The Constitution Party of Missouri strongly believes the Census Bureau is constitutionally limited to collecting only one piece of information about each residence: the number of persons living there. We believe the federal government should not be collecting any other information.
“The U.S. Constitution empowers Congress to provide for a census in order to apportion Representatives correctly by population (Article I, Section 2.8). We firmly believe the Founding Fathers DID NOT intend the decennial census to be conducted in its present intrusive manner. There is no constitutional reason for Congress to collect additional information such as name, race, age, sex, or home ownership status. The federal government will use this additional information to further fine tune its control over the lives of the American people.
The Inspector General of the Department of Commerce estimates preparations for the 2010 census will cost in excess of $14 billion. The Constitution Party of Missouri contends a constitutional census, limited to just a headcount, would be much less expensive.
The Constitution Party of Missouri along with many Americans are unconvinced the Census Bureau will keep our information secret, and may very well turn over personal information collected to government agencies not authorized to access that information. The census form states “Your answers are confidential. This means the Census Bureau cannot give out information that identifies you or your household. Your answers will only be used for statistical purposes, and no other purpose”. The form goes on to state, “your answers cannot be obtained by law enforcement or tax collection agencies. Your answers cannot be used in court. They cannot be obtained with a Freedom of Information Act request”. The question that begs for an answer then is, “why does the Census Bureau ask for this information if it cannot be shared?”
How you choose to answer questions on the 2010 Census form must be your decision. The question to ask yourself is, “do I trust the Federal government to do as it says?” Then you will know how to answer the questions on the census form.
