I was on your side. Why are you doing this to me?
When my raging Republican father told me that the Census was a government ploy to enter our homes and give all our personal information to corrupt ACORN workers, I calmly defended you. When Michelle Bachman popped up urging me not to answer the Census, I threw things at my own television. And when my mother said that despite what I thought about the usefulness of Census data, it was still a huge waste of money, I again explained to her your value.
Please stop proving my mother right. It is painful to me.
Two weeks ago I received a letter in the mail with a return address of "Census 2010." I was genuinely excited to have received my very own Census form. I was going to answer every question just to spite my parents. Also because I love public health and understand the ramifications of frikkin' Census data. So imagine my surprise when I opened the letter, pencil in hand, to find that it was not a survey. Rather it was a letter explaining that in the next week or so, I would be receiving a Census survey. Um...okay? That was a waste of whatever in God's name postage costs this week. And I shudder to think of what you spent sending that letter to every household in America. Particularly because I am of the opinion that those members of society least likely to answer the Census accurately and completely (i.e. The Teabaggers...God I love that they call themselves that) are going to need more than a letter outlining the way the Census benefits our society to change their minds. Pretty sure they're immune to facts. And Glenn Beck is taking down social justice too, so it's all downhill from here.
(I could only watch about 3 minutes of this before I choked on my own rage.)
Anyway, I thought the letter was dumb. I put my pencil down and awaited the (way too) heralded arrival of my actual census form.
About 5 days later, it came. I got the short form. None of the questions that my father feared were destroying America were even there! And I was so looking forward to telling Barack Hussein Obama my life story! In the end I put my and Tom's names in the little blanks, confessed to being totally uninteresting in the ethnicity department, and mailed the stupid thing back in. How anti-climactic.
And then today I got a postcard in the mail. From the Census Bureau. Letting me know that a few days ago I should have received a request to participate in the Census. And that it was important that I respond. You know what's really important? Not sending $3 worth of postage for no reason! Holy crap! I support the Census. I love that it saved me a lot of leg work on papers in grad school. But I do not love that it's making my mother do her "I told you so" dance via telephone.
Not cool Census Bureau. Knock it off.
Thanks,
~Sam
3 comments:
I know that some of the folks railing against the census probably aren't that interested in facts, but there have been quite a few reports and statements explaining the extra mailings.
Apparently, it cost about $85 million to send the pre-census letter and post-census postcard. If that increases mail-in response by 1%, it breaks even. Census Bureau research indicates it will likely increase mail-in response by at least 6%, saving more than $500 million in door-to-door follow up.
You completely capture my feelings about the census. The pre- and post- communication were such a let-down. And I wanted so much more than the short form. I'm a statistician. I love surveys! I appreciate them more than they know. At least you had two people in your household about whom you could answer questions.
I was concerned about sending in my survey before April 1st. In case I died before then. I didn't. So no worries.
I still have your Blog in my favorites because I love the way you write.
Always wondered what happened to you.
Hope you are well!
From the bloggerverse void,
Laura
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