I'm not sure I'd complete it though. I hope this helps. No one has been fined for failure to comply, and no one ever will be. I see on the accompanying letter that the destination of the form was intended to be the address only and not a particular person. The information the government is requesting is violating our rights, whether or not it is written in the law. I have a nice little digital camera that makes high-definition video. The census man came to my house eight times, two of which he sat in my driveway for a total of 50 minutes. They are not! U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (8-27-2019) SURVEY OF SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION, 2018. The Census Act of 1976 specifically prohibits the use of statistical sampling in the creation of congressional districts. They don't want the constituents who elected them to be harassed. The California State Data Center generates reports and tabulations from data files released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Then we started getting the calls. As said by Mr. Justice Field in Re Pacific Ry. I refused to answer these as these are not required. Uncle Sam gets my money but what happens in my home stays in my home. The Rutherford Institute stands ready to defend your rights if they are violated by the government. The Census Bureau can't issue a fine, they have to refer the case to the Dept. its nothing short of communism folks!! Don't you think someone high up already has their * in a wringer over that? One dear government lady actually said she did not have time for prank phone calls. She left me with a notice of visit with her name and I suppose her personal phone number. To complete the survey on the internet, visit https://respond.census.gov/acs. The ACS purpose is to collect demographic data only. I am an American! Estimates: 1-Year . Perhaps act so insanely crazy they will be glad to leave. This info is also for the number of State Senators and Congressmen. When I did return it, I left off my personal business. "Popcorn? If you would like to broadcast your personal information, go for it. The info tells them how many live in a certain area. me. "I'm afraid my trees are eating the elephants, now." Complete this form and mail it back as soon as possible. It is the premier source for detailed population and housing information about our nation. Last Updated on January 20, 2023 4:42 PM, subject to fines of up to $5,000 per question. Thanks Mom, for teaching me a little Italian. You send it in it could become public information. A: Those who do not answer the ACS risk repeated overturesby mail, by phone and in personfrom Census Bureau employees seeking to compel a response. Just perfect for making and uploading videos to YouTube and the news agencies. Copyright 2023 The Rutherford Institute. I hung up. This United States Supreme Court case has never been overturned. Stonewall them out. Get your head out of the clouds and step into reality. I will post again if there is further activity. The only one who seemed to do anything on it was Freedom Watch Judge Napolitano. I told her again that I already gave the required info by law and there is no reason to give all that other information. It is just such a sick country now. I say "sorry sir no one here is available and you need to leave." The highly sensitive personal information provided on the ACS form gets keyed into a master data bank. They think that if they exert a little authority, show you a badge, write a stern letter, that you will be too afraid to tell them that they have no right to subject you to this. A few days ago had a census worker knock on my door. This is ridiculous. Empowered by Congress with greater powers to amass information about citizens, the Census Bureau introduced the ACS in 2005. I filed my taxes, all the information they feel they need to know is there. Washington and California residents have filed a proposed class action in which they object to being asked to participate in theAmerican Community Survey, which enquires about certain demographic details more specific than those central to the decennial Census. Call your senators and congressman now and lets get these commie creeps out of our lives and off our backs. This is plain wrong! Before the second visit, I posted a 'no trespassing' sign at the bottom of the stairway leading up to my garage apartment. Cowards! When I saw the personal and invasive nature of recent Census, I was irate. For instance, the ACS asks how many persons live in your home, along with their names and detailed information about them such as their relationship to you, marital status, race and their physical, mental and emotional problems, etc. Then I received the long form, ignored it and received another long form which I also ignored. The threat is there because it works. A refusal to answer any question on the ACS or giving an intentionally false answer is a federal offense. Happy evading! Here's how you know ( Data.census.gov will be unavailable due to scheduled maintenance from 6am to 10am EST on Saturday, 3/4/2023. You can find no instance of someone being 'required' to respond, or being fined for not doing so. "Only a few questions"? I am a retired airline captain and a former captain in the U.S.A.F. 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. A concerned citizen. they will tell you its the law, but since when do we have to answer to the government who lives in our house and who they are related to and what time we go to work, what time to we return? Then I received the ACS. Nobody should answer the ACS survey. I get hourly calls during the week. However, while The Rutherford Institute has been made aware of Census Bureau agents engaging in harassing tactics and threatening behavior, to date, we are unaware of the Census Bureau having levied any financial penalties for non-compliance with the ACS. If a person of the same sex comes to your door, act like you're interested in them and start touching their hair. Is there anything I can do about this? Subscribe to GovDelivery email updates to stay up-to-date on the latest news and events about the American Community Survey. This is crazy -- why is this still going on and why aren't people doing something about it? For our government to function basic knowledge about the country as a whole, and individual states is required. The misinformation spewed from people here is laughable. I shall be contacting my Senator and Congressman to voice my alarm and concern on another gross infringement of my Civil Liberties. She stated that the woman was no longer employed and asked if I could please give her the info. I feel kind of sick too. in the '90s the Commerce Dept decided that I was a resort or apartment complex owner and harassed me to fill out a survey detailing my expenditures on repairs, income reports etc. Unless an individual has been charged and convicted of some criminal offense connected to the Census and the crime falls within section 3559, this $5,000.00 fine does not apply. The American Community Survey (ACS) qualifies as a government program whose purpose, while seemingly benign, raises significant constitutional concerns. First of all, get a clue! I was mailed two ACS forms which I promptly threw in the trash because of the personal nature of the questions. I received two surveys. I filled out my census. Too late I read the comments about this article and I got a phone call from the ACS. I asked her if she had gotten a statement from my mortgage company-a release- and she found it and sent the refund. I refused to tell them financial info or how much I pay on a power bill. Some of you who refuse to return your forms could possibly look at it from a different angle. This is how those rich people are rich, those "powerful" people are "powerful", and those happy people are happy. I watched and saw that she was only there five minutes. You are a perfect example of why people should be outraged by the ACS. A lock ( It doesn't do any good to argue with the census taker. What? The ACS program provides estimates annually for all states and for all medium and large cities . What was this person's total income during the past 12 months? Reporting instructions: Isn't this trespassing? But my favorite is if anyone in my house has difficulty concentrating, remembering things or making decisions, or difficulty dressing or bathing. Why am I in the unlucky 2.5%? Let's see if she comes back for her shower. On the first occasion, the guy produced a badge and said he would like to come in and talk to me. I told the second person who called me that I had already refused to cooperate with the first person who called. For over a quarter century, we have assisted, without charge, persons deprived of their liberty by government officials. I assumed I did it wrong, so I filled out the second one and sent that in. 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. It seems when the phone number is given, that is when the harassment starts. Fight the power. The information from the Census should suffice for the allotment of federal funds for schools and roads. I am an american citizen and i will not be forced to give my personal information! Information from the survey generates data that help determine how more than $675 billion in federal and state funds are dis Continue Reading MA Pennell Get on with your life and answer the census. Start here to respond: Responder en espaol First five digits of User ID:Last five digits of User ID Can't find the User ID? I had missed several calls but the pattern seemed to be that I got them every other day. this is absurd. My wife and I are not answering this. I also, as many of you, returned my census form (as I should and as the Constitution requires) but this has gone so far over the line that it's ridiculous. Don't get mad because many of us don't want to fill out the form. They have came to my door unannounced on many occations. Box/Route Number Area code. AND ACTING AS COLLECTION AGENT. The less you say to them the faster they stop bothering you. I made the decision right then and there that I would not respond to an ACS survey under any circumstances. Me and my family were properly counted on census day 2010. A week later, the same worker showed up and said it was my last chance or I could be fined and possibly jailed. I'm sorry but this survey almost asks me how many times I pee in a day. Discussions on this page are currently closed. Thank you for your time and attention to this, and I expect this matter to be closed. We are all Americans of the human race. anon 77369: It is incorrect to say that you are required to respond. Apparently the obnoxious butt head pounding repeatedly on my door at 10:00 AM (I work at night) was a census worker. Well, our credit cards, social security numbers, and who knows what else, are now being used by illegal aliens and fraudulent companies. How can a census do any good for schools when these people are never turned away from schools and hospitals and welfare lines? Wow! We will not be participating. BTW my survey went into the guinea pig cage, it will come out the same it went in: crap. Washington and California residents have filed a class action in which they object to being asked to participate in the American Community Survey. In support of this argument, the defendants submitted an assertion from ACS chief Donna Dailey, who assured that the Census Bureau does not threaten non-responding addresses with the enforcement of fines or with referral to [the Department of Justice] for prosecution. Dailey added that [i]n the history of the ACS, no one has ever been prosecuted for failing to respond to the survey, and that no one has ever been referred to the DOJ for prosecution, nor has the DOJ ever prosecuted someone, for failing to respond, the order shares. She then said "so you are refusing". Finally, the last enumerator knocked one more time, then took away the last notice, which I decided to leave there. And to poster 201: the survey is much more intrusive than asking how many people live in your household. Typically, the Census Bureau will telephone those who do not respond to the survey and may visit their homes to coerce the targets to respond. Yesterday, a lady came by and tried to ask questions about the form. The latest thing they are doing is having the postal carrier come to my door and have me sign a delivery confirmation. I responded to the ACS. When he did, the employee asked him to allow her into his home. all the government tries to say if they want you to do something is say "its the law" thinking people will run and do what they say. Another concern raised by the Brookings Institute is the use of ACS information by law enforcement for crime mapping, a surveillance tool used to predict crime and preemptively target certain neighborhoods for policing. ACS estimates are all period estimates representing an interval of time, not a single date like April 1, 2010. Hello, Legally, yes, you are required to answer the census survey. There are two of us living here. [3] The purpose of the decennial census is to apportion the 435 members in the U.S. House of Representatives among the several states. I told him that on the advice of my attorney I had shredded the form. I googled the name and phone number, found out their spouses name where they lived, etc. (Same woman who was no longer employed with the census). You can search the internet and find many references to threats of a fine, but you won't find anyone who has ever been fined. 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. [22] http://www.census.gov/acs/www/about/why-we-ask-each-question/. If all they want is a head count, all they have to do is count social security numbers! Thank you for answering, I am grateful for this site, but hesitant to put email addy, or other info about me. I would rather pay the $100 fine to keep my freedom in check. Today's call is being recorded. Well, after many different phone calls, starting with the one on the census form, I still do not have an address to where to send the $100. As stated in the US Constitution Article 1 Section 2: I only have to fulfill my duty as a citizen by helping you enumerate, and I'm not required to answer any questions until the next Census in 2010. By the way, the is a new grassroots site that is just starting called Town Roots. If you do/have, chances are your information is already out in the open for various public/private agencies. Hence, you have answered the only question required by the constitution and you might have even increased the possibility for more representatives! March 01, 2023 Severe maternal morbidity (SMM) is defined as unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery that result in significant short- or long-term consequences to a person's health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). After the first couple of letters I received I started getting harassing phone calls from them. 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. I just don't answer the door. I didn't believe him until he showed me the book. Also available, The Rutherford Institute has developed a form letter that you may use in standing up against the governments attempt to force you to disclose personal information. This is out of control. The calls started Wednesday. [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. and even spells it. In a climate of identity theft, unscrupulous banking practices, private interest( I mean industry) running the Federal Reserve, Private "credit" companies like experian controlling human potential by keeping track of every citizen and their spending (and why would they care if they get your credit report wrong because just who is their client - not you, it's "businesses"). What you say is true. We received the form last spring. 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. Miss. I would feel dirty if I accepted a job with the census. I assume that's why they have come again. That is what I've allowed them to do. SEC-502-RS-Dispositions Self-Assessment Survey T3 (1) Techniques DE Separation ET Analyse EN Biochimi 1; C799 Task 2 - Task 2 paper; . We keep refusing them and they keep threatening us. I pay my taxes honestly, obey the laws of the land, don't speed, don't spit on the sidewalk and I will always open the door for a lady. I am a patriot. Ridiculous. I didn't argue or discuss it, just stated the truth and hung up immediately. Now I wish I hadn't answered her on the phone. Then I'll find a place to post it and tweet it to my 350+ followers. this is the letter I sent the census bureau. But in this day and age, do you really believe by not taking the census that your personal information is more thoroughly protected? A mortgage deduction should indicate I own a house; a 1099 with either unemployment compensation or reported income would indicate whether I am unemployed or self-employed. It can't be done if the government is a complex, dishonest mess. lets hope this isn't all to simply mark people who do and do not comply. I intend to scan the thing and email it to everyone I know, plus my congressman and senators. Thetwo statutes at most give the Defendants the authority to conduct a post-census statistical adjustment to ensure the accuracy of the decennial Census, the suit argues. Got a phone call wanting the birth dates. I ignored all of this due to what I had been through. That's when I lost my patience and said "Look pal, you're here to count people right. When a citizen does not answer the ACS within 30 days, a second ACS form is automatically mailed. I said I may have the second one, but discarded the first as a scam attempt. My son answered the door, the guy announced who he was with. I have contacted The American Center For Law and Justice. They're not authorized to do that. Thanks to all of you for your comments. Well they stopped today. Apparently there are quite a few people who expect miracles out of thin air. 1. I mentioned to a reporter for the newspaper the similarity between our government today and Hitler and he said some not so nice things to me. [26] https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about/qbyqfact/2016/MaritalStatusHistory.pdf. She was a little surprised how I knew things about her. If Americans wish to be free of judicial tyranny, they must at least develop basic knowledge of the judicial role in our republican government. [15] The ACS questionnaire also demands that persons divulge how many automobiles they own[16] and whether you have trouble getting up the stairs. If every household in the nation received this survey at once, there might be more of any outcry and uproar for our government to cut out the nonsense or face a revolution! However, the Website for the U.S. Census Bureau. Objections to the ACS include the personal nature of some of its questions and, despite government assurances to the contrary, associated confidentiality issues. We monitored our caller ID and just refused to answer the phone when they called (along with any other numbers listed as "unavailable"). I asked her if she had related my story to the supervisor. A truly honest, upright government does not hire goons and bullies to do any work for them. A couple were friendly; one sounded very "authoritative" and intimidating. The census taker left a note me a note today. They do not give the Defendants the limitless power to compel Plaintiffs to produce personal information or opinions to Defendants.. Further, congressional rules on enforcement were controlled by the Republican Congressional Committee overseeing Census Bureau Operations, when the Republicans controlled congress. I am not saying that the US government would or could ever go to this extreme but, for the purposes of garnering ever more political power and authority over the citizenry, I have no illusions about how far this government will go. Parents/caregivers and community members will be invited to take the survey between March 6-20. Do you think Cass Sunstein knowing how many people, of what age, have physical and emotional disabilities is for the benefit of your family? To posters 190 and 191: Thank you for your input and advice. The Rutherford Institute has received hundreds of inquiries from individuals who have received the ACS and are not comfortable sharing such private, intimate details with the government or are unsettled by the aggressive tactics utilized by Census Bureau agents seeking to compel responses to ACS questions. We are law abiding, tax paying citizens and always do the right thing. About how much do you think this house and lot, apartment, or mobile home would sell for if it were for sale? Would I really be fined or imprisoned? For example, lets say in 1790, two years after the ratification of the Constitution, Congress prepared a budget and decided to impose a direct tax to raise the needed revenue. We got our second ACS in the mail along with a follow up postcard. thanks for answering back with any helpful info. An official website of the United States government. Has anyone else who refused to comply have any information about penalties/fines actually being enforced to date? Help people, can I really get fined if I don't fill this crap out? I live in upstate New York and was just threatened that the census taker would be back with the police and his supervisor because I refused to fill out the form. The slippery slope stops here. I served my country in Vietnam. As an employee of The U.S. Census Bureau,I too share privacy concerns,but I must say there's a tremendous amount of misinformation and paranoia here. We haven't been bothered since. LOL. I love hearing this we live in the greatest country. If there are any lawyers out there, we would like you thoughts -- non-attribution of course. They believe the survey asks for more information, and at a higher frequency, than the simple enumeration required by Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. no one here is related etc., etc. I did some research over the summer after I found out about the ACS from reading a WSJ article. "I want to personally thank you for this article. Different people call at all hours and they block the name and number. For this census at least and I assume for the 2010 Census the initial person that will come to your house, if you did not fill out the form, is just a normal citizen with a temporary job as an "enumerator". He was very surprised. It is confined to determining the number of Representatives [in the House] and imposing direct Taxes among the several States. This survey is one of only a few 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. This country will see a revolution of the people one day, hopefully sooner than later. The Census Project works continuously to educate Congress about the critical importance of adequate yearly funding for 2020 Census planning and operations and for the American Community Survey. I'm glad they didn't refuse to answer such personal questions as name and age. Now the latest. I am absolutely livid right now. You need to stop peering in my window and you need to leave right away." Browse our topics and subtopics to find information and data. A Woodsboro couple is refusing to respond to a U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, saying the federal government's questionnaire is too invasive. Also, it can't hurt to tell your representatives. About the American Community Survey So keep your information private and don't give in. I finally left a voice mail for the person who kept calling me that if I got one more call or personal visit, I was contacting my state senator and tell him I was being harassed. Can anyone tell me about this? It is the premier source for detailed population and housing information about our nation. You cannot be fined or worse for not filling out the survey. Helping this corrupt government "function" is the same thing as helping this corrupt government go kill more people, invade our privacy, tax our income, levy fines, issue permissions slips and tattoo our butts. [3] U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3. I am not giving my personal information out to anyone authorized by this government. Year: 2021. They can't take my free will. My husband and I now know what we will do when a rep shows up at our door. Ignore any paperwork they send you, hang up if they call you, demand they leave your property if they come to your home. Instead, two weeks later, the supervisor came by, apologized and dropped off the new booklet. I'll give you potential issues with being counted. Unfortunately, the second time my husband gave in, as he felt we would get fined and was tired of the threats.