Fix this problem, fix that, insure this, promise that, but do it without any info, just throw a dart and hope for the best, then when it fails we'll have someone to blame it on, but it won't be our fault! First time around it ended with phone calls and then they I was given a $25 gift card at the Home Depot. I thought Hitler was stopped. Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Mind your own business. I'll pay the fine if I have to, but I'm not going to let them bully me into submitting to their scare tactics. We've tossed two surveys in the recycle bin. It's a breath of fresh air. You want me to put the popcorn in the freezer?" I was not in a hurry since I already had done this once. We have always taught him not to talk to people he does not know and never give out information. And if they threaten you, video record all of this exchange. Direct taxes are inherently unfair because one state, with ten percent of the population, might be one of the richest states while another state, with the same percentage of the population, might be one of the poorest. The more I looked at it, the more I realized how unconstitutional and invasive it is. Thank you to this site and to all those who have posted comments about the survey. I have therefore included both Article 1 section 2 of the US Constitution, and the US Supreme courts decisions in upholding the right to privacy. One fact I see missing is that they say you are cheating you state and city out of government funds (our tax dollars). Do not give them your info! I am appalled by the questions asked on the ACS! After reading many of the earlier posts, I feel I am doing the right thing by not returning the survey. We had mailed the form back the day after we received it. I also ignored the mailed survey. "When the people fear their government there is tyranny. Whose damn business is it if I own my house and whether I have a mortgage? But seriously, It's not about conspiracy theories. The survey is clearly an invasion of privacy, and any attempts of the ACS to pursue a fine for failure to submit the survey should be challenged in a court of law on unconstitutional and invasion of privacy grounds. I am only a man, a man who believes in his liberties and will stand against this government crap! Fact Sheet Aug 25, 2021 Fact Sheet: Protecting and Advancing Health Care for Transgender Adult Communities New data and analysis reveal important health disparities and barriers to care for. In 1990 I returned the long form and after a couple weeks one of their incompetents showed at my doorstep saying I hadn't returned it. Have received two of the ACS forms, both went into the garbage. Filled out the short form minus birth dates. However, that's not all. With a president and congress that constantly lie about everything, how do they expect me to believe that the information on the Census form is truly confidential? I like the idea of the videocam. If this money is government funding for schools, street or seating representatives then why are so many teachers being laid off, why are the streets so damaged and incomplete. With the power of government agents under the USA Patriot Act to secretly enter your home while you are not present and rifle through your personal belongings without a search warrant, it is not only concerning but dangerous to let the government know when you will not be at home. Thank goodness for this web site. FCPS will be seeking input on the progress of this work via a survey for parents/caregivers and community members, and a feedback opportunity for staff. For the information of the people here, Congressman Poe (Texas) and Bachmann (Minnesota)have introduced legislation to eliminate the ACS intrusive questions. I wish you luck. I very much doubt. I felt like cursing this lady out! The most aggressive "ally" nation caught spying on the United States is Israel. Originally, I sent in the census form for the property stating zero occupants, then was called by a Census worker. Thank Gosh, I documented every call and person I spoke with. I don't answer the door to anyone who comes. He handed me the form which I took and threw in the fireplace, in his view, while he said they'll send more people out. [19] https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about/qbyqfact/2016/EducationalAttainment.pdf. Dr. Richard Pan is an innovative, dynamic, mission-driven health care leader with over thirty-five years of experience in health policy and public health as pediatrician, educator and legislator. And a law without consequences is no law at all. It's now the end of Jan. 2010 and I just received my second ACS form. [33] Gardner Selby, Americans Must Answer U.S. Census Bureau Survey by Law, Though Agency Hasn't Prosecuted since 1970, Politifact, http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2014/jan/09/us-census-bureau/americans-must-answer-us-census-bureau-survey-law-/. Perhaps the people who did not answer the questions do not want to end up like the Japanese Americans did during World War II when the census was used to track them down, and it took 50 years to find out about it! D. oes anyone understand what is involved in managing 300 million people spread out over an entire continent, each thinking all that matters is their individual needs? Um, no they don't have the right to fine you. "I want to personally thank you for this article. The letter accompanying the census form indicates it's used to decide how many representatives each state has in congress, and how much money my 'neighborhood' receives from the government. One recipient who did complete the survey but whose answers were misplaced by the Census Bureau wrote about his experience. 7) Get the left wing indoctrination crew out of our education systems. Can anyone tell me about this? Anyway, this guy knocked twice or three time so I ignored him. They just closed one of the best schools in the area, and nobody surveyed me to ask if I cared about that! Stonewall them out. I don't know why someone said the country is going too far to left. However, the Website for the U.S. Census Bureau. DATA SUPPLIED BY. You cannot be fined or worse for not filling out the survey. This is just crap. I did not receive the additional questionnaire. Keep being sheep. Fight the power. The ACS is a legitimate survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, which is part of the Department of Commerce. Hard to believe they did not receive it or they lost it. This survey is one of only a few We aren't answering these questions for anyone unless they show up and arrest me and a judge makes me do it in court. The visits stopped, and I never heard from them again. [4] The number of seats in the House of Representatives was established by Congress at 435 in 1911 and capped at that amount by Congress in 1929, although the number was temporarily increased to 437 in 1959 when Alaska and Hawaii were admitted to the Union. The ACS is not part of the enumeration required by Article I of the Constitution, and that constitutional provision only applies to a census for purposes of counting the number of people in each state. A: If you receive notice that you have been targeted to respond to the ACS and you desire to assert your right of privacy, you can voice those objections and your intent not to respond to the ACS by writing a letter to the Census Bureau. I have contacted The American Center For Law and Justice. The census person came back by a week later. Now there was the random insanely long, for one out of four, which I think is totally unfair. When approached by census officials I will state that my religious beliefs prohibit giving any information beyond my name and the number of people in my house. The survey taker shows up at the residence unannounced to request that the resident comply with the survey or otherwise face potential legal repercussions. These questions clearly violate any privacy guaranteed to me by the US Constitution and over step the Census Bureaus authority. good thing inflation is under control and gas prices are not skyrocketing for no reason, and unemployment figures are under control, that they have nothing better to do than harass an honest hardworking taxpayer. Matthew J. Holian, "Data and the American Dream: Contemporary Social Controversies and the American Community Survey" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021) Awards and Nominations. I never will. He was asking questions about me and my wife! Any discrepancies, intentional or not, could result in an IRS audit of your returns. When you are counted, it helps to decide the number of representatives a state can get, as well as determining federal funding for schools and hospitals. Since then, I have received four phone calls from the US Census Bureau. A concerned citizen. The highly sensitive personal information provided on the ACS form gets keyed into a master data bank. Recipients of the American Community Survey are told several times that the information given is necessary for the operation of our government, is very secure and is kept private. Washington and California residents have filed a class action in which they object to being asked to participate in the American Community Survey. They do go to your neighbors and landlord if you are a renter, and they do try to threaten and intimidate you by saying that if you don't answer then someone will return and will have the police with them, so yeah, keep on believing that it's all just a few harmless questions. And if there isn't a law protecting these rights, then we need someone to make it happen! Has anyone else who refused to comply have any information about penalties/fines actually being enforced to date? Each plaintiff claims to have been visited by Census Bureau agents and informed that their response to the American Community Survey is required by law. If the enumerators cannot get this info from the Social Security Administration or the local state tax boards then there must be a reason why not! The American Community Survey (ACS) helps local officials, community leaders, and businesses understand the changes taking place in their communities. Q: What are my options for objecting to the ACS survey as an intrusion on my Fourth Amendment rights? anon 77369: It is incorrect to say that you are required to respond. Opponents of the American Community Survey disagree with the court's findings about its constitutionality. I did respond to the regular census and regret answering all of those questions. According to some accounts, those recipients who chose not to return the form and did not respond to phone calls or private visits appeared to be hassled the least. I vote, and if the politicians do not honor their promises when they get into office, I'm sure Uncle Sam couldn't care less about what my area needs either. Since direct taxes must be apportioned based on population, an enumeration is needed to determine the percentage of tax for each state. Box/Route Number Area code. I bet some of the people who are so desperate for food and necessities in other countries would love to change places with you and they would probably be thrilled to answer a few questions. We haven't been bothered since. It seems to me that *all* the information they need and want should be available to them from our 1040's. I am absolutely livid right now. Homeownership rates, both overall and for white and Black Americans, have increased since 1994. I made the decision right then and there that I would not respond to an ACS survey under any circumstances. To be sure, the calls were incessant for a time -- anywhere from one to eight calls a day for about six to eight weeks perhaps. It is pages and pages of personal questions. There are two adults and two children living at this residence. A 72 year old lady showed up at my door yesterday (I being a 65 year old great grandmother), and told me I did not fill my form out properly and it got "kicked out". Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions? I am glad I am not myself the lunatic fringe. Unbelievable! United we stand divided we fall. and gently close the door. Clearly our government is out of control by trying to intimidate citizens to comply with this survey. And, further, we cannot wire tap calls coming into this country from suspected terrorists, but we can create bogus laws to try to make us fill out the ACS which provides more personal information than any wire tap could on american citizens. A sympathizer to the Census said it was to help the government to function. Ct. 524,and it cannot be too often repeatedthat the principles that embody the essence of constitutional liberty and security forbid all invasions on the part of government and its employees of the sanctity of a mans home and the privacies of his life. I made the mistake of putting my phone number on the form. (This is about 10:02 a.m. which is very early in my world since I work from noon till 9 p.m. If that's so, why is there a space for your name, date of birth and so much other identifying information that a blind man could identify the author of the answers. and see what they make of that. . We will be contacting our U.S. senators, including one who is is in a very tight re-election campaign. Our surveys provide periodic and comprehensive statistics about the nation. This is way too intrusive. Ain't going to happen, just call their bluff. And my financial business is my business, provided I pay my bills and taxes which I do. And, if the above comments stated that he can find all the info on the internet, then by all means find it, and leave me alone. :0 We shall not be intimidated! Don't be afraid. Get on with your life and answer the census. This ACS thing is quite detailed. this is absurd. The provision for the Census is found in Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution. Many people I know who voted for this man are now regretting it. We mailed in a partially filled out surveys with no birthdays or claims of citizenship (the Arizona authorities can't ask if someone is illegal, according to the feds, so neither can the feds ask me.) I want to put it in the woodstove and make my house a fortress. she said go ahead i'll wait. all this while he was getting ready for work. The American Community Survey releases new data every year, in the form of estimates, in a variety of tables, tools, and analytical reports. Glad I found this thread! The study found 86.1 attacks for every 1,000 transgender women and 23.7 attacks for every 1,000 cisgender women; it also found 107.5 attacks for every 1,000 . Its purpose is to keep people informed of what is going on in their local, state, or federal governments. Continued refusal may lead to additional visits by a supervisor. No thanks, poster 188. Make your own mind up as to what your world should be -- it's that simple. The percentage of household income spent on rent plus utilities increased from 2019 to 2021 and renters with the lowest annual income saw the largest spikes. Their job is to get the form completed, that is all. A tactic that is used too frequently in our society as a means of control. I answered only the necessary information on the first census, then was mailed the ever intrusive ACS. 10 minutes ago I felt apprehensive. They left me a message to call them back and referred me to a case number. After they fill out the form, I seriously doubt they think about you ever again. If we don't stand up and protect our rights we will lose them b/c the gvmt is all too happy to take as many away as possible for their own benefit at our expense. I am looking into who passed legislation to approve this questionnaire. We are all Americans of the human race. It then adds insult and temerity by threatening me for noncompliance? Cowards! She stated that they lost it. Attempting to use scare tactics to get personal information - nice. I insisted that the little brownshirt leave and go look in the mailroom because I was not going to do it over again-like I have nothing better to doshe said I was in BIG trouble because she could FORCE me to do it over. I sure am glad I ran across this site. It's just another way to peg the American people to find out who's doing what. If someone knows where in the constitution it states this, please share. Subscribe to our newsletter and learn something new every day. The census guy showed up here. That wasn't supposed to be able to happen. I may not bother with this anyway. I will not submit. I want to know how long these temp workers are going to be employed? Just had our 10th home visit from census people! [17] https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about/qbyqfact/2016/Disability.pdf. I grabbed the handle and slammed the door shut. And it would not fabricate stories in order to confiscate private information from the people it should be serving. They've also visited six of my neighbors, twice each so far. You are a perfect example of why people should be outraged by the ACS. Get over yourselves! Will we ever return to our freedoms? [28] http://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about/is-my-privacy-protected.html. according to the constitution it limits the government's ability to do anything but enumerate. Outraged in Maryland. The survey also asks how many bedrooms and bathrooms you have in your house, along with the fuel used to heat your home, the cost of electricity, what type of mortgage you have and monthly mortgage payments, property taxes and so on. Explore census data with visualizations and view tutorials. Those of you who are posting "what's the big deal" need to start doing some research on your government and the shady things that go on at the taxpayers' cost. Alternatively, those who returned the survey partially completed and communicated with the Census Bureau agents generally received more contacts. I can go on the internet and find more about you then anything the census is looking for. We do not have to fear picking up the phone or answering our door. As a result, Congressional districts will need to be redrawn. If you give them a little info they will keep at you until you give in. I won't either. They bring in all additional people running up monies needed for schools, social programs. Q: Has the government prosecuted persons for refusing to answer the American Community Survey? The bad thing is, this is information that is collected by the government. To the small minority who have sneered at me and closed the door, get some help. What? they started harassing my boyfriend and some how i got thrown into it because i live here. so earlier before i got home he called me and told me his story of her showing up. Bunch of whiners who think the world revolves around their little lives and have paranoid conspiracy theories from watching too much TV. Don't you think someone high up already has their * in a wringer over that? Why would anyone want to "help the government function" (interfere in our private lives)? They DO go away. He used to work for the gas company and has been in my house to light my pilot lights. [1] The Rutherford Institute, a national nonprofit civil liberties organization, is deeply committed to protecting the constitutional freedoms of every American and the integral human rights of all people through its extensive legal and educational programs. I now have multiple visits to my home every day, followed up by threatening calls with an hour of each. Beyond that, please cease and desist all further efforts to gather personal and private information about the members of my household, it will not be provided. I made the mistake of answering some questions, thinking it was a one time thing. What do you really think they use the information for? Instead of counting the entire population once a decade like the census, the ACS surveys a sample of the population (about 3.5 million addresses) every year to create statistics for the nation, states and communities down to the "tract" or neighborhood level. After the first couple of letters I received I started getting harassing phone calls from them. Once on Saturday, once on Wednesday, three times yesterday, and so far once today. They are not going to like the possibility that they might end up on YouTube and be linked to all the sites discussing the ACS. To meet hiring needs in instructional areas, we are hosting an in-person job fair at Oakton High School on Saturday, March 4, 2023 (9 a.m. - 1 p.m.).