Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 16, MAY 31, 2010, THE ISLANDER
John W. Whitehead ^ I J J 77 I C T A I 1 Z7 O
Guest Editorial 1 JTL JO 1 J JLfVl\ JLJ JO XV E D IT 0 R IA L
The Census Takers
A Government against
the People
By John W. Whiteheod
"The single most exciting thing you
encounter in government is compe
tence, because it's so rare."
— Senator Daniel P. Moynihan
In Virginia, a male Census Bureau
worker, in clear violation of the
Fourth Amendment guarantee against
unreasonable searches and seizures,
reportedly forced his way into a home
after being informed by a 19-year-old
boy that his mother was asleep and
unavailable to answer his questions at
that time.
Having gained entry to the house,
the Census Bureau worker then began
to vigorously question the boy, who is
half Chinese, about his ethnic heri
tage, remarking that the son looked
Hispanic or Latino. The worker repeat
edly asked whether any persons of
Hispanic, Latino or Mexican descent
lived in the house.
Despite being informed that only
two persons lived in the house, neither
of whom were Hispanic or Latino, the
Census Bureau worker continued to
question the young man concerning
the presence of any Hispanic or Latino
persons in the house. This included
inquiries as to the presence of any
Latino, Hispanic or Mexican babies in
the house over the age of one.
This incident is just the "tip of the
iceberg." Published and privately
reported accounts of similar encoun
ters between American citizens and
government enumerators suggest that
some Census workers are adopting
an aggressive and harassing modus
operandi in an attempt to obtain infor
mation that goes beyond the head
count authorized by the Constitution.
For example, a New Jersey resident
recently sounded off on Twitter after a
Census worker actually rifled through
his mail to determine the number of
individuals living at his home.
Unfortunately, with more than
600,000 temporary Census workers
presently stalking the country, the
potential for abuse and impersonation
is high—and being acted on. For exam
ple, a census worker in Indiana was
recently brought up on burglary and
rape charges after breaking into a
home he had earlier canvassed and
attacking two women, one of whom
is handicapped, while they slept. In
Houston, one man was killed and his
family members beaten after some
one pretending to be a Census worker
gained entry to his home.
In Atlanta, a Census worker was
arrested on drug charges after a search
of the worker's vehicle turned up 151
unmarked pills, marijuana, and devic
es used in the sale and distribution of
drugs. In Pittsburgh, a woman reported
her wallet missing from her bag after a
Census worker entered her home to
obtain answers for the survey. The
wallet later turned up in the census
worker's car. In Fairbanks, Alaska, the
Census Bureau hired a man who had
been convicted of burglary and second-
degree theft. Having changed his name
since his prior convictions, the man
was able to get past the background
check (the fingerprint results didn't
come in until after he was hired). After
being hired, the man reportedly killed
his mother.
You might be tempted to think this
was a joke, but the punch line is no
laughing matter—it's the American
people who are being played for fools.
No wonder 80% of Americans don't
trust their government. How could you
trust a government that would foist
such incompetent and, in some cases,
dangerous emissaries on an unsuspect
ing populace?
Clearly, not all Census Bureau
workers are rapists, thieves and thugs.
However, incidents such as these not
only contribute to a heightened dis
trust of Census workers but also ren
der the Census process and its results
suspect and reinforce the impression
that our government doesn't care about
our safety or our rights.
What conclusions should we draw
from all of this?
First, given the wealth of resources
at the government's disposal, there is
no excuse for the Census Bureau's pal
try and ineffective background checks.
Although applicants are subjected
to name-based criminal background
checks, the Bureau doesn't actually
run a fingerprint check until after the
person is hired. What this means is
that individuals whose names aren't
in the FBI database but who have
criminal records are being hired and
sent out into the field. The Govern
mental Accountability Office estimates
that about 35,000, or one fifth of the
total number of hired Census Bureau
workers were hired without a proper
fingerprint check because the finger
prints supplied could not be processed.
Additionally, 1,800 temporary workers
had their fingerprint checks come back
with a criminal record after they had
already been hired. In light of this, I
would advise anyone who has a Cen
sus worker come to their home to be
extremely cautious when answering
the door. Don't answer any questions
until you have been shown adequate
identification and don't let the person
into your home. If a Census work-
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