The Column

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The Census Bureau comes a-calling, part 1

I'm at home, working, when there's a knock on my door. I answer it. It's a guy with the Census Bureau.

No, I'm not in trouble. Yet. (Though I might be, as soon as they see my answers.) It was just what you'd call a friendly call.

Nice gentleman. He handed me a flyer. "Hoy, NOSOTROS Contamos!"

Oh, let's check the other side.

"Today, WE Count!" it reads, along with the standard-issue pleas: "Fill it Out. Mail it Back."

Very nicely, I told the gentleman I had already mailed mine back, though I didn't say how many filled-out Census forms I sent. As I mentioned, I got more than one because the Census Bureau wanted to make sure everyone had a form.

The gentleman says they've only had about 60 percent participation on the Census. I asked him whether that was nationwide or just for the area, and he said those numbers are for North Charleston.

OK. The Census Bureau paid this guy to go door to door, handing out flyers, making friendly calls. We already knew the Bureau was marketing this thing like crazy, even down to the Super Bowl ads. See that? We taxpayers paid for Super Bowl time! Now, it's (as it says on the bottom of the flyer, English side) NATIONAL MARCH TO THE MAILBOX CAMPAIGN, 2010.

Are we having fun with this Census thing yet?

I am.

And if you have extra forms, send them over to me and I'll have more fun.

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