The US Census Bureau is harrassing my friend, HELP!!! Share your experiences here please

but are you a homosexual?

Census Bureau - ...so okay...You said 3 adults, one over 75 and 2 children under 10... any pet?

Citizen - No..

Census Bureau - Okay , perfet. So That is 5 vaccine shots, 2 adults meals for 15 days, 3 corpse bags Mesure Medium, 2 Small, 3 plastic graves, but probably you all will fit just in two... So we keep the family united... Thanks Madam for your time. these are some Gaia gadgets for the kids... Two pins "I'm food for worms" and the cartoon DVD "Hurrah! This year we go FEMA CAMPS!"

Citizen -

the census man stopped by a summer cabin that i caretake seasonally. i don't even live there full time.

I told him i was leaving for work and did not have time to answer his questions.

He got sarcastic and said 'oh you can't even give me your name and address?" i said no i am leaving shortly.

He said well when can i come back?
i said 'i don't know i am leaving for a few weeks"

He was very rude and then HE WENT TO HIS CAR AND SAT OUTSIDE THE DRIVEWAY FOR 20 MINUTES!!!

Which made me late for work because i wasn't about to leave with him sitting outside the driveway! WTF??? are they allowed to do this???

and oh yeah...

i said to the census worker, "leave the form with me and i will fill it out and send it in.

He says to me, "i can't do that it is too late"

i'm like, you are going to come back anyway.
and why didnt you just mail it before it was 'ttoo late'
instead of showing up at my summer cabin unannounced on a sunday morning???????????????????

i am so MAD right now!!!!!!

I am a female currently working for the Census bureau and the enumerator told your friend the truth. For whatever reason ( could be anything_)the Census form for that address was not filled out or returned on time. It is not legal for us to leave Census documents with anyone on their word they will return it to us or mail it in. In our job training it is made VERY clear that we are to conduct interviews which can take up to ten minutes and probably two minutes if it is a seasonal home, but we must conduct interviews. We are not allowed to let hte questionaires out of our hands. I personally am fond of letting people look over my shoulder so they are secure that I am not making the information up, but that can't be done if the respondent refuses to step out on the porch to look. We take an oath of confidentiality not to reveal the information for 72 years, that is if any if us are still around then. The reason the information is then released is for historical/ ancestry purposes with the reasoning being that by then the personal information will have no negative impact on anyone.
The information is used to allocate funds for towns school systems, libraries, social services and that is why the information about race, gender, age etc. is asked. To allocate funds for social programs where needed. The government can't allocate funds unless it knows that there is a need in the population in certain areas. We are required to come back. There is a lot of pressure on us to "get the job done thouroughly, in an efficient and timely manner" and if we don't we may be let go sooner rather than later. For some of us it means the difference between loosing our apartments and cars, or trying to the best of our ability to get a reluctant respondent to please tell us whether they were there on april 1st, and so the government doen't think we are making this stuff up at our own kitchen tables and then going to the beach, we need to get the respondents name , regular address and a contact phone number so that the quality controle dept. can check on the quality of our "work" alias (information correctness)
If you would like to verify the persons validity, you may call the local census office. The Enumerators wear badges and carry bags, but should be able to supply you with a supervisors number or the number of the field office. Just explain that you are nervous about doing the interview and need to verify the enumerators credentials, and try to make a phone appointment if you do not want to do the interview in person. It is less invasive for some people, although some are my comfortable, as I said, looking over my shoulder at the questions. No one ever asked me to get anything like financial information or social security numbers or anything like that.
I am not trying to defend any bad behavior, but I can tell you from perasonal experience that a lot of people are very uncooperative and nasty to us, and give the impression they think they do not have to cooperate, when actually they do. It is in our constitution under the part regarding equal representation. We try to be nice about it, but ran into a nasty beligerant man, and tried to get him to commit to a time when I could at least come back, he threatened that he had called the FBI on already, and when I tried to let him know that he might be fined for a refusal, the thanks I got was that he is curretly trying to get me fired.that means if he is succesful that I will not be able to collect unemployment and will never be elliagible to work for the US governmant again. All because my boss said I need you to close out this folder as quickly as possible. Do what you need to do to take care of yourself, but please cooperate with the census. Sorry for the spelling errors.I am a lousy speller and no spell check available.

Let me tell you, I filed my 2010 Census when it came in te mail, A month or so later a lady came to my door and demanded I fill out another!I told her that I had already filed one out and there was NO need in her being in my BACK YARD!!!! She could not get me to the door so she came in my back yard when my family and some friends were grilling out! She told me I could give her 10min of my time or She would have to cont. coming out. I was pissed..... Then just a few minutes ago I got my 3rd call from the Census people needing to "Verify" My Info, I answered all questions until he asked me "Has my husband lived outside of home due to an AFFAIR sense April 1st!!!!! I screamed and yelled at him using VERY foul language, This has gone tooooo far and someone needs to put a stop to it!

"The reason the information is then released is for historical/ ancestry purposes with the reasoning being that by then the personal information will have no negative impact on anyone.
The information is used to allocate funds for towns school systems, libraries, social services and that is why the information about race, gender, age etc. is asked. To allocate funds for social programs where needed. The government can't allocate funds unless it knows that there is a need in the population in certain areas. We are required to come back. There is a lot of pressure on us to "get the job done thouroughly, in an efficient and timely manner" and if we don't we may be let go sooner rather than later. For some of us it means the difference between loosing our apartments and cars, or trying to the best of our ability to get a reluctant respondent to please tell us whether they were there on april 1st, and so the government doen't think we are making this stuff up at our own kitchen tables and then going to the beach, we need to get the respondents name , regular address and a contact phone number so that the quality controle dept. can check on the quality of our "work" alias (information correctness)
If you would like to verify the persons validity, you may call the local census office. The Enumerators wear badges and carry bags, but should be able to supply you with a supervisors number or the number of the field office. Just explain that you are nervous about doing the interview and need to verify the enumerators credentials, and try to make a phone appointment if you do not want to do the interview in person. It is less invasive for some people, although some are my comfortable, as I said, looking over my shoulder at the questions. No one ever asked me to get anything like financial information or social security numbers or anything like that.
I am not trying to defend any bad behavior, but I can tell you from perasonal experience that a lot of people are very uncooperative and nasty to us, and give the impression they think they do not have to cooperate, when actually they do. It is in our constitution under the part regarding equal representation. We try to be nice about it, but ran into a nasty beligerant man, and tried to get him to commit to a time when I could at least come back, he threatened that he had called the FBI on already, and when I tried to let him know that he might be fined for a refusal, the thanks I got was that he is curretly trying to get me fired.that means if he is succesful that I will not be able to collect unemployment and will never be elliagible to work for the US governmant again. All because my boss said I need you to close out this folder as quickly as possible. Do what you need to do to take care of yourself, but please cooperate with the census. Sorry for the spelling errors.I am a lousy speller and no spell check available."


REALLY??? i don't think so. Do you sit outside peoples driveways for 20 minutes??? that is creepy stalker behavior. what BS.
I already filled a form out for my full time residence, i should not have to fill one out for a place i dont' even live in .

The lady came to my door last spring about twenty times. I never answer my door do to the amount of crazy holly rollers and bumbs that walk threw my neighborhood. I didnt feel like answering anything or calling her back. Theres others ways to find that information out, Im a night owl and hate being woken up. Now there back it was the same lady, she actually sat in my driveway for about two hours. I just watched her and laughed. Its saturday i dont have any place to be. This is the third time this week, im expecting them to give up eventually. How would they know who to write the ticket to? i rent... How could they prove that i ever got any info from them in the first place? the dog ate it.. And if the cops get envolved(doubtful), what the hell can they do? need a warrant.. I have fun messing w these people. They asked all my neighbors about me of course, my neighbors dont care. One guy probably told on me but so what(hes a douche anyways)...

I filled out my census form, answering only how many people live in my home (ONE), and mailed it directly from the post office the same day.

About a month ago, I came home to a notice on my door that a census worker had stopped by to complete a survey.

The next morning, I called the number on the notice. I explained that I'd already completed my census form. Her response? "I know this is personal, but I just got off my second job at 7:00 this morning."

And she hung up on me.

I called the district number on the same notice and told a supervisor what happened. She offered to conduct an interview with me, telling me it would take as long as ten minutes. I told her no, it would be short and sweet, and the only answer I was required to give - which was also the only answer she was going to get - was ONE.

Haven't heard from 'em since.

221. Refusal or neglect to answer questions; false answers

•(a) Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any other authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the Secretary or authorized officer, to answer, to the best of his knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in connection with any census or survey provided for by subchapters I, II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title, applying to himself or to the family to which he belongs or is related, or to the farm or farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be fined not more than $100.

•(b) Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection (a) of this section, and under the conditions or circumstances described in such subsection, willfully gives any answer that is false, shall be fined not more than $500.

•(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, no person shall be compelled to disclose information relative to his religious beliefs or to membership in a religious body.
Sec. 222. Giving suggestions or information with intent to cause inaccurate enumeration of population

Whoever, either directly or indirectly, offers or renders to any officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof engaged in making an enumeration of population under subchapter II, IV, or V of chapter 5 of this title, any suggestion, advice, information or assistance of any kind, with the intent or purpose of causing an inaccurate enumeration of population to be made, shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

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What happens if I don't fill out my census form?
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Cite This!Close .Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks article:

"What happens if I dont fill out my census form?" 01 April 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. < [link to people.howstuffworks.com] 14 October 2010.

In the United States, the census is officially a big deal (see How the Census Works to learn exactly how big a deal it is). Originally, the census was meant to be a way to count everyone so that the members of the House of Representatives could be allocated properly to the states. Every 10 years there would be a count, and states with more people got more members in the House. Over time, the government has gotten significantly more complicated, and today, the federal government allocates money to states for all sorts of programs. Something like $100 billion gets distributed every year, and quite a bit of it is distributed based on population. The census provides the only official head count.

Someone is very likely to notice if you do not fill out and return your form. After April 1 in a census year, all of the responses received by the U.S. Census Bureau will be compared to major lists of U.S. residences. If your response has not been received -- or if you didn't complete all the questions on your form -- someone from the census will contact you for that information. The census is a $6.5 billion dollar project. They can afford to be thorough!

If you refuse to give out the information or you deliberately give inaccurate information, you can be in legal trouble. According to United States Code, Title 13 (Census), Chapter 7 (Offenses and Penalties), SubChapter II, if you're over 18 and refuse to answer all or part of the Census, you can be fined up to $100. If you give false answers, you're subject to a fine of up to $500. If you offer suggestions or information with the "intent to cause inaccurate enumeration of population," you are subject to a fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in prison, or both. Here's the official verbiage:
221. Refusal or neglect to answer questions; false answers

•(a) Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any other authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the Secretary or authorized officer, to answer, to the best of his knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in connection with any census or survey provided for by subchapters I, II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title, applying to himself or to the family to which he belongs or is related, or to the farm or farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be fined not more than $100.

•(b) Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection (a) of this section, and under the conditions or circumstances described in such subsection, willfully gives any answer that is false, shall be fined not more than $500.

•(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, no person shall be compelled to disclose information relative to his religious beliefs or to membership in a religious body.
Sec. 222. Giving suggestions or information with intent to cause inaccurate enumeration of population

Whoever, either directly or indirectly, offers or renders to any officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof engaged in making an enumeration of population under subchapter II, IV, or V of chapter 5 of this title, any suggestion, advice, information or assistance of any kind, with the intent or purpose of causing an inaccurate enumeration of population to be made, shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

These links will help you learn more:

•U.S. Census Bureau
•American FactFinder
•United States Historical Census Data Browser

•How the Census Works
•How Income Taxes Work
•How the U.S. Draft Works



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Juat another way to invade our privacy. Not like the government can't obtain the same information thier asking us by looking at someones tax returns etc. I personally refuse to answer them and they make t it a point to come by my home every other day. Its harassment at this point but I will continue to not answer my door and they will get tired of wasnting their time and gas trying to get information from me.

There is a bill pending in the house - H.R 931 in which 70 congressmen have asked that responses can be limited to name,contact information, date, number of people at the address.

I don't know how to stop the calls unless I file a restraining order and I am loathe to pay legal fees for that.

You can write your congressman. I suggest you do. Literally drown them in responses

By law all you have to answer is enumeration PERIOD!