I Was A Teenage Census Taker

Michelle Malkin highlights Obama's big push for Census education through the schools, which, in and of itself, isn't a bad thing. My own experience as a Census taker is too many decades ago to admit, but it is a process that was wide open to fraud and abuse.

Instead, they’re turning your own children into proxy Census collectors. Specifically targeted: Bilingual children whom the government is relying on to reach non-English-speaking parents. (See my April 3, 2009 column: Obama Census - No Illegal Alien Left Behind.)

I can't speak to whatever safeguards are in place, but then it mostly came down to one person, usually younger, or unemployed, going door to door over several pre-assigned routes. I was in college at the time.

There was an area supervisor who handed out packets with empty forms, except for a street address. And off you went to knock on door after door. Incomplete forms were discouraged and you'd often have to go back to this or that house as often as three times before you could mark them: Could not reach.

Over time, I worked first generation American Polish, along with black, white and Hispanic neighborhoods. I only mention the Polish neighborhoods as, at the time, the language barrier was a problem at some of those homes. Same with the Hispanic neighborhoods, to some degree. But the greetings in general across the board ranged from curiously wary to downright suspicious, I'd say.

People just didn't like discussing how many lived in the home, who was a dependent, who was not, general income numbers, etc. with a complete stranger who just showed up one day at their door. Being fairly idealistic at the time, more than I probably am now, ha, I was very conscientious in handling the forms.

We'd do audits in groups on occasion and by and large, I had the same impression of the other Census takers, made up from the ranks of students, retirees and the currently unemployed. I believe they used the unemployment rolls as sort of a referral service for personnel at the time I was involved.

There was no actual field supervision of which I was aware. Could I have simply driven out and gone home, spending an hour or two checking off boxes that sounded right to me to earn a full day's pay? Yes, I suppose I could have.

As for what back-end safeguards looking at averages and such to see if such numbers jibed with what one might expect them to be, I can't say, really. But without that, or some type of follow up field checking by different personnel, it left the impression of being a process wide open to fraud and abuse.

I certainly hope, as well as imagine, there are some safeguards in place. As to what they might be, or how they might work, I really don't know. Here's a July article somewhat on topic. But overall, a general Google searchisn't very reassuring as to knowing what protections might actually be in place. I looked around a bit and couldn't find anything dealing with it, which doesn't mean it isn't there ... somewhere.

Comments

[KingShamus]

I worked the last census back in 2000. It wasn't a bad job.

But there were lots of apprehension seeing some dweeb from the gubmint-namely, me-showing up to their front door to give them a nosey form.

I get why they were nervous now.

[Mad Monica]

I'm not all that sure there ARE any protections in place. There sure as heck weren't effective ones to prevent voter fraud in the recent election. That's what concerns people about this. Let's face it, the left is willing to do what it takes to keep their power now they've got it and that includes fudging the numbers on any and everything they can.

Having ACORN involved in the census has got to be the worst idea ever, at least for those who want real figures and facts to be gathered.

[Lala]

I saw the census woman coming so I didn't answer her knock. She went round to my back door and peered in the window, starling me. I jumped up and pulled the curtain closed. It became a cat-and-mouse game for two weeks. I won.

[Wil]

I can understand the need for taking the census and I can also understand the need for census education at school, but I won't tolerate and won't accept to have these children be forced to inform on their parents for refusing to take the census or worse, have the children bring home the census form as some sort of compulsory assignment with consequences if it's not filled up properly in order to forced the parents to complete the the census forms.

[Peg C.]

They haven't shown up here yet. I just can't decide if it's better for our side to participate or NOT participate. My inclination is to refuse and tell them to stick it. Fortunately, we have no children at home.

[Peg C.]

Oh, a bit OT: my new tactic for dealing with telemarkers and tele-beggars is to demand first to know whether they support ObamaCare. Great way to get rid of people.

[WestWright]

PegC thanks for the tip 'for dealing with telemarkers and tele-beggars is to demand first to know whether they support ObamaCare'...I think I'll use it too!

[Philip McDaniel]

Peg, what a great idea! I'll implement it immediately. LOL

[cindi]

Thanks for the marketing tip Peg! Forty some years ago, when a telemarketer would call, dad would tell them to hold on while he washed out a dirty diaper. Suppose ObamaCare is much like the dirty diaper. heh

[Rick Woolard]

I worked as an enumerator in the 1990 census, in two vastly different areas. The first two weeks were spent in my (then) home area of Eastern NC, and wary is a mild term to use in regards to my reception. I had a couple that were downright hostile, and had to turn over to my supervisor to handle. I was also chased down by a very angry man who assumed I was casing his mothers house to rob after I passed it for the third time (no one was home, so I kept checking throught the day.) I was also bitten not once, but twice by ferocious guard dachsunds! I'd say slightly more than half were very receptive though.

The last two weeks I was sent to the Outer Banks to work, mostly in Cape Hatteras. The OBX is about 90 percent or more vacation homes and rentals, so there were huge swaths of non-responsive addresses. We were told when a home was vacant, to use our best judgement to answer the question regarding home size, potential occupancy, etc. We normally used rental brochures from the local real estate agencies for that once we determined it was a rental.

The bureau sent back the entire OBX to be redone, as they seemed unable to comprehend that this is vacation land, with billions in real estate assets but minimal primary residents, so it had to be done all over again. You gotta love bureaucracy; thanks to their lack of understanding, I got to spend two weeks at the beach on all y'alls dime. Thanks!

[gb]

"We were told when a home was vacant, to use our best judgement to answer the question regarding home size, potential occupancy,"

so did they count the "potential" occupants as additions to the population? Sounds fishy to me.