If they had let this guy run the census....well...it wouldn't have been any worse.
And his regular job, guarding the barn....he does that very well.
First came a blizzard of snippy little cards warning us that we had better get our census form sent back right-away-quick-like or else.
But wait! How could we? We got the little cards, but we didn't get a census form.
I was concerned so I called in for one.
And was informed that it was too early for us to get one; they were still being sent out.
More cards
No form
After a while I called again. It was getting late and we wanted to be counted.
They sent us one
I sent it back
A lady came anyhow to get us to fill one out. Drover her little car up the mountain goat path driveway like a regular trouper. I sent her on her way, explaining that I had already filled one out.
Another person stopped by for some similar reason...same reaction
Then a man came yesterday to verify that the house next door is derelict. I would have thought that the missing roof, broken windows and general air of.....er....falling down...would have been the first clue, but I guess they needed my name and address to prove that the poor man taking the census was telling the truth rather than skipping out on his job.
You would think I had done my part for the nationwide body count. I called for my form. I filled out my form. I sent in my form. I explained how nobody lived in the obviously abandoned house...and fairly patiently too, all things considered.
However, today the telephone rang and a very apologetic, poor, innocent, woman, who had obviously had a tough time recently, explained that I needed to fill out a census yet again. The data from a (large) number of forms in the area were not entered into whatever the heck they enter them into so they had to get them again. She told me that all I had to do was tell her how many people lived here and she would leave me alone. Or she could get our info and fill out the form properly.
I chose the latter and dictated everything I had written on the form I called for and sent in to her over the phone. I felt so sorry for her but I couldn't help but complain about the waste and inefficiency I had observed in the 2010 census. She admitted that she had heard the same complaints, over and over and over.
And rightly so. That is our money they are wasting with such incompetence and it is our country that will base aid and election districts upon what is obviously going to be pretty questionable data. And do you suppose maybe areas like this are being deliberately messed up? I mean this ain't exactly urban inner city or anything. If they make it hard for us plain old folks to get counted maybe it will be hard(er) for us to get representation too.
Whatever is up, we are certainly being cheated, in terms of bang for our census buck, right along with the harassment of repeated visits and calls.
If what I have heard from the census takers themselves is true, this stuff is widespread if not universal. Where is the outrage?
*** btw lack of capitalization of the word "census" is intentional and deserved.
I heard that a lot of forms from my community somehow got lost and not entered. They had to send workers to get our information. I haven't seen any of them yet. Too much waste.
ReplyDeleteOK i linked you up to my blog. Your photos are too awesome !!!!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work!!
Annie
www.thestarvingfarmer.blogspot.com
I just told them how many people live here, which is all you HAVE to do. Then came the calls. I was polite but wouldn't answer any of the other questions. To invasive and none of their business. They probably screwed it up anyway. Besides I don't trust the machine behind it. I am sure they will provide all the data they need for what ever their purposes are and not really use any of the really data collected.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jinglebob. IMO, there are definitely shenanigans going on with the census. I think the outrage is missing because we really aren't surprised - we expected this to be used politically.
ReplyDeleteI didn't find the questions all that intrusive, but the waste of little cards, redundant letters, and postage was ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteA letter to tell you it's coming.
duh.
A postcard to tell you to be sure and do your duty.
duh.
Another of the same.
duh.duh.
Another of the same again.
duh.duh. duh.
A second census form after I had sent a completed on in.
duhmbasses.
I linked to your post, too - well said.
ReplyDeleteInstead of complaining about it, why didn't you become a volunteer? It's easy to complain. It's harder to step up and be part of the solution.
ReplyDeleteGreg
Cathy, it seems that this is almost universal. I worked as a census taker in a previous census and although there were problems it was nothing on this scale.
ReplyDeleteAnne, thank you so much! I like yours too.
JB, we were just asked for who lived here. I have become increasingly appalled and reading the comments here and on Facebook from a number of other folks who had the same experience is even more upsetting.
NW, yeah, you are right about that entirely. After you get hit over the head a thousand times you just get too tired of cringing. Makes me mad though. If I did my job that poorly....
FC, And here I thought we were the only ones...and that poor lady yesterday. I felt so bad for her, because I am sure she spent the whole day apologizing for problems she did not cause.
Rev Paul, thank you...I am really honored.
Greg, honey, it is not my job to run the census. It is my job to milk cows and grow food and raise kids who are smart enough to be skeptical about bad government. The people who run the census don't need me. They get paid a whole lot of money to do it...our money...they have every resource imaginable at hand. I firmly believe they don't WANT to do a good job cause if they did they would be doing it. However, by the time they lose as many forms as they have obviously already lost, and maybe get some of the information back...or maybe not, they will have a nice big mess of compromised data, with which they can do any damn thing they want to...and you just watch-they will.
These people conducting census are just plain a pain in the you know where.
ReplyDeleteI had a bad experience with the Census; we finally just stopped answering the phone. First we had a woman come to the door, we were eating and told her we were busy, then this buffoon kept calling our number and asking when she could come over to interview us during the week. I told the woman point blank we were busy this week and wouldn’t be available for interview. This was the truth. Finally, on Friday (two weeks ago) my dad was over from up north and she calls again, I really need to clean this census up before next week. I told the lady, “I have told you numerous times that I am busy this week and will not be available, I also have my dad over right now and I will be leaving in a few minutes.” I hung up the phone and next think you know another clown starts calling my wife. The non-stop phone calls from both of these clowns and they were really annoying.
ReplyDeleteI filled out the Census survey and mailed it in. I participated in a phone survey that was very long and annoying, I told the woman what else do you think you’re going to find out from me?
Here in Canada if you are in agriculture you get a parcel as big as a book that you HAVE to do...we just didn't. I sent the short form in and ignored the rest...they called and called and called and finally gave up.
ReplyDeleteGoon, thanks so much for visiting and for taking time to leave a comment. Seems as if more people had trouble with the census than didn't. The more I read about what is going on the more it worries me.
ReplyDeleteLinda, Dang! We have an ag census too, but so far it is voluntary. Sometimes when I feel like doing several extra hours of bookkeeping I fill it out and sometimes I don't. I should but.....but.....I really hate bookkeeping! lol
threecollie,
ReplyDeleteThey finally stopped calling us after we started not answering the phone I also complained to the office that handles the census in our area. I think more people should slamb their doors in their face and not answer the phone.