DON'T BELIEVE THE CENSUS

As soon as I learned that the White House crew were running the 2010 census, I knew the reports would be falsified for loony liberal purposes, but I believe even the collection of the data is flawed.

A rural friend wrote me that on 19 April he noticed a piece of ppaer stuck in a bush about 30 yards from his house. It turned out to be his census form, due 1 April - an appropriate date for B.O. & Co. - which had apparently been stuck on the outside of the house and blown away by wind! Though a little the worse for rain, it had dried and was legible, so they completed it and returned it in the envelope provided to an address in another state. My friend, however, could not resist writing that he wondered if the census forms this year had been dropped from helicopters or airplanes.

Some weeks later his wife received a call from a local census person, complaining that their form had never been received and wanting to come to the house to question them. She said she didn't see why, in light of their having returned the form, why that was necessary. By this time the census folks had no idea where the form had gone - a consequence of the post office's having been involved? - so the wife answered a couple of questions over the phone. One of these was whether the family were Hispanic, highly vital, these days, we know, which the wife refused to answer, though the surname should have provided the negative answer.

Who knows how or as what this family will be counted, but whatever B.O. and C. decided about the population, I'll wait for 2020 and hope for an objective, responsible proceeding. By the way the family were disappointed over the possibility that no one had read their snide remark.

Y.C.

P.S. Did you know that on INdian reservatiuons, census takers are required to be INdians? Otherwise, they never respond.