Apparently, the sequester hasn’t affected the Census Bureau, because they CONTINUE to call my home.
Last night, to their bad fortune, they did so when I was actually here.
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I got another call from the Census Bureau last night.
It didn’t even register with the flunky attempting to intimidate me into giving them a host of information that is none of their business that telling me “Congress passed a law giving us the authority to collect data for them.” wouldn’t even be the slightest bit convincing to an attorney who has read the relevant sections of 13 USC and can’t find ANY authority for the scope of the questions they were asking, and she got very upset when I told her that they need to quit calling my home, as it is starting to border on harrassment.
Fed Flunky: Sir, if you do not answer the questions, I’ll have to make you as a “refusal”.
Me: You can mark me as a refusal, but that would not be true. The law says I can be fined if I willfully refuse to fill out any portion of the survey. I filled out the first page, and then wrote “None of your damn business” on the remaning 35 pages. Therefore I didn’t fail to fill out any portion of the survey, only the parts that are none of your business. Besides, I’d be seventeen different kinds of idiot to give you that information considering the federal government’s recent treack record with confidential data.
Fed Flunky: Sir, THAT’S not what the law means.
Me: Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware I was speaking to another attorney. It must suck having to work a Friday evening for minimum wage.
Fed Flunky: If you have a law degree, you can defend yourself at the hearing.
Me: Is that supposed to scare me?
*click*
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If we can pay for this kind of idiotic pursuit of American citizens, and NOT enforce current immigration law, and not allow the government to perform the functions that it is SUPPOSED to be doing, like training for military units, then this government’s legitimacy should be loudly and frequently questioned. Daily.
Taxes, Stupidity, and Death 
Well said, old mole! You are okay with me until the crimes done in my days of nature are burnt and purged away. Maybe even afterward.
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Not for nothing but are you the only guy in Washington state that interacts with the census folks. You’re reminding me of folks I know whose last name starts with a-d and are always getting called for jury duty.
-Justice Brandeis, dissent, Olmstead v. U. S. (1928)
Dont know what the laws of your state are for recording conversation re: consent. Next time maybe you should consider advising them that you are a attorney and you are recording the call for future reference. Maybe conduct your own “census” like id the caller, identify the callers employer, can a personal interview appointment at their facility be scheduled?
Im wondering if these calls are being handled by .gov employees or if this has been subbed out to some Telemarketing company.
Glad to read that others have responded in similar fashion as I did to the 2010 census form. They eventually sent someone around to personally re-ask the questions I refused to answer … that didn’t work any better for them.
And Constitutionally speaking, the census is only authorized for enumerating (i.e., counting) the population. Most of the questions they ask stretch well beyond that authorization.
•An enumeration of the population is the only power granted to Congress by this Clause.
•Apportioning direct taxes and representatives among the several States is the sole purpose of the power granted to Congress by this Clause.
•Congress’ power to make laws concerning this Census is restricted to prescribing the method for conducting the actual enumeration
Congress Admits the Sole Purpose of the Census is Apportionment
In 1997, Congress, in Pub. L. 105-119, title II, Sec. 209, Nov. 26, 1997, 111 Stat. 2480, found that?
(1) it is the constitutional duty of the Congress to ensure that the decennial enumeration of the population is conducted in a manner consistent with the Constitution and laws of the United States;
(2) the sole constitutional purpose of the decennial enumeration of the population is the apportionment of Representatives in Congress among the several States
Congress, by its own admission, confirmed that the sole constitutional purpose of the Census is for apportioning representatives among the several States.
[…] Sure Things of Life has up a great post called “Federal Follies” Go read […]