We did not return the census, and received continuous letters and threats. If there are any lawyers out there, we would like you thoughts -- non-attribution of course. Please give that a shot, I'll find me a constitutional lawyer and challenge the constitutionality of this law, any survey or law attached and the constitutionality of this survey as well as the census survey. (address, city, county, state, zip). Finally, she said I am not answering anymore questions and they left her alone. It is just such a sick country now. Although no reports have surfaced of individuals actually being penalized for refusing to answer the survey, the potential fines that can be levied for refusing to participate in the ACS are staggering. Polite, firm, refusal. Mailed it in. I thought Hitler was stopped. Does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as doctor's visits or shopping? I will not be returning her call. Ha! [36] Florida v. Royer, 460 U.S. 491, 498 (1983). Just had our 10th home visit from census people! Remember, they work for you, not the other way around. The provision for the Census is found in Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution. LOL. I even downloaded a sound bite that said this number has been disconnected and is no longer in service. I googled the name and phone number, found out their spouses name where they lived, etc. The Rutherford Institute stands ready to defend your rights if they are violated by the government. The ACS is better than a surveillance on the American family. I've received two of these obscene forms and I do not to answer any of the questions printed thereon. And if they threaten you, video record all of this exchange. Q: Has the government prosecuted persons for refusing to answer the American Community Survey? I don't know why someone said the country is going too far to left. 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. The Census Bureau can't issue a fine, they have to refer the case to the Dept. And how do they fine/prosecute a person if "answers" cannot be used in court or obtained by law enforcement? Want to stay in the loop on class actions that matter to you? I said I may have the second one, but discarded the first as a scam attempt. I don't feel they need to know all the crap they are asking. I have a right to not be harassed in my home. You wonder why people are reluctant to give out information. I'm fed up with the ACS and all their nosing in my business. They are not better people, more deserving, more intelligent, more experienced they didn't know "how" things were going to work out they just knew they would. The funny part is the local grocery store has this job post up. But it hasn't ever needed to be collected by a government agency that is supposed to serve WE, the people and then threatens us with fines, treating good citizens like criminals (I thought counting people was like one, two, three, four,?). I'm waiting for the harassment to begin! Best policy is to avoid answering the door to strangers but it's difficult to do if you are outside a lot. So keep your information private and don't give in. It also asked for the full names, DOB, SS# of all person including children. I shall be contacting my Senator and Congressman to voice my alarm and concern on another gross infringement of my Civil Liberties. Remember Germany. The right to privacy is also inherent in many amendments to the Bill of Rights, such as the 3rd, the 4th, search and seizure and the 5th, self incrimination limit. "The American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing survey that provides vital information on a yearly basis about our nation and its people. Since when has the Federal government come to my door or anyone elses and said "We want to help you get your road paved" or any other helpful act, and then asked me for my help by filling out a form to prove the necessity? Any illegal can purchase your number for any amount of money. The data bank, like any data bank, runs the risk of being hacked or accessed by dishonest parties. Something is wrong in this country when the hard working middle class is getting stomped out from top to bottom. They don't want the constituents who elected them to be harassed. Commission, 32 Fed. I filled out my form sent it back and now i am getting harassed by the census bureau calls of at least eight a week! I ignored all of this due to what I had been through. Unreal! While I also oppose the Census form being sent out, -anon70698, the number of representatives and taxes will be determined by the number of people in the area is what Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution is about. Help people, can I really get fined if I don't fill this crap out? A: The U.S. Constitution requires that a decennial census be conducted every ten years for the purpose of making an actual enumeration of the persons within each state. Anyway he proceed to stretch as much as he could so he could look into my living room. We had mailed the form back the day after we received it. If all they want is a head count, all they have to do is count social security numbers! He came by every hour starting at 6 Thursday. This is especially true if you have already returned your regular census form. She noticed that I was very irritated and told me that she just needs the number of people who live here and ages. As a current enumerator I'd like to say thanks to the great majority of people who have courteously answered census questions. I propose: 1) Grabbing your video recorder and recording the entire exchange. 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. There is an actual law on the books, but that law has never been applied. These questions clearly violate any privacy guaranteed to me by the US Constitution and over step the Census Bureaus authority. Not about us - about adjoining property! Then the phone calls started. I got the ACS forms and I am scared to be fined. When I saw the personal and invasive nature of recent Census, I was irate. 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). I am literally getting up to six phone calls a day, mass mailings, and mass e-mails. Name Number and street or P.O. She was asking the questions again and I told her that I already filled out the form so there is no reason for me to fill it out again. Back in 2003 or so we also received a very long census questionnaire, with information I did not want to publish. i have nothing to hide but i shouldn't be forced to tell anyone anything and that's what makes me mad!!! I do believe that the census information is mostly kept private though after a period of years or decades, it may become public. Follow your happiness and I promise the universe will be there for you: subtle, slow, obvious or quick it will respond to your emotions. He gave his name and the number of people living here and refused to answer anything else. Does anyone know? 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. In 2000 I refused to fill mine out. The Rutherford Institute I want to put it in the woodstove and make my house a fortress. The last time that happened was more than 40 YEARS ago. I was told that they get thousands of calls per day of people complaining about the ACS. a race is a competition with winners and losers being monitored by individuals who are not in the running. 6)repeal criminal legislation like H.R. Questions and Answers about the ACS in , , Franais, Kreyl ayisyen, , Polski, Portugus, , Espaol, Vit Ng. Empowered by Congress with greater powers to amass information about citizens, the Census Bureau introduced the ACS in 2005. The survey also demands to know how many days you were sick last year, how many automobiles you own and the number of miles driven, whether you have trouble getting up the stairs, and what time you leave for work every morning, along with highly detailed inquiries about your financial affairs. I told that I had already fulfilled my Constitutional duties as a citizen with my mailed-in short form, and then told her the ACS and her harassment of me in my home is unconstitutional. I did not receive the additional questionnaire. One dear government lady actually said she did not have time for prank phone calls. Due to a likely technicality, I received this, with the wrong address. I have a nice little digital camera that makes high-definition video. Let this letter be the third request that you respect my privacy and my requests. I have now been visited six times already. DATA SUPPLIED BY. For instance, the ACS asks about the acreage of your property and any agricultural sales from the property,[7] your ancestry,[8] your citizenship status,[9] your daily commute (including when your leave home and how long it takes to get to work),[10] the computing devices you own,[11] the fertility of women in the household,[12] the fuel used to heat your house,[13] the number of rooms in your house,[14] and the year in which your house was built. So, basically, he screwed the taxpayers because he keeps a log of minutes and gets paid for the time. Then we find out she is our next-door neighbor! Sorry, but you are really just not important enough for them to worry about, certainly not as much as you are obviously worrying about them. If you waiver or hide, they will keep trying. In what may be a coincidence, they often seem to call shortly after we arrive home and there is a vehicle marked "census" in the neighborhood. The states need to reassert their rights back from the federal government. We live in a sanctuary city and those who work and pay taxes are supporting almost half of our population. Camp Lejeune residents now have the opportunity to claim compensation for harm suffered from contaminated water. He had to come through a closed gate. But I guess they probably figured that out, so decided to send it to only 2.6 percent of the population at a time. I will not be giving some 18 year old pimple face unemployed moron my personal information. The efforts to secure a response to ACS seem fairly on the mark, but the point that seems most lost here is that households chosen for ACS are just part of a statistical sample that is representative of the country as a whole. This is out of control. To the small minority who have sneered at me and closed the door, get some help. Q: Is there a penalty for refusing to answer American Community Survey questions? It is against the law to solicit minors so therefore they do not have to be counted in the total. Then we have to vote them out. The government is over stepping it's boundaries with such personal questions. She stated that her supervisor sent her back out. I stupidly started filling out my ACS before I learned of this. ACS estimates are all period estimates representing an interval of time, not a single date like April 1, 2010. It's not good politics. 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. Especially after reading the comments on this page. I have no idea about the ACS (or any of their personal questions). AND ACTING AS COLLECTION AGENT. 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. Opponents of the American Community Survey disagree with the court's findings about its constitutionality. Published: January 12, 2021 - 2:23 AM ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) Here's a Good Question-about an odd delivery in the mail. That wasn't supposed to be able to happen. That's when I lost my patience and said "Look pal, you're here to count people right. In addition, some point to the possibility of human error as a security concern over such personal and confidential information. [20] https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about/qbyqfact/2016/Language.pdf. Access American Community Survey data on the Census Bureau's new platform, data.census.gov. We will then see them online. Survey/Program: American Community Survey. Firm, clear refusal. I never will. Mykel. Beyond that, please cease and desist all further efforts to gather personal and private information about the members of my household, it will not be provided. I received my acs form,filled it out and threw it in the garbage where it belongs. They do go to your neighbors and landlord if you are a renter, and they do try to threaten and intimidate you by saying that if you don't answer then someone will return and will have the police with them, so yeah, keep on believing that it's all just a few harmless questions. BTW my survey went into the guinea pig cage, it will come out the same it went in: crap. That is what I've allowed them to do. Anyone out there actually worked for this part of the Census with accurate info? The Census Bureau insists that personal information contained in these devices was protected by passwords and other security measures. We haven't been bothered since. according to the constitution it limits the government's ability to do anything but enumerate. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Lock I told her I wasn't calling anybody. Unfortunately, the guy probably already knew the answers to some of the questions. The next day I called back and talked to a different agent or whatever they are. I love my country and I'm proud to be an American. we need to stop fighting and come together, reminiscent of the black panthers and Raymond Washington. I'm not sure I'd complete it though. Also, it can't hurt to tell your representatives. Wow! Well it started for me. Three times they sent people to our door, and three times I walked out the back door, and turned on the water. Just hang tough and they will eventually leave you alone. A locked padlock I ripped it up and threw it away. When the government fears the people there is liberty." Some of you who refuse to return your forms could possibly look at it from a different angle. We will ask the rep to make it clear what will happen if we don't answer the survey, then verbally accept the consequences. Enumeration. The calls started today. Or are they? Your response is required by law. Thank you for creating this site and letting me know that I am not alone with receiving these and answering them. She stated that the woman was no longer employed and asked if I could please give her the info. . A 72 year old lady showed up at my door yesterday (I being a 65 year old great grandmother), and told me I did not fill my form out properly and it got "kicked out". This survey is not some spur of the moment mandate by the current administration. [26] https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about/qbyqfact/2016/MaritalStatusHistory.pdf. Not to mention the ethnic origin of any person on a questionnaire is profiling a house. For everyone saying what's the big deal- go play in traffic. We should not have to fear such "power hungry, and commission-crazy animals! Logged onto survey; did not complete any items 2.1121 65 Never logged on (implicit refusal) 2.11 887 Survey completed after close of the field period 2.27 189 Completed interview but was removed for data quality 1 Screened out . They can go to hell. We're starved after working all day on our house renovation. Best wishes, and see you all after the election. TheAmerican Community Survey(ACS) helps local officials, community leaders, and businesses understand the changes taking place in their communities. I already returned that info in the original census last year. This is due to lack of security for any personal information you provide. Overall, the lawsuit says that [n]othing in these statutes gives Defendants the authority to compel Plaintiffs to speak when Plaintiffs invoke their First Amendment right to refrain from speaking by refusing to answer the American Community Survey.. I too am grateful for this site. . Protect your privacy. I'll give you potential issues with being counted. Way too much info requested (stuff I wouldn't tell my friends, let alone the government!!) In three weeks they should mail me a duplicate form. I ordered him to leave and he said he would have to go get the sheriff and return. Since the threats appear to completely empty then at this point the consequences are null and void. Even in police states, they don't ask these questions asked by the Census Bureau for the ACS. Anyone else with other info/advice is politely requested to add their two cents. [1] The Rutherford Institute, a national nonprofit civil liberties organization, is deeply committed to protecting the constitutional freedoms of every American and the integral human rights of all people through its extensive legal and educational programs. Then I whistled up the dogs who escorted him tenderly to his car. Perhaps the people who did not answer the questions do not want to end up like the Japanese Americans did during World War II when the census was used to track them down, and it took 50 years to find out about it! Thanks, people, for your informative and oftentimes humorous posts here. During the last month since I received the first one, I've had many many phone calls from someone asking for my husband and saying he is from a veteran's charity. Table from ACS 1-Year Estimates Data Profiles, released by American Community Survey. I am grateful for this siteI just got the survey in the mail and felt very intimidated into having to complete it.or else. Other articles have slanted this to be a case of "men marrying into money. A couple were friendly; one sounded very "authoritative" and intimidating. I know that some of you were harassed by the census folks. However, the gap between homeownership rates not only persists, but has grown. When we allow them to manipulate us, we turn into "sheeple.". I don't think they are even aware of how intrusive this is. I suggest that people find a petition out there against this census survey. That seems to be the end of it, but only time will tell. I personally do not want to answer because it's just a habit but if they did catch me off-guard, I would probably give them an answer of some sort (like I am a boyfriend who is watching my girlfriend's house while she's away with the peace corps for six months and that I already answered the census for my home a few blocks away). Wound up yelling at anyone who would speak to me and finally the harassment stopped. 2) Explaining that you will answer one personal question for every personal question they answer on camera. I never have, EVER owned an apartment or resort.
