At 12:38 PM 10/25/00 -0400, David Honig wrote:
Real-To: David Honig <honig@sprynet.com>
At 09:45 AM 10/25/00 -0400, Declan McCullagh wrote:
I didn't answer even that question. I did not return the form.
My result was the same as yours: No visits or inquiries.
That's a shame. If I get fined $100, I can write a column about my experience and sell it for much more.
-Declan
Some folks who didn't send theirs in did get visits by (otherwise unemployable) censusworkers. They went away when told to do so, I'm told.
I'm aware of one person, living in Oakland (CA) who simply ignored the annoying form. I'm told the Census people came to his apartment several times but were unable to even reach his apartment door because the apartment building had been hardened with security features which prevented access by burglars, panhandlers, solicitors, etc., so they were forced to leave notes requesting compliance, which didn't meet with a lot of sympathy. I'm also aware of a similar example in Mountain View, CA - it's pretty hard for them to bother people who use even elementary measures to protect their privacy and security. They can get all the data they need from Social Security, drivers' license, and ID card data. The mandatory Census is a ridiculous waste of time and money. Sure, it's interesting to learn about the demographic makeup of the country, but that's not a project that needs to happen at gunpoint. (Nor should it, if they're hoping for accurate results.) -- Greg Broiles gbroiles@netbox.com