Five Letters Re: The Circular File

Sir,

I have apparently been selected to participate in the U.S. Censes Health of America survey. The other day a representative showed up at my door. I had previously received a letter, which I filed in a certain circular file. I politely told the representative I did not wish to participate. She was very insistent. After she saw I would not budge, I was threatened with “hounding until I submitted.” I could not believe it. All I could say was “Yeah, well that’s what lawyers are for, huh.” Has any other reader been threatened with this? Is this part of Obama care or what? Thanks, Rick

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HJL,

I will confirm this writer’s point. 2010 census had invasive irrelevant questions, which I refused to answer. (I don’t recall if had the standard or in depth form). I “roundfiled” the form letter and subsequent followup. In due course, an Obama acolyte appeared with a clipboard in hand. I tallied the number of residents at my property and sent her down the road. I have heard nothing. 2010 census numbers do reflect my information, as my household is the only property within city limits that is also within County X. (The remainder of the city is in County Y.)

An accurate census is a Constitutional requirement and important to local government. The next one will be starting in approximately 2018. – R.S.

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Hugh,

I had this type of encounter in 2010 with the Census Bureau. I did not fill out the “provided” to me form mailed to my address. (I received about ten in total.) This spilled over into 2011, as I simply kept filing them away with the garbage pickup. My unpublished home phone answering machine soon filled up with messages, insisting that I had to provide this information by law. I returned no calls. The delete button is provided for a purpose. Census workers knocked on the door multiple times. I politely told them I was not interested in answering their questions, and I bode them upon their way.

A year and a half later, I received a call on my personal unpublished cell phone. It was a Census Bureau “Supervisor” to my surprise, who wanted to know my rationale of “not being cooperative”. I again politely explained that I was not interested in answering her questions. I got the complete spill about how I must provide this information by law, demographics, voting blocks, and per capita political representation of our local city/county/state area.

I answered ONE question of many– “How many people reside in your home?”. (They already know my SS number, I mean name?)

Haven’t heard from them since. – D.C.

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Hugh,

I noted, with amusement, your reaction to all the requests for info on property you owned 15 years ago. I own a farm in Ohio and got numerous requests and demands for data on my operation in years past. I submitted them all to the circular file. After a few years of this, I received a number of calls culminating with a threat of jail time. My response was that they should give me a few days notice before they hauled me away. I never heard from them again. Al in Ohio

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Sir,

We received many Census Bureau questionnaires and had several visits. The neighbors told me that the Census people had gone to them to ask for information about us, as well, and seemed particularly interested in our race and education. Finally, I answered the door. They asked many questions. I declined all of them, except how many people were in the home. They really pushed hard for an answer on ethnicity. I replied, “The government has convinced me that I should be color-blind, so why isn’t the government color-blind, too? Are you a racist?” With that the lady could no longer speak. She stormed off. Didn’t hear from them again. – M.R.