For those who have an interest in the 2010 Census questions, you can go HERE.
And all of that hoopla on TV that the fine can be as much as $5,000 for not filling out the form is simply false. It’s $100… unless you lie. Then it’s $500. The people who get fined $5,000 are people who work for the Commerce Department if they disclose the results of the survey.
Here is what the statute says about OTHER PEOPLE (that is you):
Sec. 221. Refusal or neglect to answer questions; false answers
-STATUTE-
(a) Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or
willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any
other authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce
or bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the
Secretary or authorized officer, to answer, to the best of his
knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in
connection with any census or survey provided for by subchapters I,
II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title, applying to himself or to
the family to which he belongs or is related, or to the farm or
farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be fined not
more than $100.
(b) Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection (a)
of this section, and under the conditions or circumstances
described in such subsection, willfully gives any answer that is
false, shall be fined not more than $500.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, no person
shall be compelled to disclose information relative to his
religious beliefs or to membership in a religious body.
And finally, here is what it says about Commerce Department personnel who disclose your personal information:
Sec. 214. Wrongful disclosure of information
-STATUTE-
Whoever, being or having been an employee or staff member
referred to in subchapter II of chapter 1 of this title, having
taken and subscribed the oath of office, or having sworn to observe
the limitations imposed by section 9 of this title, or whoever,
being or having been a census liaison within the meaning of section
16 of this title, publishes or communicates any information, the
disclosure of which is prohibited under the provisions of section 9
of this title, and which comes into his possession by reason of his
being employed (or otherwise providing services) under the
provisions of this title, shall be fined not more than $5,000 or
imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.
Thanks for posting this. It’s always good to know the straight facts about stories we all see and hear on TV and on the intertubes.
It was amended. The fine WAS $100, but has been amended to $5000. Bureau workers can be fined up to $250,000.
The American Community Survey is conducted under the authority of Title 13, United States Code, Sections 141 and 193, and response is mandatory. According to Section 221, persons who do not respond shall be fined not more than $100. Title 18 U.S.C. Section 3571 and Section 3559, in effect amends Title 13 U.S.C. Section 221 by changing the fine for anyone over 18 years old who refuses or willfully neglects to complete the questionnaire or answer questions posed by census takers from a fine of not more than $100 to not more than $5,000.
Thanks, Eric, for pointing the way.
I have not worked thru all of detail on this yet but it appears you are correct.
-PB
I read the 10 questions and let me tell you the government does not keep your information private. They share it with their contractors and subcontractors. I know because they called my house where I have an unlisted, unpublished number. I also am annoyed that they asked about people from the Pacific Rim, Hispanics, etc. but if you are Italian, Polish, or Irish it does not care. Is this census about about racial profiling or just anti-white. Either way it is discriminatory. Whether I have a mortgage is no one’s business, but mine and the IRS. Therefore, I will not supply any information that the government already has but is too lazy to look up. Especially to a stranger that comes knocking at my door that has not been fully vetted and finger printed, but more importantly it is why they call it private property. The government is just trying to get more and more information and they cannot be trusted to safeguard it. I can give numerous examples of where they have been negligent. They write laws against it, but do not use the law against their own people or contractors. So it is not worth the paper it is written on. Some say you won’t get all the benefits of a census. This government has not given me nothing, but has taken my taxes, driven up debt and bailed out those that won’t work and those that did work and stole with both hands. We want less government, less intrusion and less spending. I have walked into government run facilities and found your private information laying out in plain view for anyone to walk away with or photograph with a cell phone. $100 is a cheap price to pay to protect your information at just $10 a year.
you wrote:Therefore, I will not supply any information that the government already has but is too lazy to look up.
I agree with your sentiments that you expressed but think that this one concerns me. I want barriers between different sections of the government so that IRS and one day Medicare do not know each other’s business with me. Separation of information is a good thing.
Thanks for stopping by.
I just read the proposed questions for the 2010 census these are fairly innocuous. Those surveys that companies make over the phone are much more intrusive.
Joseph? You actually answer survey questions more intrusive than that??? On the Phone????? Wow!
Eric, please read those statutes more carefully.
The fines in Title 18 are limited to the amount in the statue. You misread the law. Specifically, the general sentencing fine guidelines state, “If a law setting forth an offense specifies no fine or a fine that is lower than the fine otherwise applicable under this section and such law, by specific reference, exempts the offense from the applicability of the fine otherwise applicable under this section, the defendant may not be fined more than the amount specified in the law setting forth the offense. ” ( 18 U.S.C § 3571)
The Census law specifies a maximum fine, so it is exempt from the general sentencing fine guidelines. The maximum fines are $100 and $500.
Bryan, it’s actually YOU who misread the statute.
3572(e) has TWO PARTS:
1. the statute must have no fine or a lower fine
2. the statute must BY SPECIFIC REFERENCE exempt the offense
They will not be getting any more out of me than how many people live here! They are really becoming blood sucking vampires!
Nothing is confidential. Anyone who believes that any information is confidential is someone who does not read, is uniformed, does not pay attention, is ignorant, is unsophisticated, and is not very focused. Go online, you lazy bastards, and read how everything gets hacked. Were you watching the boob tube last week or did you read that a confidential report from the Congressional ethics committee was obtained by the press. Nothing is safe. The census bureau has been selling computerized data for decades to marketing and business people. I received a long form for the year 2000 census. I did not respond to any of the invasive and busy body questions. I had two different census workers come to my house. I asked them to leave. Here is how it is done. The so-called confidential tapes with census data are sold to marketing people and other organizations. These same people have other tapes of the names and addresses of people from private companies from all over the country. They then merge the data and they have a super data base with your personal information. Do you really believe that the Census people are going to gather this information and then let it sit in the office? You stupid fools. They sell it. Repackage it. You are the same people who think that Winfrey gave cars to each of her audience members. Those cars were donated by the car manufacturers. The world is complicated. I resist being manipulated. If they come after me I will be in the newspapers and all over TV the next day. I will also sue the Census Bureau in Federal District Court for invasion of privacy. I will argue that their questions are unconstitutional. The US Constitution states that the people shall be counted. I give my name and address and no more. All other information is unconstitutional. They can raise the fine to $100,000. Let them try to prosecute me. I will depose the shit out of every single census commissioner. I will paper these bastards to death. I will ask for every instance of when the governemnt computer systems were hacked and when confidential information was obtained. How about when the census workers lose their lap top computers with the names and social security numbers of workers and others on their systems? I will cost them more money over a bullshit case than they could ever realize. The US attorney’s office has more important cases to prosecute. You decide for yourselves. I do what I want to do. These bastards can all go to hell. Read the Constitution every single day. Many assholes believe that the US Constitution does not count anymore. Obama is one of them. The Congress can make any law that they want to, but it must be constitutional. Show me the specific language in the constitutuion where it says that they can ask me for my race, ethnicity, age, gender, date of birth, relationship, and housing tenure. My name and my address. That is it. I send the form back with that information. How curious, all of the information that they ask for is just the kind of information that identity thieves need. How strange. What a coincidence. They are promoting crimes. They are helping identity thieves. Do you notice that when a breach occurs, all that they do is apologize. What the fuck good is that. the damage has been done. I will not allow these pricks to invade my life. Once you give it up, it is gone forever. Fuck ’em all. Fuck ’em all. The long the short and the tall.
NO MAN; what a lengthy post. Your last thirteen words would have been sufficient!
I agree with no man. The census is to count the population.Nothing more, nothing less.I will fill out the form with name, address and number of people who live in my house.Nothing more, nothing less. If one of the acorn idiots attempts to breach the security of my property and becomes kibbles for the guard dogs that protect me from thieves, terrorists and door to door salespersons, that is unfortunate. The signs say
“PRIVATE PROPERTY”, “NO TRESPASSING” and “BEWARE OF TRAINED GUARD DOGS”. If you choose to ignore these warnings my attorneys will be happy to sue your heirs for any damages to my property resulting from your illegal actions.
I WILL fulfill my obligation required by the US Constitution by ENUMERATING ONLY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE living in my home. NOTHING MORE as the Constitution asks for NOTHING MORE. Should a Census Taker make the mistake of showing up uninvited on my PRIVATE property to obtaim more information, I will present him/her with a check written for $100.00, a copy of the US Constitution, my cell phone pre-dialed to 911 and a directive to GET OFF MY PRIVATE PROPERTY.
ooookay then.
The only requirement should be to give the number of the household. I realize they use the other information to direct that oh-so-important federal aid and programs, but that should be voluntary. But I guess it is voluntary in the way they always say our income tax system is voluntary.
I wouldn’t recommend threatening the poor census workers though; they are just doing their job and trying to make a buck. If you have a problem, direct it to your Congressman. I really hope no harm befalls any of the door-to-door workers next year. Yikes.
Also, apparently it is the census policy to count everyone, even illegal immigrants. What are thoughts on this? I realize back in the day that slaves were counted at a discounted 2/3 rate because the South wanted to have its cake and eat it too, but today should we really be giving states with large illegal populations greater representation?
They are pushing to see how far they can go folks.
They will not stop until “We the people” stop them.
Talking about doing something is not working.
I am also guilty of not making a difference.
I will set forth to effect change for the better.
As George Washington said “Meet me on the battlefield of ideas”
“Let’s Go!”
Where-are-the-patriots, how is this different from the census in 2000? Why do you feel the need to “stop them” now and not then?
Where were we? We were given the long form and only gave them the number of people in our home. That is all that is required! If you had been paying attention you would realize many people were angry about the 2000 census questions. Since my husband and I were first married we have only given the number of people in our household on the census.
Artemis, good for you! If you see my post further up I do say that giving the number should be all that is required.
And I do remember a few people upset at the last census by lengthy questions. My point here though was anticipating some of the extremists would be stirred up this time because it is the Obama administration asking the questions. So I posed that question to them.
forgotmyscreenname, was there an invasive survey like this during the 2000 census also? If so I was not aware of it, that is why.
This article gives the legal basis of why any information other than name and address is both unnecessary and unlawful,
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig10/galvin2.1.1.html
Until a law is determined to be unlawful, I think that it still applies.
Like many others, I am willing to let somebody else fight an unlawful law. In fact, I would not know how to begin. Must I become Rosa Parks in order to quell an unlawful law?
We should all be willing to be “Rosa Parks” to quell unlawful laws. Complacency leads to slavery.
The questions in the census are NOT innocuous. Why does the government need to know whether I rent, have a mortgage, or own my home free and clear? Does anyone remember when Hillary Clinton suggested that people who own their own homes free and clear should pay “rent” to the government (i.e., they should be assessed a tax penalty for owning their own homes) to make it “fair” to those who were still stuck with mortgages? How evil, and how clueless. Not everyone who owns a home free and clear is rich; some have worked very hard and made real SACRIFICES so that they could live in a paid-for home. So what’s behind the census question? Is someone with Hillary’s attitude looking into the feasibility of a tax-the-home-owners scheme?
I just read the final version of the 2010 census form. It’s “shorter” than the 2000 census form, but quite a bit more direct and equally 1) offensive and 2) intrusive. In the 1980 census, I gave the number of people living in my residence. 1990, same thing. 2000 same thing, except in 2000, I had a census worker show up at my door, not once, but three times…same woman each time (I HAD mailed the form in a timely manner btw). She was demanding that I let her into my home to “properly fill out this form required by the Constitution”. I slammed the door in her face on two of those occasions. The third, I answered the door with my Springfield 1911 A1 loaded model .45 ACP pistol pointed at her and told her simply “You are not welcome on or in my Private Property, leave now and do not return or I will defend my property with my life and call the Police.” Extreme, I know. Silly, I know. Effective? Absolutely. And, unfortunately, that is apparently what it took to stop her nonsense. I didn’t here from her again, nor did the government ever contact me to “properly fill out this form required by the Constitution” after that incident. My point? well…I’m a staunch Republican by party affiliation and a proud Veteran of this Nation’s Armed Forces. I am above all an American. I don’t have to support or agree with my government, be it (R) or (D). 2010’s Census form will be met with the same fervent refusal to provide personal information so that the government can provide racist and demographic based funding. What difference does the color of my skin make on what benefits I can receive? And, lastly, the census is a physical count of all residents of the United States (legal or otherwise, citizens or not) not a poll about home ownership or racial/ethnic breakdown “for redistricting purposes” <— anyone question that part of the 2010 census when you look at the "why" section for why each question is asked? Ponder at your leisure.
Wow, that’s disturbing. Good to see how you resolve things.
I resolve things in a myriad of ways. This response was not typical in any way to my normal way of resolving things. At the time (10 years ago) this was the simplest, albeit, not the best solution. This woman (who I understand was being paid to do a job) was obnoxious, rude and exceedingly arrogant. I chose to go to the most extreme, and perfectly legal I might add, response I could to deter this person from ever entering my private property again. I also carried a gun on me at all times because of the area that we lived in. I have since relocated my family to a “nicer” neighborhood.
as a follow up to this: It is fact also that the Government WILL get it’s information whether we provide it or not, by “Imputation” or assumptions made on your “behalf” based on other respondent’s answers. In other words, the government will assign a value for your age, race, homeownership data based solely on the “surrounding” area’s respondents if you neglect to provide it, or “if it is not consistent with other demographic information collected”. <— that part really scares me. If, for example, I'm a black man with a family of 5 who owns my home "free & clear" (which I am/do) and I live in a predominantly poor white or Hispanic neighborhood where there are apartments for rent (which I do, and there are), my information may be changed to suit the "average demographics for my location or area" EVEN IF I PROVIDE THE CORRECT & COMPLETE INFORMATION IF AN EMPLOYEE OR PIECE OF SOFTWARE FLAG MY RESPONSES AS "inconsistent". So, I refuse to participate in this bologna anyway. They (the Government) could potentially change my information to whatever they want the demographics to be anyway. But, it's all fruitless… to argue any of this. They will do what they want and get away with it again and again without repudiation. Blah.
Oh, here's a link for my source to this information about the Census Bureaus method of imputation.
http://www.census.gov/sipp/usrguide/chap4rev2009.pdf