Census 2010: What YOU Pay when Other People Don't Mail Back the Form

In a bad economy when people are struggling to make ends meet, it is legitimate for Americans to question how our government spends money and what return we get for that. Census 2010 is the 23^rd census conducted by the American government. Here are some interesting Census 2010 fun facts and some census historic trivia that make the census expenditures justifiable:

99% of the population in America resides in housing units that can mail back the Census 2010 questionnaire. Of these people, 90% will get the Census 2010 form in the mail; 9% will get the Census 2010 form dropped off at the household, and 1% will have the Census taker help them fill it out. All have to mail it back in to the government.

Sounds easy, but wait until you see what YOU have to pay in tax dollars when these 99% of the American population do NOT mail the Census 2010 form back into the government. The government has spent $133 million to get people to return the Census 2010 questionnaire and here is why:

If you don't pay the 42 cents to mail the Census 2010 form back, it will cost the American taxpayer $56 to collect the information from your household. The government spends about $1 per household to get you to mail back the Census 2010 form, so we don't have to pay the $56 to get the information from you in person. So, please don't complain about the Census 2010 advertising expenses if you have not mailed the Census 2010 form!

After advertising for the Census 2000, the percentage of households that mailed back their form was a whopping 67%. For every percentage point that the mail back rate goes up, the American taxpayers save $85 million by not having to collect data door-to-door. So please, mail back the Census 2010 form! It costs you 10 minutes and 42 cents.

Census 2010 will cost a total of $14.5 billion over the 13 years the government will work on it. This includes the annual American Community Survey for each year from 2001 - 2013. From these census numbers, the federal government decides how of the $400 billion PER YEAR each state gets in aid money. If you want your state to get more money, take the 10 minutes and the postage stamp and mail the Census 2010 form!

Completed the Census 2010 is required by law. If you do not participate in the census, you will spend MORE taxpayer dollars by going through the judicial system including law enforcement dollars tracking your sorry self down, court dollars giving you a fair trial, and jail dollars feeding your butt. Send in the freaking form!

Interesting Census Historical Facts

If you are upset about some of the terminology used on the Census 2010 questionnaire, consider these rather alarming historical facts about the census:

It wasn't until the Census 1980 that everyone was asked a question about Hispanic origin.

Census 2000 was the first time respondents could check as many boxes as necessary to identify their race.

Census 1890 was the first time Japanese was used in the race category.

Census 1870 eliminated the seperate "slave questionnaire."

The first census in 1790 included six questions and asked who was the head of the family, how many people in the house were free white males and how many were free white females.

Sources:

U.S. Census Facts for Features, Census 2010

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/014611.html

U.S. Census Bureau, Census Historical Highlights
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/014618.html