Today as I walked up to my home after work I noted the all too familiar U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau envelope taped to my door. Two in two days. I must be important for Mr. Marcus/the Census Bureau/the US taxpayers to be spending the money on gas to deliver this envelope. You’d think the USPS would be more efficient. In any case…

This envelope instead of “Important information from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce regarding your residence” being printed on the front [page 6] it has “Updated penalty information.” Inside it contains no trifold pamphlet [page 4,5] and no form letter explaining why I should need to participate [page 1]. What it does contain is another copy of the “Request for Appointment” note [page 3] with better centering of “Edward Marcus” and “201-927-4763″ and the same text in the remarks box. It also contains the print out of the law indicating the Title 18 US Code which overrides the Title 13 fine [page 2]. That’s it. However the print out is structured a bit differently. I’ll try to reproduce it below in HTML and you can compare it to yesterday’s. I’ll scan these tomorrow for archival purposes and true comparison.

Please cooperate in our survey which is helpful to determining the requirements of the households in your area.

Every resident of the United States is obligated to participate in this survey and there are penalties involved for not co-operating.

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.

The U.S. Census Bureau may use this information only for statistical purposes. We can assure you that your confidentiality is protected. Title 13 requires the Census Bureau to keep all information about you and all other respondents strictly confidential. Any Census Bureau employee who violates these provisions is subject to a fine of up to $250,000 or a prison sentence of up to five years, or both.

Wouldn’t “from a fine not more than $100 to not more than $5,000″ be worded better as “from a max fine of $100 to max $5,000.”

May 9, 2008

Dear Sir/Madam:

A U.S. Census Bureau Field Representative tried contacting you recently to obtain some information for the American Community Survey (ACS). However, our Representative, Edward Marcus (201) 927-4763 has been unable to reach you. Because of the importance of this survey, we would appreciate you telling us how you can be contacted. You may do so by completing the information below and returning it in the enclosed postage paid envelope, or by calling the Program Supervisors, Ms. Nina Heggs or Arkadiy Khaimov at 212-584-3479 or 1-800-991-2520 ext. 43470.

This survey is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau to provide current information on subjects like income, education, commuting and housing. Your efforts help provide current information needed by your community, county and state, as well as the Nation, to plan programs at all levels. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts this survey under authority of Title 13, United States Code, Section 141 and 193. Section 221 of the Title 13 requires that sample households participate in the survey.

Please be advised that Census staff are available to conduct an interview when it is most convenient for your household, including weekends. If the best time to contact your household is after 9:00 p.m. or before 9:00 a.m., our staff is always available!

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. All information you provide is confidential and will be seen only by sworn U.S. Census Bureau employees. Your participation will make a valuable contribution in providing timely and useful data for generating public policies.

Sincerely,

Lester A. Farthing

Regional Director

Sworn U.S. Census Bureau employees? Why should I trust them anymore then the politicians who swore to uphold the Constitution and fail? Seems obvious to me government employees don’t have a great track record of upholding their sworn duties. Along with the above letter I received some exerpts from Title 13 of the United States code.

• Chapter 5 > Subchapter II > Section. 141. – Population and other Census information
  • (a) The Secretary shall, in the year 1980 and every 10 years
    thereafter, take a decennial census of population as of the first day of
    April of such year, which date shall be known as the “decennial census
    date”, in such form and content as he may determine, including the use
    of sampling procedures and special surveys. In connection with any such
    census, the Secretary is authorized to obtain such other census
    information as necessary.
• Chapter 5 > Subchapter V> Section 193. – Preliminary and supplemental statistics
  • In advance of, in conjunction with, or after the taking of each
    census provided for by this chapter, the Secretary may make surveys and
    collect such preliminary and supplementary statistics related to the
    main topic of the census as are necessary to the initiation, taking, or
    completion thereof.
• Chapter 7 > Subchapter I > Section 214. – Wrongful disclosure of information
  • 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.
• Chapter 7 > Subchapter II > Section 221. – Refusal or neglect to answer questions; false answers
  • (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.

Other then the prepaid envelope there was another copy of the Census 2010 brochure.

These guys are persistent.

I was out of town Thursday morning till late Sunday night. In my mail I find an envelope which appears to have been hand delivered as it has no postage on it. It’s from the US Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, US Census Bureau. Inside we find a US Census 2010 brochure, a Form 11-38 from the previously mentioned government bureaucracy and a letter from its director Steve H. Murdock.

Dear Resident:

The U.S. Census Bureau is conducting the American Community Survey (ACS). A Census Bureau representative will contact you to help you complete the survey. The survey will ask you questions about our household’s characteristics, including topics such as education, employment, and housing. We would appreciate your help because the success of this survey depends on you.

The ACS produces critical, up-to-date information that used to meet the needs of communities across the United States. For example, results from tis survey may be used to decide where new schools, hospitals, and fire stations are needed. Survey data are used by federal, state, local, and tribal governments to make decisions and to develop programs that will provide health care, education and transportation services that affect you and your community. This survey information also helps communities plan for emergency situations that might affet you and your neighbors.

The Census Bureau chose your address, not you personally, as part of a randomly selected sample. You are required by U.S. law to respond to this survey (Title 13, United States Code, sections 141, 193, and 221). We estimate this survey will take about 30 minutes of your time.

We want to emphasize that any information you give our representative will be kept confidential. By law, the Census Bureau cannot publish or release to anyone any information that would identify you or your household (Title 13, Section 9). The information you provide an be used only for statistical purposes.

If you have access to the Internet and want to learn more about the American Community Survey, please visit your Web site at <www.censuus.gove/acs/www/>.

Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Steve H. Murdock

Director

The form has our pal Ed Marcus’ contact info (201-927-4763) and a remark: “I am following up on the survey you have received in the mail. You failed to return it. Because it was not mailed back we must interview you either in person or on the phone. It is a very brief interview. Please call me to set up a time: Ed Marcus 201-927-4763.” The bold is on the form. The brochure contains much the same info as the letter but with some photos thrown in.

I find it interesting they tell you that completing the survey is required yet make no mention of the consequences for not doing so.

A couple months ago I received a U.S Census Bureau package in the mail asking for all kinds of info on those who live in my home. I cracked it open and looked at what they wanted to know, decided I wasn’t interested in telling them, and then threw it in the trash. A few weeks later I received the booklet again. I can’t recall if it gave me some warning about not sending them the first one but I tossed that one too.

Friday I get home from work to find a bright yellow postcard in my mail saying:
==========================================
From:
U.S. Department of Commerce
U.S. Census Bureau
New York Regional Office
395 Hadson Street, Suite 800
New York, NY 10014

NOTICE

Starting he first of this month, a federal employee will be visiting your house or apartment to complete a nation-wide survey that is designed to provide communities a fresh look at how they are changing.

To Schedule an appointment, please call the following Field Representative: Edward Marcus (201) 927-4763

==========================================

As you may suspect I’m not going to call this guy. The only problem is that I live in a house in which I rent the first floor and on the second
floor my landlady and her children live. If Edward decides to show up during the day my landlady may be home and answer the door and the
questions. If my roommates or I am home we’ll tell him to leave.

Title 13, Chapter 7, Subchapter II, Section 221 of the US Code says:

Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or willfully neglects… to answer, to the best of his knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in connection with any census… shall be fined not more than $100.

A CNN article from 2000 says that prison time is possible. And it looks like the 2010 census is having all kinds of issues.

We’ll see what happens.