more accurate count of America's blacks, America's 
Hispanics, America's Asians, and American Indians. Regardless of what 
my colleagues on the other side, regardless of their arguments or what 
they state, for us, it is not optional. For us, it is a necessity.
  Republicans have done everything possible to harm Census 2000 effort. 
We must not fall for their rhetoric. This latest effort to paint 
questions which had been on the long form for over 50 years as 
intrusive and unneeded is just another attempt to derail the accurate 
count of census.
  To the people in my district, to the people of the United States and 
across this great land of ours, I ask that they please remember how 
important it is to their community, to our community. So I plead again, 
please complete and return your census form.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman 
from Florida (Mrs. Meek), a great leader on a complete count. She even 
hosted a public hearing in her district and has been a leader here on 
the floor and in the committee work, and I welcome her tonight.

                              {time}  1945

  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. I thank my dear colleague, the gentlewoman from 
New York. The gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) hails from New 
York, but her influence on the census has gone throughout this country, 
and we thank her for that leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to come back again tonight. If the 
gentlewoman were to call us in tomorrow, if she were to call us in 
every day this week, I would be here, because we do not have enough 
voices speaking out for the census.
  Regrettably, we have had some ill winds. They came in during the Ides 
of March and they are still here, they are still talking. We are trying 
our very best to say to the country that the census is a good thing. It 
is in the Constitution. It is something that we should do. We keep 
talking about we are a Nation of laws. Well, if that is the case, why 
can we not stick to our laws? Let us not just use them when they are 
customized to fit our political ideas, but to use them at all times.
  It is extremely disappointing to see some of my good friends in the 
Republican Party saying to all of our constituents that the census is 
optional; that they do not have to fill out all the questions; that it 
is not mandatory; that citizens do not have to do this. Well, it is. It 
is important that all of our constituents fill out the census forms.
  Now, it is not too late. We do not have the return I would like to 
see in my district. We have, like, 53 percent. I would like to see 66, 
76, 90 percent return. But we still have time. We are still going to 
churches; we are going to wherever people congregate and saying to 
them, fill out the forms. For those who have not filled theirs out yet, 
please fill it out and return it. We are doing our very best to help.
  I am just really astounded to see that our most noble elevated body, 
the Senate, passed a Sense of the Senate Resolution essentially 
reinforcing the idea that not completing your form is okay. This is 
completely unacceptable. It is completely irresponsible. The Senate 
should set a standard for the country instead of undermining an effort 
which this Congress has seen fit to participate in.
  Now, this thing about the questions, maybe we should not have to go 
over that over and over again because the questions are there and they 
are not that hard. They are only asking those kind of questions every 
10 years. Americans are used to answering questions, particularly 
questions that will lead to good representation in their community. It 
is going to lead to a good school board member, it will lead to some 
good elected representatives, it will lead to some good Congress 
persons. Now, that is not a trivial thing.
  But there are some radio announcers and disk jockeys and pundits in 
this country who are making that just a trivial thing. It is not 
trivial when it affects your elected representatives that will go into 
a governing body and represent you. People keep saying, We don't have a 
voice. You do have a voice. Be counted and you will have a voice, 
because there will be enough of you to say, yes, we do deserve another 
Congressperson in our area; yes, we do deserve another State 
representative in our area; yes, we do deserve another school board 
member.
  So it is irresponsible and irrational, as far as I am concerned, to 
tell people that it is optional; that they should not fill out all the 
forms or they should not fill out any of the forms. The time has come 
now. We have been talking about the census, and the gentlewoman from 
New York has led this thing notably and with great merit throughout 
this process. It is time now that our people step up to the plate.
  They will not be able to talk, the pundits will not be able to talk 
about government does not do what it is supposed to do. They are the 
first to criticize government. They say government is not doing what it 
should do. Government wants to do it. It is a good thing if people go 
out and turn in their census form.
  Now, I am a little embarrassed because the governor of my State has 
come out saying, ``I take the same position as other Republicans do.'' 
Well, it is not a good idea, Mr. Governor, to say that you take that 
same position and that it is optional. Florida now has 23 
representatives in this Congress. If our people do not go out and be 
counted, Mr. Governor, you may not have 23 Congresspersons another year 
from now.
  So we are saying to all the people, support the census. Fill out the 
forms. It is not a cursory thing; it is not something that is fly by 
night and you can just flippant say, oh, no, we are not going to do it. 
It is important. Not only does the lifeblood of your community depend 
on it, your roads, your transportation, and your representation.
  And particularly poor people and underserved people. My voice goes 
out to them every time I stand up. Turn the forms in. You will probably 
benefit from it more than a lot of other people because you depend on 
government for most of your basic services. Go to it; turn in those 
forms. If you need help, call the Census Bureau. If you need help, call 
your local Congressperson; wake them up. They are the ones depending on 
this count as well as you are.
  So I do hope that everyone within the sound of our voices tonight 
will go out and be counted. The ball is in their court.


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). The gentlewoman will suspend.
  The Members will be reminded that it is not in order to characterize 
Senate action, nor is it in order during debate to specifically urge 
the Senate to take certain action.
  Members will be also reminded that they should make their comments to 
the Chair and not to the listening or the viewing audience.
  The gentlewoman may proceed.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, another of our colleagues, the 
gentlewoman from the great State of Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), had a 
conflict and could not stay with us. She was here, however, and I will 
submit her statement later for the Record.
  Another colleague from Texas, however, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Stenholm), is here. This Member holds many leadership positions in this 
body. He is the ranking member on the Committee on Agriculture and is 
the policy chair of the Blue Dogs, in addition to being a leader in 
this body on getting a complete and accurate count during the census.
  Mr. STENHOLM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York for 
yielding to me to talk tonight about the general subject we have 
already heard our colleagues from California and Florida speaking 
about, and that is encouraging, Mr. Speaker, encouraging all Americans 
to fill out the form and to send it in.
  I guess one of my disappointments tonight is that we do not have the 
time equally divided between Democrats and Republicans so that we might 
all stand up tonight and encourage people to fill out the forms and to 
send them in, instead of some divided voices that we have been hearing 
from lately, Mr. Speaker. I think that is not in the best interest of 
this House of Representatives. I hope that we, under the Speaker's 
leadership, will find ways to encourage all Americans to return their 
census forms.
  As we have already heard, current figures indicate that 61 percent of 
all citizens have returned their forms. This is good news. But that 
means 39 percent have not. In Texas, unfortunately, we are running a 
bit behind the national average. As of last night, 57 percent of Texans 
have responded.
  I want to single out a few counties in my district back home that are 
not doing as well as California was doing a moment ago, but we are 
exceeding the national averages: Hood County, Taylor County, Tom Green 
County, and Young County. So to those people living in towns like 
Granbury and Tolar, and Abilene and Merkel, and San Angelo and Graham 
and Olney, I commend you and encourage you to continue to publicize and 
to work to see that your neighbors in fact send their forms in.
  It is all the more important for people in rural areas to respond to 
the census. In 1990, the census missed approximately 1.2 percent of all 
rural residents. We must have an accurate count for rural America also 
in order that we might receive our fair share of representation and tax 
dollars.
  It is very disturbing to me when I look at my rural district and see 
that when we get outside of the more populated counties that I 
mentioned, that we are way behind in our response rate. This is 
disturbing and something that I hope we will in fact be counting soon.
  The editors of the San Angelo Standard Times wrote about the 
importance of responding to the census in their March 15 editorial whey 
they wrote:

       Texas probably lost a congressional seat in 1990 because an 
     estimated 483,000 Texans either refused to be counted or were 
     missed by census takers. The State also lost nearly $1 
     billion Federal funding, which is the other primary purpose 
     of the census now, to determine how much money each State 
     will receive for roads, education, health care and other 
     programs.

  Mr. Speaker, I would provide the full text of the editorial for the 
Record.
  Now, I know there are some citizens that are concerned about the long 
form. The data is extremely important to administering Federal 
programs, everything from housing programs and community development 
grants to highways, education and health care. The Census Bureau uses 
long-form data as a baseline for every single economic indicator. 
Without an accurate baseline, we cannot produce the economic 
information to better serve our citizens.
  The San Angelo Standard Times editors hit on this point as well when 
they wrote:

       It is helpful to have a detailed snapshot of the country 
     and the conditions its citizens are living in, because such 
     information can be useful to policymakers. While it may be 
     annoying, there is no real down side. All census information 
     is confidential and by law cannot be shared either with other 
     government agencies or private entities.

  I think the important thing to point out to our constituents is the 
extensive privacy constraints that we, the Congress, have imposed on 
the census. Anyone who violates the law and discloses any individual 
household data will be subject to 5 years in prison and $5,000 in 
fines. The Census Bureau has a great track record of protecting this 
data. In 1990, millions of questionnaires were processed without any 
breach of trust.
  So, in conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I want to encourage all Americans, 
and in particular my constituents in west Texas, who have not returned 
their census forms to send them in today. It is not too late. You 
deserve to be counted, and it is in your community's best interest and 
it is in our Nation's best interest that we count every individual 
citizen of America so that our representation in this body and in the 
State legislatures around the country will be based on the most 
accurate information.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back to the gentlewoman from New York and submit 
herewith the text of the article I referred to above:

          [From the San Angelo Standard Times, Mar. 15, 2000]

               Take Time to Fill Out Census Questionnaire

       Some West Texans already have received their 2000 census 
     forms, and the rest will be receiving them in the coming 
     days.
       Those who are ambivalent about filling out the forms need 
     to remember a couple of things: There are many reasons to 
     participate and, aside from the time it takes, not a single 
     reason not to. And considering that the short form--which 
     will go to 80 percent of households--takes only about 10 
     minutes to complete, the time argument doesn't hold much 
     water for most people.
       The census has occurred once each decade since the 
     country's beginning. Originally the purpose was to ensure 
     proper representation--that is, since congressional seats are 
     apportioned based on population, it was necessary to know how 
     many people lived in each state to determine how many 
     representatives it would send to the U.S. House of 
     Representatives.
       Texas probably lost a congressional seat in 1990 because an 
     estimated 483,000 Texans either refused to be counted or were 
     missed by census-takers. The state also lost nearly $1 
     billion federal funding, which is the other primary purpose 
     of the census now--to determine how much money each state 
     will receive for roads, education, health care and other 
     programs.
       Both arguments for participating matter in San Angelo and 
     Tom Green County as well. The local share of funding is lost 
     for each person who fails to respond to the census. And with 
     West Texas being tremendously outgrown by the rest of the 
     state, our clout in this part of the state is diminished with 
     each person that is missed.
       For the first time, a local committee will undertake an 
     aggressive outreach effort to try to limit the number of 
     people who fall through the census cracks. Plans call for 
     having offices where people can go to get help in filling out 
     their census forms, and interpreters will be available for 
     those newer arrivals who need assistance.
       It's unfortunate that the Census Bureau got off to a bad 
     start, putting an extra digit on addresses for letters that 
     went out recently informing people that their forms would be 
     arriving and erroneously sending out some information in 
     foreign languages
       Still, that doesn't alter the importance of filling out and 
     returning the forms, which, when compiled, will tell much 
     about the nation at the turn of the century.
       Some 15 million homes will receive the long form, which 
     does take longer to fill out (about 38 minutes, the U.S. 
     Census Bureau estimates) and does ask some questions that 
     will cause many to wonder why they are necessary.
       The answer is that it is helpful to have a detailed 
     snapshot of the country and the conditions its citizens are 
     living in, because such information can be useful to policy-
     makers. While it may be annoying, there is no real downside--
     all census information is confidential and by law cannot be 
     shared either with other government agencies or private 
     entities.
       Consider it a civic duty that pays dividends--and that only 
     has to be performed once every decade.

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his 
statement, and I would now like to yield to the gentleman from Maryland 
(Mr. Cummings). He represents the 7th Congressional District in 
Maryland. The gentleman from Maryland chairs the Complete Count 
Committee for Baltimore and has served on really the oversight 
committee for the census, the Committee on Government Reform and 
Oversight, and I thank him for his leadership on this issue.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman for all 
that she has done. Ever since the subcommittee was first formed, I 
remember that she made it clear that she was going to do everything in 
her power to make sure that we had a complete count, and she has 
continued to do that. I really thank her not just on behalf of the 
Congress of the United States of America but for all Americans for what 
she has done. I really do appreciate it.
  I also want to take a moment to recognize the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Meek), who just spoke. She has brought this matter to the 
attention of the African American people over and over again. It has 
been a major, major concern of the gentlewoman from Florida, and I want 
to thank her.
  This morning, Mr. Speaker, I visited Windsor Hills Elementary School, 
and this is a school in my district which has a number of young people 
who are in special education, beneficiaries of Title I funds.
  I watched those little children as they put their hands up to their 
hearts and said, ``I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States 
of America and to the republic,'' and I watched them as they talked 
about this one Nation under God. As I watched them, I thought about a 
great writer who once said, ``Our children are the living messages we 
send to a future we will never see,'' and I could not help but think 
about the census, because the census affects them. It will affect them 
for the next 10 years.
  The fact is those first graders will, in the future, 10 years from 
now, be 11th graders. The question is how will they have benefited from 
our actions or fail to benefit from our inactions?

                              {time}  2000

  Sadly, we have Members of Congress and prominent leaders of the 
Republican party telling the American public that the census is 
optional. I could not believe that.
  On Friday, the Senate passed a sense of the Senate resolution 
essentially reinforcing the idea that not completing one's form is 
okay. It is not.
  Further, Republican Presidential Nominee, Governor Bush has sided 
with the Republican majority in Congress that has objected to the use 
of modern scientific methods to provide accurate census data.


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). The gentleman must be reminded 
not to characterize Senate actions.
  The gentleman may proceed.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, as a candidate for the presidency, his 
opposition to using modern scientific methods sends a strong message 
that has outreached a minority community those traditionally 
undercounted is not genuine.
  It is unfortunate but not surprising that compassionate conservatism 
does not include the community I represent. Currently, Baltimore City 
has a dismal 48 percent response rate. The target was 68 percent. 
Despite our best efforts, we cannot improve this rate nor ensure a 
complete and accurate census when constituents are bombarded with 
messages from elected officials that they do not have to fill out the 
form.
  I urge naysayers to stop spreading these negative messages and 
encourage residents to fulfill their civic duty by completing and 
returning their census forms. A complete and accurate Census 2000 will 
ensure that education, accessible health care, child care, access to 
jobs, and the protection of civil rights are available for all.
  Again, those first-graders sitting there and then standing and 
pledging allegiance to the flag, where will they be in 10 years? What 
will they have accomplished if we do not do what we are supposed to do 
and fill out our forms? It is a simple act. And as I told some 
constituents the other day, when they fail to fill out that form and 
they have five people in their house, that means six people are not 
counted.
  And so, Mr. Speaker, again our citizens deserve no less. I want to 
thank again the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for yielding.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, our next speaker will be the 
gentleman from the 42nd Congressional District of California (Mr. Baca) 
the inland empire. But before he speaks, I would like to read a short 
quote from an editorial published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on 
April 2.

       A handful of conservative lawmakers in Washington have come 
     up with a creative response. They're urging constituents to 
     simply ignore the questions they don't like. That's a cynical 
     and irresponsible approach from elected officials who should 
     know better. The census long form might be a nuisance, but 
     there is no question that it provides useful, sometimes 
     required, information for Federal agencies to allocate 
     taxpayers' money for private scholars to conduct research and 
     for the government to serve citizens more effectively.

  Mr. Speaker, I do not think anybody could have said it any better.
  Mr. Speaker, I include the following entire editorial for the Record:

                 [From the Star Tribune, Apr. 2, 2000]

               Census Ruckus; Don't Boycott the Long Form

       One in six American households has received the Census 
     Bureau's dreaded ``long form'' in recent weeks, and most are 
     reacting to its 52 detailed questions with an understandable 
     combination of patience, impatience and procrastination.
       But a handful of conservative lawmakers in Washington have 
     come up with a more creative response. They're urging 
     constituents to simply ignore the questions they don't like.
       That's a cynical and irresponsible approach from elected 
     officials who should know better. The census long form might 
     be a nuisance, but there is no question that it provides 
     useful--sometimes required--information for federal agencies 
     to allocate taxpayers' money, for private scholars to conduct 
     important research and for the government to serve citizens 
     more effectively.
       Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott has led the attack, 
     arguing that the census questionnaire is overlong and 
     intrusive. But the Census Bureau has added only one item 
     since 1990, and it provided all the questions for 
     congressional review two years ago, as required by law.
       Rep. Tom Coburn, R-Okla, says the questions are too 
     personal. When pressed for an example last week, a Coburn 
     aide cited a question about bathing habits. But it turns out 
     that the question is actually about mental and physical 
     disability. As a series of examples, the question asks 
     whether the respondent has a disability severe enough to 
     interfere with schooling, holding a job or conducting normal 
     household activities such as eating and bathing.
       Granted, that's personal. But it's also a perfectly good 
     example of the census' value. Washington hands out billions 
     of dollars every year to disabled Americans, and every year 
     skeptical lawmakers ask how many Americans are truly so 
     disabled that they need government assistance.
       The same could be said for the billions of dollars that 
     Washington spends every year on highways, parks, mortgage 
     subsidies, tuition assistance and so forth. It would be 
     irresponsible for Congress to spend the money without good 
     data on the nation's housing stock, travel habits, recreation 
     needs and educational deficiencies. And that says nothing 
     about the small army of scholars who will dig into census 
     data in coming years to conduct important research on health 
     care, mobility, poverty, education and countless other 
     subjects.
       Lott and Coburn say their constituents don't trust the 
     Census Bureau to keep their answers confidential. But 
     responsible leaders would not inflame groundless suspicions. 
     They would remind their constituents of the Census Bureau's 
     excellent 200-year records of vigorously protecting the 
     confidentiality of personal information.
       What's most depressing about the Lott-Coburn critique is 
     that it's one more effort to depict the government as an 
     enemy of the people, not an extension of their will. 
     Americans who want their government to function more 
     effectively should support a thorough census. A sophisticated 
     society cannot function without good information about 
     itself. And for those busy souls who haven't labored through 
     the long form yet, we trust they'll approach the task more 
     responsibly than some of their leaders in Washington.

  Last Friday, the Senate passed a misguided Sense of the Senate 
resolution that will only encourage more Americans not to participate 
in this critically important civic ceremony.
  Ironically, many of the Senators raising questions also cosponsored 
an amendment offered by Senator Helms which would have asked every 
American what their marriage status was. Those Senators should realize 
that they cannot have it both ways.
  It is much too late to be raising these questions.
  At this time, I would like to read a few quotes from an editorial 
published in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune on April 2nd.

       A handful of conservative lawmakers in Washington have come 
     up with a creative response. They're urging constituents to 
     simply ignore the questions they don't like. That's a cynical 
     and irresponsible approach from elected officials who should 
     know better. The census long form might be a nuisance, but 
     there is no question that it provides useful--sometimes 
     required--information for Federal agencies to allocate 
     taxpayers' money, for private scholars to conduct research, 
     and for the government to serve citizens more effectively.

  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Baca).
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank the gentlewoman 
from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for doing an outstanding job in getting 
out the word to all American people of the responsibility that we have 
in assuring that every American is counted. It has taken a lot of 
effort and a lot of time on her part. I commend her for her part, 
because she realizes the importance of what it means to our Nation to 
have everyone counted. She is to be commended for her leadership, her 
vision, and her foresight in assuring that every State receives its 
fair share of dollars. And the only way that it is going to be done is 
by doing an accurate count.
  By doing an accurate count, I am really appalled at what is going on 
and am outraged by what is going on or has been suggested by parties on 
one particular side that has said that it is optional to count. It is 
not optional. It is our responsibility, it is everybody's 
responsibility, it is Americans' responsibility to make sure that we 
all are counted. It is irresponsible and unpatriotic not to be counted.
  Let me tell my colleagues I stand here as a veteran, a veteran who 
has served our country, and many other veterans who have served us, 
they believe they have fought to assure that we enjoy those freedoms 
that we enjoy today because they were willing to put themselves and to 
sacrifice, that we enjoy those freedoms today to make sure that 
everyone is counted, that everyone enjoys the freedom that we have to 
assure they participate in our American democracy.
  They cannot participate in that American democracy if they do not 
participate and they are not counted. I ask every individual to 
participate. We now have had 61 percent of individuals that 
participated at this point. That is not enough. We need 35 percent 
additional of the total of Americans to participate in filling out 
their forms. We need every individual to fill out their form.
  We are in an information age. We need reliable information in order 
to make good decisions for this Nation. Without good data, we cannot 
administer the laws of this country fairly.
  The Census Bureau has long forms on a baseline for every single 
economic independent indicator to be published. Without an accurate 
baseline, we cannot produce economic information needed to run this 
Nation's economics effectively.
  Not too long ago, I came here and was elected during a special 
election. I voted for the budget at that time. It was the first budget 
that I ever voted for. It was approximately a $790 trillion budget. 
When I look at that budget, I am saying, how much of that money is 
coming back to California? In California we have continued to do an 
undercount.
  In Fontana recently, we have had a lot of growth and development in 
that area. We need to make sure that we do have an accurate count in 
that immediate area. We are going to lose a lot of funding that goes 
back, monies that need to go back for education, monies that need to go 
back for parks and recreation, monies that need to go back for special 
ed, monies that need to go back for infrastructure and transportation, 
monies that need to go back for health services, monies that need to go 
back for senior citizens.
  If we do not do an accurate count, we will not get the monies that we 
deserve. It is our responsibility to make sure that we receive the 
funding that is necessary for all of us. It cannot happen unless we 
take our responsibility.
  I urge all Americans to make sure they fulfill their obligation, they 
take that responsibility. We are in a country where we have those 
freedoms. Many other individuals do not have those freedoms. We have 
the freedom to complete the form and look at every dollar that we 
reserve.
  If California wants to reserve its dollars to get back what it 
deserves, we need to make sure that an accurate count is done. The only 
way that California will get the additional dollars is that we make 
sure we do that count.
  We have 52 Members in the State of California. We need to continue to 
make sure we ask for an accurate count. We need to make sure that 
blacks, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, the American-Indian population, and 
the total population is actually counted. We need all of them to 
participate, to make sure they do fill out their forms, that they are 
not frightened and sabotaged by anyone telling them not to complete the 
form. I ask them to please complete the form. We urge them. It is 
important for this Nation. It is important for our country.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I put a brief quote in from 
the Atlanta Journal Constitution on April 3. It says, ``Participation 
in the census may also be harmed by the political grandstanding it 
continues to inspire.'' Presidential candidate George W. Bush has 
criticized the long census sent to one in six American households as 
some sort of government intrusion on privacy.
  However, the Census Bureau takes very seriously its responsibility to 
keep individual responses absolutely confidential. Leakers inside will 
be sought out and prosecuted. And hackers on the outside have not been 
able to get in. If they were caught, they would be prosecuted. In fact, 
the Bureau is working with leading computer security experts to make 
sure its data remains untapped.
  Mr. Speaker, I include the entire article for the Record:

         [From the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Apr. 3, 2000]

   Constitution: Keep the Census From Becoming Political Fodder and 
                              Participate

       Roughly half of America's households did their civic duty 
     and answered the U.S. Census Bureau's Year 2000 postal survey 
     by its April 1 deadline. That level of participation is not 
     nearly good enough if America is to get the accurate picture 
     of itself essential to governing fairly and efficiently at 
     local, state and federal levels.
       Fortunately, the bureau still has a ``final, final 
     deadline'' for mail and e-mail replies. It's April 11, the 
     day it will send out its enumerators to count Americans who 
     didn't respond. So if you have yet to fill out your census 
     form, please do so and mail it this week.
       Participation in the census may also be harmed by the 
     political grandstanding it continues to inspire. Presidential 
     candidate George W. Bush and Senate Majority Leader Trent 
     Lott (R-Miss.) have criticized the long census--sent to one 
     in six American households--as some sort of government 
     intrusion on privacy.
       However, the Census Bureau takes very seriously its 
     responsibility to keep individual census responses 
     confidential. Leakers inside will be sought out and 
     prosecuted, as will hackers on the outside. In fact, the 
     bureau is working with leading computer-security experts to 
     make sure its data remain untapped.
       Is this year's census survey exceptionally burdensome or 
     intrusive, as its critics suggest? No, the questions on the 
     long form are almost all similar to those asked in previous 
     censuses, including the 1990 census conducted when Bush's 
     father was president. And every question on this year's long 
     form was presented to members of Congress for their comments 
     two years ago. To find fault with those queries at this late 
     date is a cheap shot.
       The information being gathered will be used to redraw 
     political districts, calculate how government benefits like 
     Medicare are to be shared equitably, and predict public needs 
     such as mass transit, roads, libraries, schools, fire and 
     police protection. Census figures from 1990 helped federal 
     emergency officials determine quickly where shelters were 
     most needed after Hurricane Andrew smashed south Florida in 
     1993.
       The alternative, as urged by Bush, Lott & Co., would be to 
     operate government uninformed of its people's needs.

  Mr. Speaker, the next speaker is the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Millender-McDonald) a leader not only in the census but in the Women's 
Caucus. She is the co-chair of the Women's Caucus.
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, let me first thank this 
outstanding Member out of the State of New York (Mrs. Maloney) who not 
only leads the census and has been absolutely strong in her 
deliberations on this issue but is the chairwoman of the Woman's 
Caucus. She, too, understands, Mr. Speaker, that of the 4 million 
people who were undercounted, 50 percent of those were our children.
  And so, this is why, Mr. Speaker, I am appalled a leading presumptive 
presidential candidate, a man aspiring to lead this great Nation, 
cannot figure out whether he will fill out his own confidential census 
form. This is the same man who wants to take charge of the American 
people and its government to make public policy based on population 
figures that affect our daily lives in health, education, 
transportation, appropriations, and other public responsibilities.
  Carrying out his own education proposal unveiled last week would 
depend upon, Mr. Speaker, accurate data that all of the census 
produces. How does he plan to produce an accurate Consumer Price Index 
without accurate long form data? Still, he has not committed enough to 
government fairness to fill out one of these forms himself.
  Now, I have worked with the Census Bureau now for about 2 years to 
make sure that they count every hard-to-count group. I spearheaded a 
special project to make sure Africans and Caribbean residents in the 
Diaspora understood the importance of the census and trusted our laws 
of confidentiality governing the process.
  I also called on homeless shelters, battered women shelters, 
colleges, universities, and families with children to make sure that we 
count them, because they will have been historically undercounted 
individuals.
  Shame on any elected official who would undermine our Nation's effort 
to gather vital information we need for appropriations and planning. 
The census numbers are extremely important to Government leaders.
  In 1990, the census undercounted 486,000 persons in the State of 
Texas, causing that State to lose about $1 billion in Federal funding 
for health care, housing, transportation, and other Federal programs. 
Even California lost $2.3 billion, Mr. Speaker, and a congressional 
seat.
  Children, the target of this presidential candidate's education 
reform package, are one of the most undercounted groups in America. How 
many of them fell through the cracks in Texas this past decade because 
of underfunded public services? It seems, out of self-interest, one 
would want an accurate assessment of one's home State.
  Remember, these same officials who do not want residents filling out 
census forms oppose using modern scientific methods for a more accurate 
census count.
  Come now, they cannot have it both ways. If all public leaders, no 
matter what party affiliation, would encourage every resident to fill 
out and return their forms, we could get the results we need, Mr. 
Speaker.
  Maybe those now questioning the census have other motives for 
spoiling an accurate census count. Maybe they do not want a true 
accurate count. Frankly, this reminds me of the 1980s, when South 
African apartheid government decided not to count the majority of 
African people as South Africans. Did undercounting tens of thousands 
of residents who were not acceptable but lived in Johannesberg make 
them go away? Did it drive down actual unemployment figures and 
increase the real infant mortality rate? Of course not. This 
statistical chicanery only lets those in power fool themselves to the 
realities they need to face.
  The Census Bureau has done a great job and has gone to great lengths 
to carry out the mandates of Congress to make sure the forms are as 
brief as possible. In fact, the long form is shorter than the 1990 form 
by four questions and it is the shortest form in history.
  My friends, this is the information age. We need the data from these 
forms to administer our public duty in this country fairly. Those 
encouraging citizens to voluntarily suppress an accurate count are 
doing it as a grave disservice to their State and to Americans across 
this Nation.
  As leaders, they should know the laws of confidentiality governing 
the census in our great country. This is our process governed by our 
laws that our courts have upheld. Reasonable and sensible officials 
swear to uphold the law. And this law has never been violated. Let us 
stop playing games, my friends, with America's future. Follow the 
advice of sensible leaders in all political parties. Fill out that 
census form, and encourage everyone who comes within their purview to 
do the same.
  I thank again the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for her 
leadership.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis), a member of the Census Subcommittee of the 
Committee on Government Reform. He has been fighting for an accurate 
census through two threatened government shutdowns and a flood relief 
bill held hostage. He fought against the designation of the census as 
an emergency.
  The census has been around since the beginning of our Nation, and he 
fought every day to get the funding for the census. He is continuing as 
one of our outstanding leaders for a complete and accurate count. I 
thank him for all of his hard work.

                              {time}  2015

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as I have listened to the 
discussion this evening, I have been thrilled and delighted. First of 
all, I want to commend the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) for 
her continuing outstanding leadership day after day, night after night. 
The gentlewoman talks about leaving no stone unturned. She is talking 
about taking a message to the American people. I really do not think, I 
say to the gentlewoman, that anybody has ever put more into an issue, 
into an idea, into a concept than what she has displayed during these 
last 2 years of trying to make sure that there is an accurate count, an 
honest count, and that everybody person in this country is, indeed, 
counted.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank her, along with all of those who have expressed 
all of their appreciation. Listening to the gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Millender-McDonald), I said to myself, if I was not going to fill 
out the form, listening to the gentlewoman from California that would 
have caused me to grab up a pencil, a pen, or whatever it was that I 
could get my hands on, and run to that form and fill it out.
  Unfortunately, there are many people in our country who do not 
understand the importance. I represent a district that has over 165,000 
people who live at or below the level of poverty. Obviously, many of 
these individuals are at the lower end of the socioeconomic scale, many 
of them, obviously, are not as well-educated as some other people. 
Obviously, many of them do not understand. I want to thank all of the 
people in my community, the churches who have been making the 
announcements, who have been trying to convince people on a regular 
basis, the volunteers who went out with me on Saturday.
  We ran into people who just did not understand. I ran into one woman 
who said to us, you know, I am saved and sanctified and filled with the 
Holy Spirit, and I am not going to fill out these forms. I said to 
myself, yes, you will be saved and sanctified and broke, filled with 
the Holy Spirit and your children cannot get daycare. And the Holy 
Spirit is going to help you do a lot of things, but the Holy Spirit is 
not going to put a daycare center in your neighborhood so that your 
grandchildren can go and get early childhood education.
  Mr. Speaker, I ran into people who said to us that they did not get 
the forms, and I looked in their hallways, and there were the forms on 
the floor. I said, well, you did not get it, but it is here; you have 
got to pick it up and fill it out and send in the information.
  I ran into people who said that we filled it out on the first floor, 
but the people on the second floor, I am not sure that they got one.
  I make a plea to all Americans, notwithstanding anything that anybody 
else might say, and, yes, I have some problems with those who would 
encourage people not to fill the forms out, but the real responsibility 
is on each and every one of us.
  We have an old saying in my community that if you fool me once, shame 
on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Notwithstanding what anybody might 
say, whether they are elected, appointed, community activists who just 
do not understand, anybody that is encouraging you or suggesting that 
you should not fill out your form, then, they do not have your 
interests at heart.
  You have got to say the way that they say at the church that I 
attend: it is not my mother, it is not my father, but it is me oh, 
Lord. It is not the deacon. It is not the preacher, but it is me. It is 
not the Democrats. It is not the Republicans. It is not the House. It 
is not the Senate, it is my form, and if I do not fill out my form, 
then it means that I do not count.
  So I thank the gentlewoman from New York for her leadership, for all 
that she has done. Please, Americans, please, residents of the 7th 
Congressional District in the State of Illinois, please make absolutely 
certain that you count by filling out the form, because if you do not, 
then all of America loses.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Illinois. I think what he just said he said it beautifully. Added to 
his words are Senator John McCain who recently exhibited the kind of 
leadership all Members of Congress should emulate, when he urged all 
Americans to fill out the entire census form.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. I congratulate certain Members of the other 
body who are urging everybody to fill out the form.


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman will suspend. The 
gentlewoman may not characterize legislative positions of Members of 
the other body.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks on the subject of my special order today.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentlewoman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the 
House that many of the questions are essentially the same questions 
approved by former President Ronald Reagan and President Bush, except 
that they are less than the questions in 1990. I would ask some of my 
more conservative Members to think about that before they criticize the 
census.
  In the information age, we need reliable information in order to make 
good decisions for this Nation. Some Members of Congress must be stuck 
in the 18th century. They do not seem to want to know how America is 
doing. Without good data, you cannot administer the laws of this 
country fairly. Their comments are rash and inappropriate.
  The good news for the census is that the Census Bureau is following 
the law. It will try to get the long form questions answered, because 
the professionals at the bureau do what the law says, the law Congress 
passes. They go out and try to get an accurate picture of this country 
and report back to Congress. I guess we now know why the 2000 census 
was designated an emergency in last year's budget. We just did not know 
that some Members of Congress were the ones who would be creating the 
emergency.
  On average, the long form takes a little over half an hour to 
complete. Only information needed to manage or evaluate government 
programs is collected by the census. Just a half an hour every 10 years 
for good data on your country, a photograph of where your country is 
going. The short form just takes several minutes, just several minutes 
to be a good citizen. $180 billion a year in Federal money depends on 
census data. That is close to $2 trillion over the decade. Clearly that 
is reason enough to fill out the long form which, by the way, goes to 
only one in six American households.
  As I said, Members should remember that they were informed of the 
questions that would be in the census over 2 years ago. Every single 
Member got a book that had every question, they had the reason for the 
question, and they had the congressional law that required it. They had 
an opportunity to criticize or complain then. But that time has passed. 
Now is the time to urge everyone to participate in this civic ceremony 
together as one Nation. It is your future. Do not leave it blank. 
Please fill out the form.
  Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record a series of editorials across 
the country from Seattle to Washington, Sacramento, Palm Beach, 
Minneapolis, Atlanta; David Broder in the Washington Post; Gail 
Collins, New York Times; Los Angeles, USA Today, Atlanta Journal; along 
with many, many other articles that have come out in support of being 
good citizens and filling out the long form, being part of an accurate 
census.

            [From the Seattle Times Company, March 29, 2000]

                Overly Overwrought About the 2000 Census

       On any given day, citizens are bombarded with dozens of 
     legitimate, stress-producing worries. The U.S. Census Bureau, 
     even its much-maligned long-form questionnaire, ought not be 
     one of them.
       Census questionnaires have been mailed to 120 million 
     American households. The seven-question short form was sent 
     to most households; a longer, more-detailed, 52-question form 
     was delivered to one in six households.
       Then the yowling began--The Snoops! The invasion of 
     privacy!
       The complaints are nine parts hype, one part hooey.
       Two important developments have occurred since the last 
     census was taken in 1990. The long form got shorter by four 
     questions, and talk radio got louder.
       In fairness to those with census jitters, more people 
     nowadays are concerned about personal privacy. Frequent calls 
     by solicitors and marketing companies wear down a person's 
     patience and goodwill.
       Remember, though, the census is the head count prescribed 
     by the Constitution.
       The people who make money by whipping up fear--and those 
     who buy into it--substitute paranoia for logic.
       The loudest concerns focus on question 31 on the long form, 
     which asks people to report wages, salaries, commissions, 
     bonuses or tips from jobs. This is not a scary question. The 
     federal government, the Internal Revenue Service, already 
     knows the answer for individuals. The Census Bureau is 
     looking for data to report in the aggregate.
       Before people allow themselves to be whipped into an 
     unnecessary froth, remember the manner in which the data is 
     reported. It is much like a series of USA Today headlines, 
     ``We're older,'' ``We're more mobile, more diverse'' and so 
     on. The census doesn't announce that Joe Dokes at 123 Pine 
     Street does or says anything. Nor does the Census Bureau 
     share personal information with other agencies.
       The questions provide a telling snapshot of America and 
     help determine how large pots of tax dollars are spent on 
     social programs, highways and mass transit, and how 
     congressional seats are distributed among the states. Smile. 
     A big family portrait is being painted with numbers. Nothing 
     scary about that.
                                  ____


                 [From the Tulsa World, March 30, 2000]

                       Coburn: Down for the Count

       Rep. Tom Coburn is never going to come to his census. Count 
     on it.
       But the Second District Republican congressman should admit 
     that the appropriate time to protest queries on the long form 
     of the Census 2000 questionnaire was more than two years ago 
     when the questions, all required by law (and who passes law?) 
     were circulated among members of Congress.
       On Wednesday, Coburn essentially urged his Second District 
     constituents to violate federal law by refusing to complete 
     certain portions of their long-form questionnaires. One in 
     six homes receives the long form.
       ``The Census Bureau's desire for information is out of 
     control and a violation of privacy rights,'' Coburn said, 
     adding, however, that his constituents should answer the 
     ``essential'' questions on the short form covering a person's 
     name, sex, age, relationship, Hispanic origin and race.
       The long form asks 27 more questions about 34 subjects, 
     including marital status, income, mode of transportation to 
     work and work status for the past year.
       Coburn said that if a census worker shows up to collect 
     omitted information, Oklahomans should ``politely refuse'' to 
     give it.
       Coburn's position doesn't square with that of Gov. Frank 
     Keating and other leaders who have encouraged Oklahomans to 
     fill out the forms so that the state can receive the largest 
     share possible of the $2 trillion in federal funds that are 
     handed out on the basis of census figures. Some of the 
     questions in the long form help agencies calculate the 
     specific needs of a community.
       ``While I understand the reservations that some Oklahomans 
     may have with regard to some of the questions on the long-
     form census questionnaire, I urge them to complete and 
     promptly return the entire form to the census bureau,'' 
     Keating said.
       Coburn took his position after receiving complaints that 
     long forms were invasive. He accused the census bureau of 
     being ``out of control'' and of violating Americans' privacy.
       Even some other conservative members of the Oklahoma 
     congressional delegation, including Rep. Steve Largent and 
     U.S. Sens. Don Nickles and James Inhofe, do not appear to 
     embrace Coburn's position.
       If the Census Bureau is asking too many nosy questions, the 
     time to protest is before the questions become law, not in 
     the middle of a census. We should be able to count on our 
     elected officials to know what's going on in time to do 
     something about it.

        [From the Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA), March 30, 2000]

 Head Count: You've Got Until Saturday to Tackle Those Census Questions

       I am one of the army of people hired to help answer 
     questions about the 2000 census. Many people receiving the 
     long form understand the questions but are reluctant to 
     provide answers. They feel the government ``already knows too 
     much about my personal life and income. And why do they want 
     to know how many flush toilets I have or how much it costs to 
     heat my home?''
       There are reasons for including these questions as an 
     adjunct to the main purpose of the census, which is to get a 
     head count of all people residing in the United States on 
     April 1, 2000. Let me try to allay some of the 
     misconceptions.
       First, the data is absolutely confidential. Nobody, not the 
     President, the Supreme Court, the FBI, the INS or any local 
     police department, will ever have access to your individual 
     questionnaire. All census workers are sworn to maintain the 
     confidentiality of the data provided, under penalty of a 
     stiff fine and a prison term. This confidentiality has not 
     been breached since the census started in 1790.
       Second, the answers that you provide are compiled into 
     statistics, which are then made available to the public and 
     all governmental agencies. These statistics are used to 
     determine how to distribute about $200 billion per year of 
     federal funds to schools, employment services, housing 
     assistance, highway construction, hospital services, child 
     and elderly programs.
       When the data show, for instance, that the city of 
     Chesapeake has had phenomenal growth since the past census, 
     additional funding to Chesapeake will be forthcoming in many 
     of the above categories.
       Why the questions about toilets and heating costs? The 
     statistical data on plumbing facilities is used by the U.S. 
     agriculture and housing departments to determine rural 
     development policy, grants for residential property 
     rehabilitation and identification of areas for housing 
     rehabilitation loans.
       Knowledge derived from the census is essential also to the 
     drawing of samples for all kinds of surveys, for the 
     computation of birth and death rates and the making of 
     actuarial tables, and for the analysis of economic 
     development and business cycles. Above all, the census makes 
     possible the estimation of future trends and is therefore 
     part of all kinds of planning--national, state, local, 
     tribal, citizen groups, business and industry.
       Please take the extra time to answer the seemingly 
     ``personal'' questions on your census long form. The official 
     deadline is Saturday. After April 11, you may be visited by a 
     census enumerator if you failed to return your questionnaire. 
     Please don't shoot the messenger. We'll only be doing our job 
     because you didn't do yours.
                                                    Edward Samson,
     Chesapeake.
                                  ____


               [From the Washington Post, March 31, 2000]

                             Census Bashing

       The Census always produces complaints that an intrusive 
     government is asking for more information then it has a right 
     to know. Usually the complaints are scattered and come the 
     fringe. But this year some radio show hosts have taken up the 
     issue, and now some national politicians who otherwise yield 
     to none in insisting on law and order are telling 
     constituents not to answer questions they feel invade their 
     privacy.
       The Senate majority leader, Trent Lott, is one such. He 
     believes that people ought to provide ``the basic census 
     information'' but that if they ``feel their privacy is being 
     invaded by [some] questions, they can choose not to answer,'' 
     his spokesman says. Likewise Sen. Chuck Hagel, whose ``advice 
     to everybody is just fill out what you need to fill out, and 
     [not] anything you don't feel comfortable with.'' Yesterday, 
     George W. Bush said that, if sent the so-called form, he 
     isn't sure he would fill it out, either.
       And which are the questions that offend these statesmen? 
     One that has been mocked seeks to determine how many people 
     are disabled as defined by law, in part by asking whether any 
     have ``difficulty . . . dressing, bathing, or getting around 
     inside the home.'' When it mailed the proposed census 
     questions to members of Congress for comment two years ago--
     and got almost no response--the bureau explained that this 
     one would be used in part to distribute housing funds for the 
     disabled, funds to the disabled elderly and funds to help 
     retrain disabled veterans. Are those sinister enterprisers? A 
     much-derided question about plumbing facilities is used in 
     part ``to locate areas in danger of ground water 
     contamination and waterborne diseases''; one about how people 
     get to work is used in transportation planning. All have been 
     asked for years.
       Earlier this year, Mr. Lott's Senate complained 94 to 0 
     that a question about marital status had been removed from 
     the basic census form. That was said to be a sign of 
     disrespect for marriage. Come on. This is a critical period 
     for the census. All kinds of harm will be done if the count 
     is defective. A politician not seeking to score cheap 
     political points at public expense might resist the 
     temptation to demagogue and instead urge citizens to turn in 
     their forms. But in an election year such as this, that's 
     apparently too high a standard for some.
                                  ____


         [From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 31, 2000]

                     Census Too Important to Ignore

       It seems that lots of people are complaining about having 
     to answer what they claim are invastive questions on this 
     year's census form. Of course, some of these are people who 
     willingly give their credit card numbers to telemarketers 
     offering the latest in siding or to Internet sites that sell 
     really cool lava lamps.
       There are also plenty of members of Congress who are now 
     all in a huff, saying they sympathize with citizens who are 
     threatening to refuse to fill out the forms. One wonders what 
     these guardians of the public good were doing when they 
     reviewed--and apparently approved of--the same census 
     questions they are now complaining about. And where they were 
     10 years ago, when the questions were virtually the same.
       The fact is, it's important to fill out the census so the 
     government has an accurate count and so the average citizen 
     has adequate representation in Washington and receives his or 
     her fair share of federal funds.
       Admittedly, some of the questions are goofy, and threats to 
     privacy should be of concern to everyone. But asking how many 
     toilets you have is hardly sinister. Besides, the government 
     already knows. Just ask your local assessor.
       Government also already knows what race you are and whether 
     you are a veteran. It keeps records on those kinds of things, 
     just as businesses keep records of your commercial 
     transactions.
       It's easy to rail against government, but the greatest 
     threat to privacy is not found in government census forms, 
     but in the vast databases being built by private companies 
     about their customers and potential customers.
       Want something to worry about? Go to the Internet and 
     search for information about yourself. What some of you may 
     learn there is really scary.
       And since the census gives the nation a profile of itself, 
     determines the number of representatives a state has in 
     Congress and decides where federal funds are distributed, the 
     information serves a larger public purpose than that gathered 
     by eBay or Amazon.com.
       It is OK to be annoyed by the government for asking all 
     these fool questions. But it's important to fill out the form 
     and make sure the annoying information is at least accurate. 
     Besides, the Census Bureau is barred by law from sharing its 
     information about individuals for three-quarters of a 
     century.
       So the information on your toilets will be safe for at 
     least that long.
                                  ____


                [From the New York Times, April 1, 2000]

                       Civic Duty and the Census

       Some Congressional Republicans are seriously undermining 
     the 2000 census by suggesting that the national head count, 
     which officially takes place today, is an invasion of 
     privacy. That bizarre complaint could discourage the public 
     from participating in a project that is crucial to the 
     functioning of state and federal government. The questions on 
     this year's census form--including questions on household 
     income, plumbing facilities and physical disabilities--have 
     been part of the census for decades. The only new question 
     asks for information on grandparents who are caregivers for 
     children. In fact, this year's long form is the shortest one 
     in 60 years. All answers on census forms are kept 
     confidential. Yet Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska has 
     suggested in recent days that people can simply ignore 
     questions on the long form--which goes to one out of six 
     American households--that they find intrusive. A spokesman 
     for Senator Trent Lott, the majority leader, has made 
     similarly inappropriate suggestions. Gov. George W. Bush of 
     Texas has said that people should fill out the forms, but 
     that if he received a long form, he was not sure he would 
     want to fill it out either. These comments are irresponsible. 
     Completing the census form fully and accurately is not 
     optional; it is a civic duty that is required by law. Senator 
     Hagel now says that he does not want to encourage people to 
     break the law, but will introduce legislation to make most of 
     the questions on the long form voluntary.
       The federal government has spent billions of dollars trying 
     to produce an accurate count as response rates have continued 
     to decline with each decennial count. Accuracy is critical 
     because the census is used to apportion seats in Congress, 
     draw legislative districts within the states and distribute 
     more than $185 billion in Federal funds. The government uses 
     information from the long form of the census to allocate 
     money to communities for housing, school aid, transportation, 
     services for the elderly and the disabled and scores of other 
     programs. The data are also necessary to calculate the 
     consumer price index and cost of living increases in 
     government benefits.
       When individuals fail to give complete information about 
     their households, they risk shortchanging their communities 
     of government aid that they may be entitled to. That is why 
     many state and local government officials are working hard to 
     increase census response rates in their communities. The 
     mindless complaints of some politicians could well sabotage 
     those efforts.
                                  ____


                [From the Sacramento Bee, April 1, 2000]

 Trashing the Census: Irresponsible Bush Comments Could Sabotage Count

       Just two days ago before Census Day, as U.S. Census Bureau 
     officials were urging Americans to cooperate in the crucial 
     once-in-a-decade national count, Texas Gov. George W. Bush 
     made their job harder. If he had the long census form, Bush 
     told a campaign crowd, he's not sure he'd want to fill it out 
     either. How harmful to this important civic exercise, how 
     irresponsible and unpatriotic.
       Bush's remarks come on the heels of Senate Majority Leader 
     Trent Lott's advice to his fellow Americans not to answer any 
     questions on the census long form that they believe invade 
     their privacy. Taken together, those remarks by the leading 
     Republican in Congress and the likely Republican presidential 
     nominee can easily be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to 
     sabotage the 2000 census. They raise questions about the 
     integrity of the census that are unwarranted, unfair and 
     irresponsible.
       One in six households receives the census long form. Beyond 
     the basic eight questions about the number, age, and gender 
     and race or ethnicity of people living in the household, the 
     long form asks other questions designed to measure the well-
     being of Americans, to help government agencies to plan where 
     to put schools or highways or health funding. Included in the 
     long forms are 53 questions such as. How many bedrooms in the 
     house? Has anyone been disabled by health problems in the 
     last six months? Is there a telephone? What is the income of 
     the household? Is there indoor plumbing?
       By law the responses are strictly confidential. The U.S. 
     Census cannot share individual household answers with the 
     IRS, FBI, INS or any other government agency or private 
     entity.
       Moreover, every single question on the long and short forms 
     is there because of a specific statutory requirement. Most of 
     these questions have been on the form for decades. The only 
     new question added since 1990 was put there at the behest of 
     Republicans in Congress, including Lott. It asks grandparents 
     whether they are caregivers for their grandchildren. The 
     wording of each question was reviewed by Congress in 1997 and 
     1998. Lott, who now raises objections, pushed a resolution 
     urging the Census Bureau to return to the short form a 
     question about marital status that it had moved to the long 
     form.
       The census is the law of the land, enacted by the first 
     Congress. When Bush says he wouldn't fill out the form, he's 
     saying he's prepared to break the law. When Lott advises 
     Americans not to answer questions they don't want to answer, 
     he's telling them to break the law. And although both Lott 
     and Bush limit their specific objections to the long form, 
     the impact will inevitably reverberate more widely--to those 
     who only receive the short form.
       In Sacramento, census officials report that the response to 
     the census is already lagging. Only 39 percent of Sacramento 
     households have returned the form so far. Every man, woman or 
     child not counted costs $1,600 in lost federal funds. That's 
     money that would go to our schools and highways and mental 
     health and police protection.
       Participating in the census is a civic duty, like voting, 
     serving on juries and defending the country. As duties go, 
     it's not burdensome, for most people, filling out the long 
     form is a once-in-a-lifetime chore. With their thoughtless 
     comments that feed mindless anti-government sentiment--do 
     they really think they can govern better by knowing less 
     about America?--Bush and Lott have done a disservice to the 
     census and the country.
                                  ____


               [From the Palm Beach Post, April 1, 2000]

                           The Census Follies

       Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., should just be 
     quiet about the census. Greenacres has a complaint. Sen. Lott 
     doesn't.
       The Census Bureau, once again, overlooked at least 1,500 
     apartments in Greenacres, which were fairly new when it 
     missed them 10 years ago. The city, apparently tucked out of 
     government's sight in west-central Palm Beach County, worked 
     with census officials to make sure everyone is counted. The 
     city has a gripe.
       Sen. Lott, and some others, now say the long census form, 
     which went to one household in six, is terribly intrusive. 
     Sen. Lott said recipients can list name and address but 
     ``choose not to answer'' other questions. He didn't complain 
     in 1997, when he and all members of Congress received a copy 
     of this year's long form for gathering data that they had 
     ordered. And guess who cosponsored the law requiring a line 
     on the form for marital status?
       But three years ago, Sen. Lott was in court with other 
     Republicans insisting on an ``actual enumeration,'' counting 
     individuals, and no use of sampling techniques. If people 
     take his advice now, the Census Bureau will have to get the 
     information Congress requires in the off-years, by sampling. 
     Maybe by then, it will be able to find Greenacres.
                                  ____


         [From the Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Apr. 1, 2000]

                     Don't Leave Census Form Blank

       After months of preparation, today marks Census Day, when 
     our national head count moves into higher gear.
       Questionnaires have been mailed to every household. With 
     much riding on a full and accurate count, it's significant to 
     look at how we are responding.
       As of March 29, 46 percent of households across the country 
     had already completed and returned their forms. Comparable 
     rates of response were 43 percent in Tennessee and 41 percent 
     in Georgia. Hamilton County, at 47 percent, leads the five 
     counties in our metropolitan area. Within the county, the 
     town of Signal Mountain shines with a 59 percent response 
     rate. In contrast, the city of Chattanooga lags with 44 
     percent answering.
       These are only preliminary reports and will be updated 
     daily. The more meaningful measurements will come on April 
     27, when Census 2000 enumerators will initiate a series of 
     follow-up visits and calls to households that have failed to 
     complete their forms.
       By that time, local Census officials expect to have over 60 
     percent of questionnaires returned. The higher the rate of 
     response, the sooner they can focus their efforts on counting 
     population groups and neighborhoods that are harder to reach.
       There are plenty of excuses for not complying, but most of 
     them are not valid. Some people just hate paperwork. Yet the 
     short form that went to five out of six households takes only 
     10 minutes or less to complete.
       Some fear creeping big-government intrusion. The longer 
     forms include some questions that may be helpful for 
     statistical purposes, but many citizens find them too nosy 
     about their personal lives and home conditions.
       Some census questions do go too far, arousing opposition. 
     And some people will question the promised confidentiality of 
     their records. By law, no individual response (only 
     aggregated information) can be legally reported to any other 
     agency of government.
       An official count has taken place every 10 years since 
     1790. The census is required by the Constitution solely for 
     the purpose of fairly dividing U.S. House of Representatives 
     seats among the states on a population basis, and dividing 
     among the states the votes in the Electoral College, which 
     actually elects our presidents following the popular vote.
       But also of great importance is the fact that billions of 
     dollars of your tax money are distributed according to the 
     census count, with more money going where the count is 
     higher.
       Amazingly, some heads of households will forget to include 
     the names and ages of their children. An estimated 7,000 
     people were missed in Hamilton County alone during the last 
     census. The children in those households, if counted, would 
     have demonstrated the need for our new schools and 139 new 
     teachers. Overcrowding of schools and classrooms seems a 
     heavy price to pay for parental omission.
       With Census Day upon us, let's resolve to do our personal 
     part to get it right this time. Count us all in.
                                  ____


           [From the Memphis Commercial Appeal, Apr. 2, 2000]

        Census--Political Bashing Won't Help Achieve Full Count

       Mississippi has the lowest response rate of any state so 
     far to this year's federal census: 38 percent as of late last 
     week--and 48 percent in DeSoto County--compared to a 50 
     percent national rate. (Memphis has nothing to brag about, 
     either, just 39 percent of Memphians have returned their 
     census forms.)
       At the same time, Mississippi is threatened with the loss 
     of one of its five U.S. House seats in the population-based 
     reapportionment that will follow the 2000 Census. So you'd 
     think that officials throughout the state would be bending 
     over backward to urge residents to take part in the fullest 
     and most accurate count possible.
       Why, then, did Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) 
     propose that citizens refuse to answer any census questions 
     they find too ``invasive''? Although the senator insists he 
     supports maximum participation in the census, it's easy to 
     see how people who already are suspicious of the federal 
     government might interpret Lott's suggestion as an invitation 
     to blow off their civic--and legal--duty to take part in the 
     national headcount.
       Census bashing has become something of a national sport in 
     recent days, as critics such as Lott allege that the 
     initiative too often amounts to an invasion of privacy. Texas 
     Gov.--and presumptive Republican presidential nominee--George 
     W. Bush said last week that if he had gotten the long (53 
     question) census form that one of every six households has 
     received, he wasn't sure he would fill it out.
       These defenses of personal privacy ignore the fact that 
     members of Congress reviewed each of the questions that 
     appear on the long and short census forms two years ago. 
     Instead of striking ``intrusive'' questions then, senators 
     voted unanimously this year to protest the Census Bureau's 
     removal of a question about marital status.
       So it ill behooves lawmakers such as Lott to complain now 
     about the questionnaire. Remember, too, that many lawmakers 
     have opposed the use of statistical sampling to correct the 
     census undercount of millions of Americans because they said 
     it would violate the ``integrity'' of the process they now 
     condemn.
       It's understandable that some Americans might object to 
     revealing their income on the census questionnaire, although 
     individual census data must remain confidential as a matter 
     of law. It's timeconsuming to gather the information needed 
     to answer some of the long-form questions accurately, such as 
     annual utility and insurance costs.
       But many of the questions routinely ridiculed by census 
     bashers--whether residents of a given household have indoor 
     plumbing, whether they have difficulty dressing or bathing, 
     how they commute to work--have been asked in previous 
     censuses without generating controversy. This year's long 
     form has six fewer questions than the 1990 version.
       The questions will yield data that will help federal 
     official fairly distribute aid to help disabled Americans, to 
     fight water pollution and to improve local transportation 
     planning. Are these illegitimate activities?
       Bush has proposed allowing parents to use federal Title I 
     money under some circumstances to send their children to 
     private or charter schools. That money is distributed 
     according to census data.
       Many Mid-South residents insist they haven't returned their 
     census forms yet because they haven't gotten them. If that is 
     a systematic problem, then the Census Bureau must deal with 
     it, fast.
       But that is different matter from encouraging citizens not 
     to cooperate fully with the national enumeration.
       Census officials are making special efforts to get millions 
     of households to return their census forms this weekend. In 
     light of the complaints, Census Director Kenneth Prewitt said 
     he fears many Americans have decided ``this information is 
     not very important at all.''
       Americans have learned to their chagrin that there isn't an 
     issue, even the constitutionally mandated census, that 
     politicians can't turn into a matter of partisan division, 
     especially in an election year.
       But how will Sen. Lott respond if Mississippi, because of a 
     below-average census count this year, does wind up losing a 
     House seat?
       And what is it's Republican seat?
                                  ____


         [From the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Apr. 3, 2000]

   Constitution: Keep the Census From Becoming Political Fodder and 
                              Participate

       Roughly half of America's households did their civic duty 
     and answered the U.S. Census Bureau's Year 2000 postal survey 
     by its April 1 deadline. That level of participation is not 
     nearly good enough if America is to get the accurate picture 
     of itself essential to governing fairly and efficiently at 
     local, state and federal levels.
       Fortunately, the bureau still has a ``final, final 
     deadline'' for mail and e-mail replies. It's April 11, the 
     day it will send out its enumerators to count Americans who 
     didn't respond. So if you have yet to fill out your census 
     form, please do so and mail it this week.
       Participation in the census may also be harmed by the 
     political grandstanding it continues to inspire. Presidential 
     candidate George W. Bush and Senate Majority Leader Trent 
     Lott (R-Miss.) have criticized the long census--sent to one 
     in six American households--as some sort of government 
     intrusion on privacy.
       However, the Census Bureau takes very seriously its 
     responsibility to keep individual census responses 
     confidential. Leakers inside will be sought out and 
     prosecuted, as will hackers on the outside. In fact, the 
     bureau is working with leading computer-security experts to 
     make sure its data remain untapped.
       Is this year's census survey exceptionally burdensome or 
     intrusive, as its critics suggest? No, the questions on the 
     long form are almost all similar to those asked in previous 
     census, including the 1990 census conducted when Bush's 
     father was president. And every question on this year's long 
     form was presented to members of Congress for their comments 
     two years ago. To find fault with those queries at this late 
     date is a cheap shot.
       The information being gathered will be used to redraw 
     political districts, calculate how government benefits like 
     Medicare are to be shared equitably, and predict public needs 
     such as mass transit, roads, libraries, schools, fire and 
     police protection. Census figures from 1990 helped federal 
     emergency officials determine quickly where shelters were 
     most needed after Hurricane Andrew smashed south Florida in 
     1993.
       The alternative, as urged by Bush, Lott & Co., would be to 
     operate government uninformed of its people needs.
                                  ____


                [From the Washington Post, Apr. 4, 2000]

                       Don't Toy With the Census

                          (By David S. Broder)

       Something about the census makes Republicans crazy. For the 
     better part of two years, they battled the scientific 
     community and the Clinton administration to prevent the use 
     of statistical sampling techniques to correct for the 
     undercount of people--mainly low-income, minority, immigrant, 
     transient and homeless--that marred the 1990 census.
       After reaching an impasse in Congress, the Republicans took 
     the issue to court and had to be satisfied with a Supreme 
     Court ruling that barred the use of sampling for 
     apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives but 
     approved it for everything else.
       Then last week, just as the publicity effort to persuade 
     people to return their census forms was reaching its peak, 
     several prominent Republicans said that Uncle Sam was getting 
     too personal in some of the census questions and suggested 
     that it would be okay for people to skip over those items 
     they found offensive.
       Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott told Mississippi 
     reporters that if he had received one of the long forms 
     (delivered to one of every six households) he might have 
     demurred at answering some of the questions. Texas Gov. 
     George W. Bush, the GOP's presidential choice, said he hadn't 
     opened his census form yet but wasn't sure if he would fill 
     out the whole thing.
       Later, both men retreated part-way from their positions 
     (Bush after learning that he was in the short-form majority) 
     and said people should return the forms with as much 
     information as they could in good conscience provide. But 
     Rep. J. C. Watts of Oklahoma, chairman of the House 
     Republican Conference, blamed the bureaucracy for including 
     questions that ``have raised an unprecedented level of 
     concern,'' and other Republicans said they would introduce 
     legislation to make responding to the census voluntary, 
     rather than requiring it by law.
       All of this is basically nonsense--the kind of politicians' 
     talk that gives hypocrisy a bad name even as it has serious 
     policy consequences. Every single question on the census 2000 
     form was vetted with Congress two years ago, and every one 
     has its origin and justification in a requirement included in 
     a law passed by Congress.
       In my files on census topics, I have a March 1998 report 
     (that's two years ago, folks) titled ``Questions Planned for 
     Census 2000.'' That same report, I am informed, went to every 
     member of Congress. In the back of that report is a table 
     showing the first census in which each category of questions 
     was asked. One of the questions on census 2000 to which some 
     Republicans have objected asks for the family income. That 
     has been asked in every census since 1940.
       Another, the subject of much ridicule, asks, ``Do you have 
     complete plumbing facilities in this house, apartment or 
     mobile home, that is, hot and cold piped water, a flush 
     toilet, and a bathtub or shower?'' That question, too, has 
     been on the long form since 1940.
       The plumbing question is asked, along with other measures 
     of housing adequacy, as a way of targeting federal grants to 
     the communities where the need for decent housing is 
     greatest. Is there anyone who doubts that more help should go 
     to South Central Los Angeles than to Beverly Hills?
       The income question is used for a much wider variety of 
     federal programs. In all, more than $185 billion of federal 
     grants to state and local governments is distributed on the 
     basis of census information. One of the major concerns about 
     the 1990 undercount--which later surveys suggested may have 
     missed 8 million people while double-counting 4 million 
     others--is that it deprived areas with large numbers of low-
     income people of the assistance they deserved.
       A study released last month by the U.S. Census Monitoring 
     Board and done by the accounting firm Price-waterhouseCoopers 
     estimated that in 169 metropolitan areas where the poorly 
     counted demographic groups are concentrated, the likely net 
     loss of federal assistance may well reach $11 billion in a 
     decade.
       Some of the estimated losses are enormous. The Los Angeles-
     Long Beach area, where hospitals, schools and other public 
     facilities are chronically facing financial crisis, could be 
     a $1.8 billion loser. Miami has a $300 million stake in an 
     accurate count; New Orleans, $97 million. And it is not just 
     the big cities. Flagstaff, Ariz., is at risk for $25 
     million--in effect, a 3.5 percent local tax or penalty for 
     the undercount.
       There's not a bit of evidence to justify the expressed 
     concerns that the Census Bureau professionals will violate 
     the privacy of individual families' responses. There is all 
     too much proof that a flawed census hurts the most vulnerable 
     Americans.
       It is time the politicians stop messing around with the 
     census.
                                  ____


                [From the New York Times, Apr. 4, 2000]

                  Public Interests; Down for the Count

                           (By Gail Collins)

       How many of you out there have strong reservations about 
     the United States Census? May I see a show of hands?
       I thought so. Everybody's cool. Once again, the radio talk-
     show circuit has plunged us into a violent debate about an 
     issue that stirs the passions of average Americans slightly 
     less than the cancellation of ``Beverly Hills 90210.''
       You have no doubt received a census form, probably the 
     short one that takes just a few minutes to fill out. The long 
     form, which goes to about one-sixth of all American 
     households, contains 53 questions, including whether your 
     toilets flush and your relatives are all in their right 
     minds. The answers are going to remain confidential for the 
     next 72 years; at that point a Ph.D. candidate may grant you 
     immortality by writing a dissertation on your indoor 
     plumbing.
       Census opponents appear to be mainly opponents of 
     government, period. (James Bovard, the author of ``Freedom in 
     Chains,'' called the census ``a scheme for generating grist 
     for the expansion of the welfare state.'') But they've 
     created some nervous roiling in Congress. Senator Chuck Hagel 
     of Nebraska is working on legislation to remove the $100 
     penalty for failure to answer the questions, even though the 
     fine hasn't been imposed in decades. He's being assisted by 
     Senator Charles Robb of Virginia, a Democrat up for re-
     election who's determined to leave no group unpandered to.
       The census is actually a noble public enterprise. It 
     represents the founding fathers' breakthrough concept that 
     people should have power not because of their property or 
     titles, but simply because they're there. If we cannot expect 
     election-fevered politicians to be reasonable about, say, 
     Elian Gonzalez, it does seem they could muster up the grit to 
     tell folks that they should regard filling out census forms 
     like voting, and pretend to appreciate the opportunity.
       But George W. Bush regards the issue as too hot for 
     rationality. First he announced that ``all of us need to 
     encourage people to fill out the census,'' then instantly 
     added that he could understand why some ``don't want to give 
     all that information to the government. And if I had the long 
     form I'm not sure I'd want to, either.''
       A spokesman for Mr. Bush said the governor had received the 
     short form, this year's equivalent of announcing you got a 
     high draft number. An aid to the Senate majority leader, 
     Trent Lott, said recently that Mr. Lott was telling people to 
     just skip over any question they felt was intrusive. Now, the 
     senator's constituents in Mississippi make out like bandits 
     when it comes to federal aid, receiving an average of about 
     $2,000 per person more than they pay in federal taxes. On 
     behalf of all the states that pay more than they get back, 
     let me say: Go to it, Mississippians. Skip the long forms, 
     and the short forms too. We'll give the money to some less 
     conflicted state, perhaps one that hasn't just received a 
     contract to build a monster aircraft carrier the Pentagon 
     doesn't even want . . .
       . . . We interrupt this harangue to report that Mr. Lott's 
     office now says the senator wants everybody to fill out the 
     forms, and tells people to skip questions only if they 
     threaten to toss their forms into the river unless their 
     objections are met. When it comes to penalties for non-
     compliance, his spokesman added, ``the senator is completely 
     agnostic.''
       This possibly the first time in history that Mr. Lott's 
     name has been used in the same sentence with the word 
     ``agnostic.''
       For every politician who's trying to distance himself from 
     the census, there are four others desperately trying to get 
     their constituents to fill out the forms, and raise their 
     chances of getting more Federal aid. The governor of Georgia 
     has gone on television with an ad urging his state to 
     cooperate ``or our Georgia money will be educating New York 
     children for another 10 years.''
       Now, I'm a little wounded by that. Certainly we New Yorkers 
     disagree with Georgians about some minor matters, such as the 
     relative charms of John Rocker. But our elected officials--
     appalling as they may be--don't try to scare us into doing 
     what they want by threatening to give our tax dollars to kids 
     in Atlanta.
       Go yell at the Mississippians for a while.
                                  ____


            [From the San Francisco Examiner, Apr. 4, 2000]

 What Really Counts; Pockets of Non-Cooperation With the Taking of the 
U.S. Census Demonstrate an Overreaction to Fears of Invasion of Privacy

       In an age of prosperity and sophistication, it's odd but 
     understandable that people have doubts about so many things. 
     On subjects ranging from the sanctity of confidential 
     information to the good will of government institutions, we 
     have become a nation of skeptics.
       We may live in the global village, but command central is 
     in some place far away, information is collected by unseen 
     hands and essential decisions about our lives are made 
     without consulting us.
       These disconnects are reasons some people choose to rebel 
     against seemingly innocuous practices such as the taking of 
     the federal census every 10 years.
       The U.S. Census carries out the useful objective of 
     counting the noses of the country's populace and collecting 
     information about their living conditions and habits. But 
     because individuals have no control over the information once 
     it leaves their hands, and because governments have not 
     always guarded privacy, a minor rebellion has erupted.
       Five of every six households get the short census form, 
     which has only seven basic, unintrusive questions. It isn't 
     causing problems. Every sixth household gets the long form, 
     which has 53 questions--some of them more personal. It's the 
     bone of contention.
       Some people are refusing to return census forms, even 
     though that is required by law. Some politicians haven't 
     helped matters. Republican presidential candidate George W. 
     Bush said he wasn't sure he would answer all the questions.
       Good reasons exist to cooperate. A big enough boycott could 
     affect how federal money, programs and services are divvied 
     up. Census workers are redoubling their efforts to make sure 
     that everyone is counted--which wasn't the case in 1990--so 
     that every city and region gets its fair share of federal 
     help.
       The Census is a statistical snapshot of the United States. 
     It tells a lot about who we are as a people and is a 
     manifestation of e pluribus unum (out of many, one), the 
     motto that appears on U.S. currency.
       It's irresponsible for any politician, especially one who 
     aspires to be president, to suggest breaking the law by 
     refusing to fill out census forms. And while skepticism 
     toward government is healthy, if citizens weigh all factors, 
     they should be inclined to cooperate with the census takers.
       The cure for any potential breaches of confidentiality 
     isn't refusal to answer. It's strict enforcement of privacy 
     laws that prohibit the Census Bureau from sharing 
     confidential information with anyone else, including other 
     government agencies.
       The time to demand changes in the census isn't in the midst 
     of one. It's in Congress, in the form of legislation that 
     updates questions, strengthens safeguards and perhaps 
     increases penalties for violating citizens' privacy.
       Census officials need to do a better job of explaining the 
     agency's existing protections against leaks and other privacy 
     abuses. Why are Census officials so faceless? It's easier to 
     trust people you've met, or at least seen on television.
       Skeptics are fond of asking to see the evidence. In the 
     case of the census, we all know there's a potential for 
     misuse. What true skeptics should be asking is, ``Just where 
     and when have any abuses occurred?''
       Failing a convincing answer, the reasonable course for all 
     of us--skeptics or not--is to put away any residual fears and 
     allow ourselves to be counted. For the good of one and all.
                                  ____


            [From the San Francisco Chronicle, Apr. 5, 2000]

                         Don't Shred the Census

       One in six American households are facing a question this 
     week: is it really necessary to fill out a lengthy census 
     form that borders on nosy and antiquated? The answer is a 
     resounding yes.
       The head count is especially contentious this time around. 
     Along with the time required and the odd questions, there is 
     a political overlay. Republican leaders, including likely GOP 
     presidential nominee George W. Bush, suggest that folks toss 
     the form if they feel it is too intrusive. This suggestion is 
     irresponsible neglect of an important duty.
       The census has made its share of mistakes. Some were mailed 
     incorrectly. Its laundry list of 53 questions takes more than 
     half an hour to fill out. For city and suburban residents, 
     who make up the overwhelming majority of Americans, there are 
     quaint questions about farm income and indoor plumbing. Why 
     should citizens be bothered with these far-fetched queries?
       There are other arguments. High-tech boosters are upset 
     there are no questions about computer use, a topic that could 
     use some exploring. But census bureaucrats said they were 
     under pressure from single-issue groups ranging from pet 
     lovers to religious leaders for special questions. The census 
     ended up largely as a repeat of the last one, which will 
     limit its potential.
       But for better or worse, the census remains an essential 
     task. It asks citizens to complete a picture of their 
     country, not give away personal secrets. Income, ancestry, 
     job history and even driving habits are useful ingredients in 
     depicting America, circa April 2000.
       More specifically, the census plays a role in doling out 
     federal aid and congressional districts. It can be used by 
     schools, public health and transit agencies in planning. 
     Change can be measured.
       This evolution of the country is exactly why San Francisco 
     officials, civil rights organizations and school boards are 
     pushing hard to get every household to fill out the 
     paperwork. Opponents are wrong to depict a basic government 
     service as an invasion of privacy.
                                  ____


               [From the Los Angeles Times, Apr. 5, 2000]

                       It's the Law, Count on It

       Senator Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and a few of 
     his congressional colleagues seem to have forgotten the oath 
     they swore to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the 
     United States. Responding to constituent complaints about 
     parts of the long-form census questionnaire, they have 
     suggested that questions that some might consider 
     objectionable can simply be ignored. That is plainly and 
     simply, advice to break the law, and considering the source 
     it's especially reprehensible.
       About one household in six--approximately 20 million in 
     all--was mailed the long census form; all others got a mere 
     eight questions about the people in the household. The long 
     form aims to gather information that is essential for 
     directing certain federal outlays. In the current decade, 
     expenditures linked directly to census-provided information 
     could total close to $2 trillion.
       So there are a purpose and a policy consideration behind 
     every census question, no matter how dubious its relevance 
     may seem. Questions that some find intrusive and none of the 
     government's business--about indoor plumbing or household 
     income, for example--contribute to a national economic and 
     demographic profile that is of great value to both government 
     and the private sector. This information helps determine 
     where roads and schools will be built, where Medicare and 
     Medicaid funds should be channeled, where shopping centers 
     are best located, where the needs of the disabled may be most 
     acute. The Census Bureau would have done well to emphasize 
     this point much earlier.
       The census has steadily evolved beyond its limited 18th 
     century purpose of congressional reapportionment. Those in 
     Congress who now counsel leaving some census questions 
     unanswered suffer from a convenient memory lapse: Every one 
     of the questions, many of which are mandated by statute or 
     court rulings, was approved by Congress two years ago.
                                  ____


                     [From USA Today, Apr. 6, 2000]

               200 Years Plus: Census Nosiness Isn't New

       More than 200 years ago, Thomas Jefferson warned George 
     Washington that taking the first U.S. Census, done in 1790, 
     wouldn't be easy. A Census taker could wind up with a musket 
     in the face. And those were the days of a well-regulated 
     militia.
       The Census today faces equal mistrust. This is due to the 
     public's innate aversion to government prying, amplified by 
     an unsubtle campaign to discredit the Census as too 
     intrusive. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., has 
     told Americans they need not answer questions they find too 
     invasive. So has Republican presidential candidate George W. 
     Bush. Sen. Charles Hagel, R-Neb., wants to change the law to 
     make answering most questions voluntary.
       Whether the campaign to malign the long form will affect 
     results won't be known for weeks. But Kenneth Prewitt, 
     director of the Census Bureau, testified in Congress on 
     Wednesday that the return rate is lagging well behind 1990 
     figures. The Census was aiming for a 61% return over all. 
     Below that, Congress will have to allocate extra money for 
     door-to-door head counting.
       That's just one reason the anti-Census crowd is giving bad 
     advice.
       Among the others: It's illegal not to answer all of the 
     questions. And self-defeating. Over 10 years, up to $2 
     trillion in spending will be directed by Census findings. 
     Lott's beloved Mississippi, with one of the lowest response 
     rates and highest illiteracy rates, could be shortchanged on 
     education dollars. It also could lose private-sector 
     investment that is guided in part by Census data.
       Lastly, the Census isn't uncommonly intrusive. The short 
     form is the shortest since 1820. The long form, received by 1 
     in 6 households, is the shortest ever. And some of the most 
     criticized questions--about employment, disability status, 
     etc.--have been asked since the 19th century. The question 
     about income, since 1940. Indeed, Americans give more 
     personal information, more publicly, when they buy a house, 
     pay their taxes or fill out a medical form.
       Still, the Census raises predictable questions about 
     nosiness. The long form wants to know about your job and your 
     mortgage, subjects you might not comfortably share with your 
     brother, much less Big Brother.
       Plainly, the government has done a poor job of preventive 
     promotion. Worries about privacy are historic, yet the long 
     form's cover letter barely addresses them.
       Most people still answer the forms with speed and candor. 
     But expecting them every 10 years to remember why they are 
     providing personal information without immediate 
     gratification is asking for trouble.
       The irony is that many critics today also helped defeat the 
     use of statical sampling to make the head count more 
     accurate.
       Their understood motive was to prevent a reapportionment of 
     congressional districts to represent undercounted 
     populations, which tend to vote Democrat. Opponents demanded 
     an actual head count, which is less accurate. Now the motive 
     is simply to align Republican leaders with the public's 
     general distrust of federal data-gathering.
       Finally, let's not forget that Congress had a chance to 
     review all of the questions two years ago. If they had 
     problems, that was the time to stand up and be counted. 
     Today's debate: Census forms, but politics, privacy concerns 
     needlessly stoke anger.
                                  ____


                    If You Want to Count, Be Counted

                            (By Lynn Sweet)

       Chicagoans have made a lousy initial response to the 2000 
     census, and the entire state of Illinois is lagging as well. 
     This is a sort of collective passive-aggressive behavior for 
     which there is no excuse. And don't start saying that census 
     questions are intrusive.
       The early trend shows that the mail-in responses from 
     suburban Cook County and the collar counties are running as 
     much as 20 points higher than the 40 percent from the city. 
     This will only ensure, if the pace keeps up, that the suburbs 
     will have more political muscle than they deserve in the 
     state redistricting that follows each census.
       And if Illinoisans don't let themselves be counted, the 
     potential of losing a seat in the House of Representatives 
     because of reapportionment will easier become a reality. The 
     return of Federal funds to Illinois also is dictated largely 
     by census-driven formulas.
       Filling out the census form is a ``marvelous opportunity'' 
     for Americans ``to prove they can reverse the trend of civic 
     disengagement,'' said Census Bureau director Kenneth Prewitt, 
     A Downstate Alton native who is a former director of the 
     National Opinion Research Center at the University of 
     Chicago.
       Across the nation, people are mailing in census forms--
     short and long--in disappointing numbers, and Prewitt earlier 
     this week sounded an alarm because the nationwide response 
     rate was at 55 percent, below the 61 percent the bureau had 
     expected by now.
       It's not too late to get a mail-in census form by calling 
     (800) 471-9424. And the numbers still can be vastly improved 
     as the census moves on to the next phase, where census 
     employees, called enumerators, start making house calls.
       ``Someone will be knocking on their door,'' said Prewitt, 
     though it will make the counting operation needlessly more 
     expensive. It costs about $3 to process a mail-in form 
     compared with $35 for a household visit.
       The cheap-shot comments of some Republicans--including 
     Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the GOP presidential candidate, 
     and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.)--could, 
     knowingly or not, hijack the census.
       On the average, about one in six households gets a long 
     census form that asks a total of 53 questions, compared with 
     seven on the short questionnaire.
       Lott and Bush suggested that individuals don't answer any 
     census question they consider impertinent.
       ``If they are worried about the government intruding into 
     their personal lives, they ought to think about it,'' Bush 
     said. Lott was forced to backtrack after he realized that his 
     home state, Mississippi, is near the bottom when it comes to 
     mail-in response rates, 47 percent on Wednesday, compared 
     with 56 percent for Illinois and 58 percent for Indiana. Ohio 
     is the champ so far, with 62 percent.
       Lott and the other complaining congressional Republicans--
     no Democrats so far--are whiners and intellectual phonies. 
     They are objecting to questions that (1) were presented for 
     review to Congress in 1997 and 1998 and (2) were on census 
     forms that went out under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George 
     Bush.
       The census has asked about plumbing facilities for decades. 
     There are bigger privacy issues looming right now, especially 
     with the Internet, than being asked about flush toilets in 
     your home.
       And for those who don't like the questions about income and 
     mortgages and the like, well, the government already has a 
     lot of information from tax returns. The Census Bureau does 
     not swap data with other agencies. Tax cheaters or people who 
     keep things from spouses or partners may not like answering 
     the questions. But there is no right to absolute privacy in 
     the United States. If there were, height, weight and date of 
     birth would not be on a driver's license.
       Cooperating with the census means getting more from the 
     government you already are paying for. It is selfish--and 
     self-defeating--not to be counted.
                                  ____


                  [From the Daily Bruin, Apr. 7, 2000]

            Completing Census Form Has Far-Reaching Benefits

       Though some people are skeptical of the United States 
     Census, completing these forms can lead to real benefits--
     including better schools and libraries, quality health care 
     and up-to-date national demographic profiles.
       Though the official due date passed nearly a week ago, 
     residents can still be counted. The Census Bureau reports 
     that only 55 percent of U.S. residents have returned their 
     forms so far.
       The slow response is caused, in part, by the popular 
     sentiment that the census, especially the long version of the 
     form, invades individuals' privacy. While worries about 
     privacy are understandable, those who fear filling out the 
     census should remember a consequence of their inaction: 
     Neglecting to participate can lead to a significantly 
     inaccurate count.
       The short form poses generic questions like name, age, 
     gender and race, while the longer form asks for more specific 
     social and economic characteristics, such as individuals' 
     occupations and housing types. Responses to these questions 
     help determine how critical resources are distributed and 
     which areas need those resources the most.
       Specifically, demographic information is used to plan for 
     services like schools, hospitals and roads. It may alert the 
     government to focus its resources in areas reporting high 
     rates of unemployment, or pinpoint regions that require 
     better child care. State and federal governments also 
     allocate funding to individual counties, cities and 
     congressional districts for health care, schools and 
     libraries; all of this information is based on the census 
     results. The government's support is critical to the 
     maintenance of these institutions, and so the number of 
     people who report living in a given community is directly 
     related to how much financing will be allocated to that 
     particular community.
       The number of inhabitants reported in each region also 
     determines congressional apportionment. District lines are 
     drawn with respect to census reports, and the number of 
     members in the House of Representatives accorded to each 
     state is also based on census information. If more 
     underrepresented citizens completed their census forms, they 
     might begin to claim deserved representation in Congress.
       According to the Los Angeles Times, low responses to the 
     1990 Census deprived California of an estimated $2 billion 
     and four congressional seats over the last decade. Unless an 
     increasing percentage of forms are returned, this discrepancy 
     may only get worse.
       Not only can the new census correct the omissions made by 
     the 1990 version, but the revised questions provide 
     previously unexplored, yet important, statistical data. The 
     2000 Census is unique because it allows individuals to claim 
     mixed ethnic and racial backgrounds. Compiling this 
     information will give the government a more accurate 
     perspective on racial dynamics in our society and can only 
     help in overcoming one of America's biggest social problems--
     racial conflict.
       Worries about the long form's intrusiveness, however, are 
     legitimate considering the detailed nature of some questions. 
     Still, the census count is a vital responsibility that helps 
     facilitate the functioning of a democratic government.
       If you haven't completed the census, you can still do so. 
     Internet census forms are available until April 15. In 
     addition, census workers will be following up with non-
     respondents by telephone. Go to www.2000.census.gov for more 
     information.
       Take a few minutes to finish the questionnaire, obey the 
     law and practice some civic responsibility. Make sure your 
     voice is heard.
                                  ____


                [From the Atlanta Journal, Apr. 8, 2000]

   Conversation Starter: Don't Fall Prey to Paranoia About Questions

                           (By Harvey Lipman)

       Fear is a natural human emotion. It keeps us safe in times 
     of danger. Fear based on facts is caution, but baseless fear 
     is just paranoia.
       The fact is that the Census Bureau has never released any 
     of the individual information that it gathers, not to the 
     IRS, not to the FBI, not to the president, not to anybody. 
     Never. That is a fact. The information gathered once every 10 
     years is compiled and the summary information, and only the 
     summary information, is used to determine allocations 
     essential to all of us, things like representation in 
     Congress and federal funding of education.
       The Census Bureau has proposed using statistical-sampling 
     techniques as an alternate, less burdensome way, to obtain 
     some of the data, but it has been rebuffed by Congress, the 
     Supreme Court and even The Atlanta Journal. Until such time 
     as these less invasive methods are permitted, there is simply 
     no other way to collect this necessary and constitutionally 
     required information.
       We have very few obligations as citizens of this country. 
     If our participatory form of government is to work we must 
     honor those obligations. Answering the census is such an 
     obligation. As an American I am proud to do so, since I have 
     no evidence whatsoever to fear that my government will 
     divulge the personal information that I give them.
                                  ____


                [From the Washington Post, Apr. 9, 2000]

   Answer This Question: How Did the Census Become Our Whipping Boy?

                           (By William Casey)

       Ten years ago this month, I was wearing a Boston Red Sox 
     batting helmet to work.
       No, I wasn't playing in the shadow of Fenway Park's 
     hallowed Green Monster of a wall or tending a BoSox souvenir 
     concession. The helmet was just a tool I used during my 
     short-lived career as an enumerator for the 1990 Census. It 
     was my job to track down miscreants who--for one reason or 
     another--had not returned their census forms in a timely 
     fashion. The buildings I covered in downtown Minneapolis were 
     overflowing with young people, so setting myself up at a 
     table in the lobby--official headgear in place--seemed a good 
     way to pull in the curious and disarm the suspicious. As 
     residents trickled in from shift work or nights out, they 
     invariably wandered over to see what was up. With a little 
     pleasant persuasion, presto, the short form--even the long 
     form!--was complete.
       It worked. Back then, anyway.
       Today, given the grumbling in some quarters about the 
     intrusiveness of the 2000 Census, I might need more than a 
     batting helmet to do that job. We have such unhappy customers 
     as Mr. M. Smith, a gentleman from Virginia Beach who was so 
     annoyed by the long form that ``I threw mine in the trash 
     where it belongs'' and then made his civil disobedience 
     public in a letter to Norfolk's Virginian-Pilot. (Dear Mr. 
     Smith: Those questions have been standard on the census for 
     many decades.)
       Then there is Mr. P. Graham of Saline, Mich., who wrote a 
     letter to the Detroit News accusing the Census Bureau of 
     promoting ``alienation'' from government and asserting that 
     most of the long form's 53 questions are ``none of its 
     business.'' (Dear Mr. Graham: Contrary to popular belief, the 
     Census Bureau is asking those specific questions at the 
     direction of Congress, which likes to use the census to 
     collect information it has decided it needs.)
       Add the comments from such Republican heavyweights as 
     Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, Texas Gov. George W. Bush 
     and Oklahoma Rep. Tom Coburn--all of whom have obligingly 
     bashed the census for allegedly invading the nation's 
     privacy--and you would think that the Census Bureau has 
     suddenly transformed itself from an agency that once just 
     counted noses into one that is just plain nosy.
       This is--excuse my bluntness, please--a lot of nonsense. 
     It's not the Census Bureau or its forms that have changed. 
     It's us.
       Or, more precisely, the fuss is one more dismaying result 
     of the pervasive presence of consumerism and marketing in our 
     lives. I find it puzzling, I admit, that people are bent out 
     of shape by a form sent to them once a decade when--on a 
     daily basis--they habitually reveal (willingly and 
     unwillingly) the most private of data to advertisers, health 
     insurers and Internet companies. Over the past 10 years, even 
     the simplest sales transaction has become an opportunity to 
     capture personal details that can be sold and resold (why do 
     you think the cashier wants to know your phone number?). It's 
     come to the point where you can rarely sit down to dinner 
     without receiving a ``courtesy call'' from someone who knows 
     a lot more about you than just your area code. Those of us 
     concerned about confidentiality might focus on the staggering 
     amount of personal information maintained by largely 
     invisible companies with names like Acxiom and Experian. Yet 
     people think that they still have their ``privacy'' and that 
     the government looms as the greatest threat to taking it 
     away.
       How did the census become the whipping boy, the embodiment 
     of Big Brother, a waste of time, a symbol of oppression? The 
     Census Bureau has an exemplary history of keeping the data it 
     collects confidential, but that fact does not seem to have 
     made a dent in the collective consciousness. It's easier to 
     blame the census than to confront the world we've created.
       Besides functioning as a worker bee on that 1990 census, I 
     am a long-time user of census information. On both academic 
     and journalistic projects, I've come to appreciate (and 
     depend on) the richness and reliability of the material--
     which just about anyone can acquire, understand and put to 
     work in a thousand ways. The notion of turning to particular 
     census-driven data sets a few years from now and discovering 
     that the 2000 information is unusable because of ``citizen 
     noncooperation'' is more than an annoyance. It makes my blood 
     run cold.
       A good deal of the complaining is directed toward the long 
     form, a questionnaire sent to one of every six households in 
     the past month. It's about the same length as the 1990 
     version and shorter than some previous census. There are 
     changes--additions, deletions, rewordings--but it's basically 
     the same old thing.
       Continuity is a strong factor when it comes to census 
     matters. It's not as if every 10 years, things start from 
     ground zero. Just the opposite. The national statistical 
     snapshots that census results help construct are most useful 
     when they build on what went before.
       It's true that census questionnaires are longer and more 
     complex than they were in the first half of the 20th 
     century--but that's hardly surprising. Those were times 
     before the increased scope of governmental activity and 
     responsibility that we take for granted today: an era when 
     there was no Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security, no 
     program of federal assistance to housing, minimal federal 
     involvement with transportation spending and so forth.
       There's a certain irony, however, in the fact that the 
     census hasn't changed much last time around. Census 2000 
     mechanics could have been vastly different--more efficient, 
     more accurate and much less expensive--but they're not. 
     Carefully field-tested efforts to streamline the counting 
     process via statistical sampling were opposed during the past 
     few years for political reasons. It's common knowledge--
     although it's typically wrapped in layers of doublespeak--
     that Republicans see undercounting in urban areas as equating 
     to a GOP advantage. (To be sure, if the sampling method 
     threatened Democratic voting bases, then sides would no doubt 
     be switched.) A count based on statistical sampling not only 
     would have been less expensive, it would have helped prevent 
     the higher levels of background noise we're experiencing at 
     the moment.
       There have always been ample numbers of people who balk at 
     completing their questionnaires. In 1990, my fellow 
     enumerators and I had to deal with people who--like our 
     friends Mr. Smith and Mr. Graham above--were not inclined to 
     cooperate. Mostly they were reluctant; occasionally they were 
     almost hostile. But the majority of them completed their 
     forms when asked to do so directly. Sometimes a chance to 
     sound off about their objections was required. I was happy to 
     oblige. ``Whatever it takes'' was my motto--at least during 
     those six weeks.
       This year's census has become a snapshot in a way that I 
     didn't expect: It reflects not just how we live, but how we 
     feel about ourselves and our society.
       Take, for example, the subject of race. If, as a society, 
     we are stalemated on issues of race, then how can we expect a 
     census form to solve them, or even make them clearer? After 
     reading through the seemingly endless and convoluted choices 
     that the census short form offers (``If person 1 considers 
     his/her race to include two or more races . . .''), is it any 
     surprise that the precooked racial and ethnic categories seem 
     unsatisfactory? I've heard more than a few people say they 
     wrote in ``human''--which seems, in fact, like a very human 
     reaction to the country's current fascination and obsession 
     with race and ethnicity.
       Because the census at its core serves a political purpose--
     determining the number of representatives from each state--
     the count has always had a political dimension. But I don't 
     recall the census forms being a hot item in the presidential 
     election years of 1960 and 1980. This year, it appears, any 
     issue properly framed and spun is fodder for ``principled'' 
     stands by presidential candidates. One day is could be Al 
     Gore's sudden, self-serving switch on the Elian Gonzalez 
     case; the next, it could be George W. Bush, aiding and 
     abetting census resisters. ``I can understand,'' the GOP 
     nominee-to-be said, ``why people don't want to give over that 
     information to the government. If I had the long form, I'm 
     not so sure I would do it, either.''
       Not to be outdone, Nebraska's rising star of a senator, 
     Republican Chuck Hagel, offered to introduce legislation that 
     would make question-answering optional. (Memo to the esteemed 
     Mr. Hagel: The Census 2000 questions were sent to Congress 
     for review in 1998. No squawk was raised then.) With this 
     kind of ``leadership'' out there--explicitly undermining a 
     program that requires individual citizens to pull together in 
     the interest of the larger whole--no wonder skepticism about 
     the process is rising.
       After litigation over the Census Bureau's proposed use of 
     statistical sampling went to the Supreme Court--and sampling 
     was ruled out for apportionment purposes, although its use 
     for redistricting within states remains an open question--one 
     might have hoped that by the time April 1, 2000, rolled 
     around, we would have gotten our act together as a nation and 
     proceeded with the job. I cannot help but wonder if the 
     census is falling victim to our new millennium's variety of 
     cultural solipsism. Societal building blocks such as family, 
     neighborhood and community are subjected today to a wide 
     range of pressures--largely destructive. These institutions 
     were, to a substantial extent, the basis for successful past 
     censuses. But the principle of doing something for the common 
     good--for society's good--doesn't stand a chance if society's 
     leaders won't speak up for it.
       On Thursday, I read that hopes are ``dimming for a timely 
     and accurate count'' in Census 2000. If response rates remain 
     underwhelming, that will necessitate time-consuming and 
     expensive enumerator work to track down, cajole, persuade and 
     gather information from those who have not yet submitted it. 
     Remember, ``whatever it takes.''
       But later on, after things have settled down, perhaps a 
     lesson regarding the fragility of our social and political 
     fabric will have been learned. It's often said, but still 
     true: It's easier to tear things down than it is to build 
     them up.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about an 
issue of great importance in the year 2000.
  I wish to express thanks to all Americans who are participating in 
the Census 2000. You are making an enormous difference to your 
community and setting our nation on the best path for the new century.
  As of last night, 60% of Americans have completed and sent in their 
census forms. Nevertheless, we have much work to do, Mr. Speaker. We 
need to reach to the 40% of Americans who have yet to complete their 
census forms.
  Regrettably in previous weeks, when everyone has been working to 
improve the initial response rate, we had Members of Congress, 
including prominent leaders of the Republican party, people who should 
better, tell the American public that the census was optional.
  Unfortunately, the reality remains that the Census Bureau has missed 
millions of persons in conducting each decennial census, especially 
minorities, the poor, children, newly arrived immigrants, and the 
homeless. We cannot allow this to happen again.
  For these reasons, of course, it should come as no surprise that I am 
disappointed by recent comments by highly respected individuals that 
advise Americans not to perform their civic duty. As reported in 
numerous news stories, some lawmakers on the other side urged citizens 
not to answer questions regarding the long form.
  Yet over two years, every Member of Congress received a detailed list 
of the questions to be asked on the long form, including a description 
of the need for asking it and specific legal requirements supporting 
it. The time for input on the question was then. The time to achieve an 
accurate census count is now.
  The low percentage of census forms being returned in certain cities 
with high minority populations is alarming. We must do all we can to 
change response rates. These remarks only discourage faster response 
rates.
  Even the Governor of the State of Texas has said he supports his 
party's position against the use of modern statistical methods--methods 
that would get a more accurate count of America's African Americans, 
Hispanic, Asian American, and American Indian populations.
  As a member of the Congressional Caucus Task Force on Census, I am 
obliged to convey my concern that no one is left out of the Census 
process. Unlike in the 1990 Census where so many minorities were 
disproportionately missed or ``undercounted'' as we say, everyone must 
be counted in the Census 2000.
  Our goal for Census 2000 must be the most accurate census possible. 
We all know that accurate census data has proven vital to people of 
color, both economically and politically.
  Texas lost almost $1 billion due to the 1990 undercount. Over 486,000 
Texans were missed in the 1990 Census, which prevented Texas from 
securing critically-needed federal funding for health care, 
transportation, housing, and community development.
  In the city of Houston, 67,000 people were undercounted in 1990.
  A comprehensive analysis of federal funding was prepared by 
PriceWaterhouseCoopers. The analysis was one at the request of the 
Presidential members of the U.S. Census Monitoring Board. According to 
PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the population ``undercount'' similar to that 
which occurred in the 1990 Census would cost 26 states a minimum of 
$9.1 billion. States with the largest numerical undercounts would be 
hit the hardest. California would lose more than $5 billion, Texas 
nearly $2 billion, and Florida $5 million. I am particularly concerned 
that 120,267 are estimated to be undercounted from Census 2000 in 
Harris County, Texas.
  Moreover, $185 billion in federal funds are allocated each year based 
on each state's respective share of the population, as determined every 
10 years by the Census. The PriceWaterhouseCoopers study examined the 
15 programs analyzed by the General Accounting Office in its 1999 
report on the funding impact of the 1990 census undercount.
  The eight programs most affected by the census are Medicaid, Foster 
Care, Rehabilitation Services Block Grants, Substance Abuse Prevention 
and Treatment Block Grants Adoption Assistance, Child Care and 
Development Block Grants, and Vocational Education Block Grants.
  Our communities cannot afford to squander the opportunity to secure 
desperately needed resources to make these programs available to 
everyone. An accurate Census is the only way to assure that local 
communities receive their `fair share' of federal spending; an 
inaccurate count will shortchange the affected communities for an 
entire decade.
  Keeping response rates high must remain a primary purpose in 
obtaining an accurate census. Recent news stories have only highlighted 
this need. Texas has a 33 percent return, but the fourth largest city 
in the nation only has 26 percent return. That is the city of Houston. 
This is precisely what we must change. Only a high response rate to the 
Census 2000 questionnaires will enable our community to secure 
desperately needed funds.
  And while some have recently raised concerns about the legality or 
constitutionality of the long form, those only serve as a distraction. 
In fact, the Census Bureau has not prosecuted anyone for not sending in 
their Census form since the 1960s. They are interested in getting 
complete and reliable data; they do not want to jeopardize the public 
trust.
  The long form is a sound investment--for a relatively small 
additional cost, information of very high quality about a number of 
subjects is collected for many geographic areas. The return on this 
investment is concrete information that serves the basis for sound 
public policy decisions and that supports the accurate allocation of 
over billions of dollars.
  Community leaders use the long form for planning a wide range of 
activities, including neighborhood revitalization, economic development 
and improved facilitates and services.
  We need the long form to build highways, roads, bridges and tunnels 
in areas that need them. And planners need information about where 
people live and work and the times they leave for work.
  Each long form question provides valuable, indeed essential, 
information for important public policy and business decisions.
  For example, data from the question on the number of telephones in 
the home area is used to help plan local 911 emergency services. They 
also are used to help implement the Older Americans Act to provide 
emergency and health-care services to homebound seniors without phone 
service.
  Data from the question on how long it takes to commute to work is 
used by federal, state, local and private transportation planners to 
help design new roads, bus routes, and mass transit transportation and 
to manage traffic congestion, as well as to distribute federal 
transportation dollars.
  Indeed, data from the question on the veteran's status are used to 
plan the location of veteran's hospitals and to efficiently deliver 
veterans health-care and nursing services.
  Your answers to Census 2000 are absolutely critical to ensure that 
every possible dollar is made available to the poor, the sick, and the 
neglected in our communities.
  The U.S. Census only comes around once every ten years, but its 
information is used throughout the decade. Together, let's make sure 
that everyone is heard.

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