Census buildup is for ... what?
So this is it? THIS is what all of the census hype was about?
The 2010 census is costing taxpayers an estimated $11.3 billion – that’s with a “B” folks, as in boondoggle.. According to the United States Government Accountability Office that makes it the most expensive census in the nation’s history – even after adjusting for inflation.
“The Bureau estimates that the number of housing units for the 2010 Census will increase by 10 percent over 2000 Census levels,” said GAO Acting Director of Strategic Issues Brenda Farrell, when testifying before the U.S. Senate’s Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security back in June. “At the same time, as shown in figure 1, the average cost per housing unit for 2010 is expected to increase by approximately 29 percent from 2000 levels (from $56 per housing unit to $72 per housing unit in 2000 inflation-adjusted dollars).”
All of that begs the question: What are we getting for our money? U.S. Census Bureau’s “Snapshot of America” Super Bowl ad cost $2.5 million. Giant census forms, at a cost of about $341,000 to produce and display, were deployed this week to Daley Plaza in Chicago. Other cities on the list include New York City, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Los Angeles, Phoenix, St. Louis and San Francisco; all in the name of the 2010 census mantra: “Ten question in 10 minutes.”
But I have to wonder why the nation is spending so much money for so little information. Would have questions on such pertinent topics as annual income, employment status, savings level, vehicle ownership and health care have measurably impacted participation? Home ownership is a nice gauge of economic activity, but wouldn’t the length of time I’ve lived there and, the time and distance I commute to work also provide valuable insight into the nation’s highway system and the viability of mass transit?
In 2000, the nation reversed a three-decade decline in mail rates, achieving a participation rate of 72 percent. The Census Bureau hopes to improve on that, because sending census takers to delinquent homes costs money. If everyone across the nation mailed back their form, taxpayers could reduce the cost of taking the census by about $1.5 billion, the Census Bureau said.
“The Census’ sheer size and complexity make it a risky and fragile enterprise,” Farrell said in her testimony before Congress. “The 2000 Census, for example, involved the hiring of more than 500,000 enumerators on a temporary basis, opening 511 local census offices nationwide and 24,000 questionnaire assistance centers, processing 1.5 billion sheets of paper, and in 10 weeks following up with 42 million nonrespondent households. The size of the census means that small problems can magnify quickly, and big problems could be overwhelming. For example, 60 seconds might seem like an inconsequential amount of time, but in 2000, if enumerators had spent just 1 minute more at each household during nonresponse follow-up, it could have added almost $10 million to the cost of the census, assuming a pay rate of around $13 per hour (wages ranged from $8.25 to $18.50 per hour for enumerators in 2000, depending on location).”
According to the Census Bureau’s Web site, Census takers in Elgin will earn $15.25 an hour. Vernon Hills is paying $17.50 an hour and Chicago workers will earn $18.25 an hour. For God's sake, please fill out your form and mail it back quickly.
We’ve already spent enough money.
– Kurt Begalka
