76-10-B5
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Census[edit]
Transcript[edit]We need to know a great deal more than we do about government, but how much does government really need to know about us? I'll be right back. The Constitution Article I Section II provides that the government shall conduct a head count of all of us at least once every 10 years. The purpose is sound, to make proper allocation of seats in the House of Representatives. This should be underscored, the ONLY purpose of the census is to ensure the proper distribution of Congressional representatives. The first census was taken in 1790 and the only questions asked were name of the family head and the number of males and females in the household over and under 16 years of age. The last census was taken in 1970 and it had grown extensively in size and complexity. That simple head count had become a sociological survey. Free American citizens are now asked how many marriages, the number of children born to the woman of the house, including miscarriages, value of property, how many bathrooms and on and on. There can be no real reason for these questions other than curiosity and possibly the need to justify an ongoing bureau whose only functions takes place at 10-year intervals. The 94th Congress, just prior to its adjournment last summer, passed a bill giving the government the power to take a mid-term census, which means the snoops will be out every five years instead of every ten. If it's any consolation thanks to the efforts of Representative John Ashbrook of Ohio Congress did eliminate government's right to put you in jail if you refuse to answer all the questions. They can though still fine you up to five hundred dollars. Institutions, businesses and religious organizations can be fined as much as ten thousand dollars. For some time now, there's been an agricultural census every five years and it's an even longer more complicated set of questions than they inflicted on the city folk. Farmers are independent people on the last go-round almost one-third of them threw the questionnaires away. This of course led to an exercise of government's coercive power. There were follow-up inquiries and threats of prosecution. But even so at last count about half a million farmers are still holding out. When government stops respecting the people the people stop respecting government. What is happening to all of us is really too bad. We want to respect our government but bureaus and agencies carried away with their own purposes are making that extremely difficult. I'm sure the Census bureau with its warehouses full of files takes a pride in knowing how much information, how many facts, including trivia, the bureau has on all of us. Those employed there probably get a sense of satisfaction in knowing their capability to answer virtually any question about us. But government isn't a glorified quiz show. What purpose can it serve for government to know how many families have more than one bathtub? Does knowing such a thing make government any better able to serve its citizens? The answer, of course, is no. Government has to know how many of us there are for purposes of Congressional representation. I'll even include knowing our ages and the breakdown on how many are male and female. But beyond that, they are invading our privacy under threat of punishment if we say it's none of their business, and it is none of their business. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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