From the Vickburg Post:
Canvassers employed by the U.S. Census Bureau will be seen working in Vicksburg and Warren County neighborhoods through July, according to agency timelines.
Teams of individuals with laptop computers or small, handheld devices much like PDAs are updating databases showing total housing units and living quarters as part of the initial phase of the national census, to be followed up with the mass mailing of forms to residences by mid-March 2010.
Population estimates completed by the agency for 2008 show Warren County with 48,087 residents. It stood at 49,644 following the 2000 Census, which was up nearly 2,000 from 1990. Slight drops have been recorded in estimates since then, done through statistical sampling. Locally, this year’s county total is down by nearly 800 from 2007.
Inside Vicksburg, the count was 26,407 in 2000, up nearly 5,500 from 1990. The 2007 estimate had the municipal population at 25,454. Municipal estimates for 2008 in Mississippi are incomplete.
Training for a Complete Count Committee of about 20 local individuals should wrap up this week. Along with some faith-based organizations, the committee will act as liaisons to the community so people can identify the canvassers and return their forms when they receive them.
“Some have actually called the police on them,” said Census Bureau Partnership Specialist Kelvin Rankin. “They are verifying if a residence actually exists where they are working.” Census workers carry identification.
Both local governing bodies have pledged to work through the Vicksburg Warren County Chamber of Commerce
Non-statistical information gathered in the Census is protected from disclosure. It is against federal law for Census Bureau employees to disclose or publish any private information, nor can any authority obtain personal identifiable data from the agency, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Violation of disclosure laws by Census employees can result in five-year federal prison sentences, fines up to $250,000, or both.
Census Bureau representatives working in Mississippi declined to specify how many canvassers are deployed in individual counties. More than 15,000 will be employed in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, according to a bureau release.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Census projections
From the Stateline.org story - projections on gaining/losing a Congressional seat for certain states:
States launch Census outreach efforts
Stateline.org reports on Census outreach efforts across the nation. Check it out:
With the 2010 Census a year away, some states already are bracing for the nationwide head count that will decide their share of U.S. House seats and billions of federal dollars. The new population numbers also will be used to redraw state legislative districts.
Determined to get every resident counted, states are launching Web sites and committees to spread the word to residents, including hard-to-count groups. Illegal immigrants, afraid to fill out their surveys for fear of deportation, and transient families, displaced by home foreclosures, present new challenges to outreach efforts.
Population projections estimate that next year’s count will shift some House seats from states in the Northeast and Midwest to states in the South and West, according to a recent study by Election Data Services, a political consulting firm based in Virginia. The total number of representatives, 435, will not change.
The Census results also will determine states’ share of federal funds.
“There are a lot of (federal) programs, which are based on census data formulas, and the better count that we can get means we’ll have more federal dollars coming back to us,” said Ditas Katague, who is directing California’s Census efforts for 2010.
Mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the Census determines the country's population every 10 years. Starting next April 1, the federal government will collect demographic information on the more than 300 million U.S. residents. Households that do not answer Census surveys are visited by federal workers.
Nine states —Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Utah — stand to gain U.S. representatives in the upcoming Census. Texas could gain the most: four additional seats. The state’s rapid population growth can be attributed to low death rates and a relatively young population with high birth rates, the result of a burgeoning Hispanic population, said Texas state demographer Karl Eschbach. Immigration from other states and foreign countries has contributed to its growth as well, he said.
With the 2010 Census a year away, some states already are bracing for the nationwide head count that will decide their share of U.S. House seats and billions of federal dollars. The new population numbers also will be used to redraw state legislative districts.
Determined to get every resident counted, states are launching Web sites and committees to spread the word to residents, including hard-to-count groups. Illegal immigrants, afraid to fill out their surveys for fear of deportation, and transient families, displaced by home foreclosures, present new challenges to outreach efforts.
Population projections estimate that next year’s count will shift some House seats from states in the Northeast and Midwest to states in the South and West, according to a recent study by Election Data Services, a political consulting firm based in Virginia. The total number of representatives, 435, will not change.
The Census results also will determine states’ share of federal funds.
“There are a lot of (federal) programs, which are based on census data formulas, and the better count that we can get means we’ll have more federal dollars coming back to us,” said Ditas Katague, who is directing California’s Census efforts for 2010.
Mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the Census determines the country's population every 10 years. Starting next April 1, the federal government will collect demographic information on the more than 300 million U.S. residents. Households that do not answer Census surveys are visited by federal workers.
Nine states —Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Utah — stand to gain U.S. representatives in the upcoming Census. Texas could gain the most: four additional seats. The state’s rapid population growth can be attributed to low death rates and a relatively young population with high birth rates, the result of a burgeoning Hispanic population, said Texas state demographer Karl Eschbach. Immigration from other states and foreign countries has contributed to its growth as well, he said.
Monday, April 20, 2009
2010 Census stirs debate in Washington
National Public Radio reports on the 2010 Census...
More than 100,000 people started work for one organization this month: the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2010 census doesn't start until next year, but it's already generating strong debate in Washington. The results will affect many things, including congressional district borders.
Newt Gingrich talks to Jacki Lyden about what the census means for the Republican Party. Then, Robert Shapiro, who oversaw the 2000 census, explains his belief that the 2010 census will be Bush's, and that Obama can't make substantial changes fast enough to do the kind of count that would shake things up.
More than 100,000 people started work for one organization this month: the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2010 census doesn't start until next year, but it's already generating strong debate in Washington. The results will affect many things, including congressional district borders.
Newt Gingrich talks to Jacki Lyden about what the census means for the Republican Party. Then, Robert Shapiro, who oversaw the 2000 census, explains his belief that the 2010 census will be Bush's, and that Obama can't make substantial changes fast enough to do the kind of count that would shake things up.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Letter to Congress
Robert Groves will face a confirmation hearing in early May, according to media reports. Here's a copy of a letter sent urging Congress to confirm his appointment. The letter is signed by six former Census directors.
Behind the scenes - a profile of Commerce Secretary Locke
From the NY Times...an interesting read. Enjoy.
Family Secrets
The new Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke of Seattle, is a former Eagle Scout, prosecutor, and popular two-term governor whose idea of a good time is to crawl under the kitchen sink with plumber’s tape and a gob of grease. Just one week into the new job, he flew home to mow his lawn.
After reading the background file that the F.B.I. put together on Locke, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison characterized the latest member of President Obama’s cabinet with one word — “boring.”
But Gary Locke does have a family secret that is anything but eye-glazing.
Yes, he is widely known as the nation’s first Chinese-American governor, with a stirring family saga, as President Obama said in introducing Locke.
“Sometimes the American story can be told in the span of a single mile,” Obama said, referring to the distance between the place where Gary’s immigrant grandfather worked as a house servant nearly a hundred years ago and the Capitol where Locke was sworn in as Washington state governor in 1997.
Yet there would be no Lockes in America, no great story of the kid raised in public housing who went on to Yale and high office, no presidential kudos, if that same grandfather had not lied to get into the country.
Family Secrets
The new Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke of Seattle, is a former Eagle Scout, prosecutor, and popular two-term governor whose idea of a good time is to crawl under the kitchen sink with plumber’s tape and a gob of grease. Just one week into the new job, he flew home to mow his lawn.
After reading the background file that the F.B.I. put together on Locke, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison characterized the latest member of President Obama’s cabinet with one word — “boring.”
But Gary Locke does have a family secret that is anything but eye-glazing.
Yes, he is widely known as the nation’s first Chinese-American governor, with a stirring family saga, as President Obama said in introducing Locke.
“Sometimes the American story can be told in the span of a single mile,” Obama said, referring to the distance between the place where Gary’s immigrant grandfather worked as a house servant nearly a hundred years ago and the Capitol where Locke was sworn in as Washington state governor in 1997.
Yet there would be no Lockes in America, no great story of the kid raised in public housing who went on to Yale and high office, no presidential kudos, if that same grandfather had not lied to get into the country.
Census workers in Southwest MS
Census workers prepare for 2010 Census, reports the Brookhaven Daily Leader.
The decennial census won't be taken for another year, but census workers are now knocking on doors in the area conducting a preparatory survey.
Workers are updating the census bureau's residential address list to provide an accurate database to ensure each home receives an official census questionnaire in April 2010.
"We want to make sure we count everyone once and in the correct place," said Jeff Behler, U.S. Census Bureau deputy regional director for the Dallas Region, which includes Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
More than 1,300 listers will be canvassing the state during a 10-week operation that began last week, Behler said. The goal is to confirm existing addresses, enter new addresses and delete the addresses of homes than no longer exist.
"We don't target specific counties at a time," he said. "We hit all areas at once."
Behler said the workers would be visiting homes during daylight hours and homeowners may know the person.
"We try to hire locally because they know their area better than anyone else," he said.
Canvassers will provide a "courtesy knock" when they arrive at a residence and may ask a few questions if someone is home, Behler said. However, they will only verify the address and ask about any additional living quarters, such as an apartment over the garage, on the property that may not be visible to the eye.
"We need to make this as accurate as possible," he said. "We only get this opportunity to update the address list every 10 years."
To help with accuracy, census workers will be using hand-held computers equipped with global positioning system mapping software for the first time. The 2000 census was conducted completely on paper.
Census accuracy is important, Behler said, because the information gathered is used to redraw districts in the U.S. Congress and in the distribution of federal funding to state and local governments. The 2010 census is expected to shift several congressional seats across the nation.
Census workers can be identified by an official bureau badge and will display identification cards in the windshields of their vehicles.
Any questions regarding the census or to report inappropriate behavior by workers can be made by calling the bureau at 1-800-563-6499.
The decennial census won't be taken for another year, but census workers are now knocking on doors in the area conducting a preparatory survey.
Workers are updating the census bureau's residential address list to provide an accurate database to ensure each home receives an official census questionnaire in April 2010.
"We want to make sure we count everyone once and in the correct place," said Jeff Behler, U.S. Census Bureau deputy regional director for the Dallas Region, which includes Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
More than 1,300 listers will be canvassing the state during a 10-week operation that began last week, Behler said. The goal is to confirm existing addresses, enter new addresses and delete the addresses of homes than no longer exist.
"We don't target specific counties at a time," he said. "We hit all areas at once."
Behler said the workers would be visiting homes during daylight hours and homeowners may know the person.
"We try to hire locally because they know their area better than anyone else," he said.
Canvassers will provide a "courtesy knock" when they arrive at a residence and may ask a few questions if someone is home, Behler said. However, they will only verify the address and ask about any additional living quarters, such as an apartment over the garage, on the property that may not be visible to the eye.
"We need to make this as accurate as possible," he said. "We only get this opportunity to update the address list every 10 years."
To help with accuracy, census workers will be using hand-held computers equipped with global positioning system mapping software for the first time. The 2000 census was conducted completely on paper.
Census accuracy is important, Behler said, because the information gathered is used to redraw districts in the U.S. Congress and in the distribution of federal funding to state and local governments. The 2010 census is expected to shift several congressional seats across the nation.
Census workers can be identified by an official bureau badge and will display identification cards in the windshields of their vehicles.
Any questions regarding the census or to report inappropriate behavior by workers can be made by calling the bureau at 1-800-563-6499.
Monday, April 13, 2009
RNC points to ACORN, 2010 Census to fundraise
So, more on Census politics:
(CNN) - New Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele is ripping a page from the GOP's 2008 playbook.
In a fundraising e-mail sent to supporters Thursday, Steele looks to link community organizing group ACORN with the 2010 census which the new administration will conduct.
"It seems the Obama Administration has plans to rig the Census results," Steele says in the message.
"President Obama's old friends from ACORN . . . has [sic] been chosen by the Administration as a 'partner' with the Census Bureau to determine population counts in cities around the country."
"ACORN's community organizers are eager to once again take action to aid their old friend in the White House," says Steele. "You can be sure they'll be manipulating population numbers."
In a statement to CNN, Bertha Lewis, ACORN's chief organizer, denies Steele's assertions.
"I am disappointed in Mr. Steele's repetition of lies and distortions about our work for crass fundraising purposes," Lewis says. "ACORN is not getting billions from the federal government. We are not in charge of the Census. Just like the accusations of 'voter fraud,' - charges that were debunked repeatedly - these are imaginary and false. The truth is that ACORN is deeply engaged in ending the foreclosure crisis."
During the 2008 White House race, the GOP repeatedly suggested that ACORN and its employees were involved in voter registration fraud that might benefit Barack Obama, then the Democrat nominee for president. The accusation was subsequently leveled at ACORN by the McCain-Palin campaign, which also suggested ties between Obama, his campaign, and the community organizing group.
Both ACORN and the Obama campaign denied engaging in voter registration fraud.
The 2010 census is shaping up to be a partisan battleground between Obama's administration and Republicans. In part over differences about how the next national head count should be conducted, New Hampshire GOP Sen. Judd Gregg withdrew his name from further consideration to be Obama's Commerce Secretary.
Some congressional Republicans also recently criticized University of Michigan Prof. Robert M. Groves, Obama's pick for census director. Groves worked for the Census Bureau during the last census in 1990, and recommended at that time that the head count be statistically adjusted to compensate for a possible undercount of millions of Americans.
(CNN) - New Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele is ripping a page from the GOP's 2008 playbook.
In a fundraising e-mail sent to supporters Thursday, Steele looks to link community organizing group ACORN with the 2010 census which the new administration will conduct.
"It seems the Obama Administration has plans to rig the Census results," Steele says in the message.
"President Obama's old friends from ACORN . . . has [sic] been chosen by the Administration as a 'partner' with the Census Bureau to determine population counts in cities around the country."
"ACORN's community organizers are eager to once again take action to aid their old friend in the White House," says Steele. "You can be sure they'll be manipulating population numbers."
In a statement to CNN, Bertha Lewis, ACORN's chief organizer, denies Steele's assertions.
"I am disappointed in Mr. Steele's repetition of lies and distortions about our work for crass fundraising purposes," Lewis says. "ACORN is not getting billions from the federal government. We are not in charge of the Census. Just like the accusations of 'voter fraud,' - charges that were debunked repeatedly - these are imaginary and false. The truth is that ACORN is deeply engaged in ending the foreclosure crisis."
During the 2008 White House race, the GOP repeatedly suggested that ACORN and its employees were involved in voter registration fraud that might benefit Barack Obama, then the Democrat nominee for president. The accusation was subsequently leveled at ACORN by the McCain-Palin campaign, which also suggested ties between Obama, his campaign, and the community organizing group.
Both ACORN and the Obama campaign denied engaging in voter registration fraud.
The 2010 census is shaping up to be a partisan battleground between Obama's administration and Republicans. In part over differences about how the next national head count should be conducted, New Hampshire GOP Sen. Judd Gregg withdrew his name from further consideration to be Obama's Commerce Secretary.
Some congressional Republicans also recently criticized University of Michigan Prof. Robert M. Groves, Obama's pick for census director. Groves worked for the Census Bureau during the last census in 1990, and recommended at that time that the head count be statistically adjusted to compensate for a possible undercount of millions of Americans.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Census releases "recovery plan"
Census Bureau Submits to Congress Proposed Recovery Plan to Help Create Jobs and Conduct a Successful 2010 Census
The U.S. Census Bureau today submitted to Congress its proposed recovery
plan to create jobs, strengthen the economy and conduct a successful 2010
Census. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Census Bureau
was provided $1 billion.
“The Census Bureau’s proposed investments will improve our ability to
conduct an accurate census and will create thousands of good-paying jobs,”
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “A successful census is critical
for ensuring that communities have proper representation and the resources
needed for health care, law enforcement and education.”
Under the proposal, the Census Bureau will invest $250 million in
partnership and outreach efforts to minority communities and hard-to-reach
populations. This effort is intended to promote participation in the
census, which will improve accuracy and facilitate enumeration operations
in 2010.
The remaining $750 million will be committed to support early 2010
Census operations that will reduce operational and programmatic risks at a
critical stage of the census process.
More than $300 billion in federal funds are distributed every year based
on census results. This funding supports vital local services like health
care, schools, law enforcement, transportation and social services.
Some Census Recovery Plan highlights:
-- Coverage Follow-Up Enhancement ($30 million):
The Coverage Follow-Up program provides telephone interviewers to
contact households that may have erred on the census form by indicating the
wrong number of people living in their household. The recovery act
investment will allow for the hiring of additional temporary telephone
interviewers who will work from commercial call centers. The Recovery Act
funding will complement Coverage Follow-Up funding that will be included in
the President’s
2010 Budget.
-- Partnership Program Enhancement ($120 million):
Enhancing the 2010 partnership program will increase partnerships in
hard-to-count communities and expand efforts to reduce historical
undercounts of communities least likely to be counted. The partnership
program relies on trusted local voices to raise awareness of and trust in
the census process. These funds will finance the hiring of additional
partnership staff. The regional staff will be hired by July 2009 and
conclude their work during the summer of 2010.
-- Public Outreach ($100 million):
Public outreach will help to raise awareness of and educate residents
about the 2010 Census and the importance of their response. A major focus
of the increased outreach will be in areas that have historically lower
than average initial response rates. This funding will support local and
national outreach initiatives and also will support various partnerships
and the Census in Schools program.
-- Group Quarters Operations ($138 million):
The Group Quarters (GQ) operation supports efforts to access and count
residents in dormitories, prisons, nursing homes and other group living
situations. These operations include an early validation of the bureau’s
list of group quarters, an advance visit to prepare GQ facilities for
census day and finally enumeration of all group quarters.
-- Update Leave ($116 million):
The Update Leave (U/L) operation delivers census questionnaires to
addresses where the location of the housing unit or the delivery point for
receiving mail does not ensure that the mail gets to the correct unit
(e.g., mailbox banks are broken or mail is left at a central location).
During the operation, enumerators canvass the blocks in their assignment
areas, update the address list and Census maps, determine if the housing
unit is a duplicate or does not exist and needs to be deleted, and delivers
addressed census questionnaires to each unit. All housing units in U/L
areas for which census does not receive a completed questionnaire by mail
must be visited during Non-Response Follow-Up (NRFU).
-- Update/Enumerate ($108 million):
The Update/Enumerate (U/E) operation is a method of data collection
conducted in communities where many housing units may not have house number
and street name mailing addresses. This method will be used on American
Indian reservations, colonias (usually rural Spanish-speaking communities)
and resort areas with high concentrations of seasonally vacant living
quarters. The U/E enumerators canvass assignment areas to update
residential addresses, including adding living quarters that were not
included on the address listing pages, update Census Bureau maps and
complete a questionnaire for each housing unit during the same visit.
-- Local Census Office Staffing Operation ($388 million):
The Local Census Office (LCO) Staffing Operation supports the major 2010
Census field operations. The LCO Staffing Operation recruits, hires and
releases office and field staff; performs supervisory and non-supervisory
functions for office activities and field operations; distributes training
and procedural manuals for office staff; and trains employees and office
staff for the field operations performed at the LCO. The LCO also manages
and troubleshoots field and office automation systems and problems and
incorporates Quality Assurance into all its activities.
For more information about the Census Bureau ARRA Proposed Recovery
Plan, visit:
The U.S. Census Bureau today submitted to Congress its proposed recovery
plan to create jobs, strengthen the economy and conduct a successful 2010
Census. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Census Bureau
was provided $1 billion.
“The Census Bureau’s proposed investments will improve our ability to
conduct an accurate census and will create thousands of good-paying jobs,”
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “A successful census is critical
for ensuring that communities have proper representation and the resources
needed for health care, law enforcement and education.”
Under the proposal, the Census Bureau will invest $250 million in
partnership and outreach efforts to minority communities and hard-to-reach
populations. This effort is intended to promote participation in the
census, which will improve accuracy and facilitate enumeration operations
in 2010.
The remaining $750 million will be committed to support early 2010
Census operations that will reduce operational and programmatic risks at a
critical stage of the census process.
More than $300 billion in federal funds are distributed every year based
on census results. This funding supports vital local services like health
care, schools, law enforcement, transportation and social services.
Some Census Recovery Plan highlights:
-- Coverage Follow-Up Enhancement ($30 million):
The Coverage Follow-Up program provides telephone interviewers to
contact households that may have erred on the census form by indicating the
wrong number of people living in their household. The recovery act
investment will allow for the hiring of additional temporary telephone
interviewers who will work from commercial call centers. The Recovery Act
funding will complement Coverage Follow-Up funding that will be included in
the President’s
2010 Budget.
-- Partnership Program Enhancement ($120 million):
Enhancing the 2010 partnership program will increase partnerships in
hard-to-count communities and expand efforts to reduce historical
undercounts of communities least likely to be counted. The partnership
program relies on trusted local voices to raise awareness of and trust in
the census process. These funds will finance the hiring of additional
partnership staff. The regional staff will be hired by July 2009 and
conclude their work during the summer of 2010.
-- Public Outreach ($100 million):
Public outreach will help to raise awareness of and educate residents
about the 2010 Census and the importance of their response. A major focus
of the increased outreach will be in areas that have historically lower
than average initial response rates. This funding will support local and
national outreach initiatives and also will support various partnerships
and the Census in Schools program.
-- Group Quarters Operations ($138 million):
The Group Quarters (GQ) operation supports efforts to access and count
residents in dormitories, prisons, nursing homes and other group living
situations. These operations include an early validation of the bureau’s
list of group quarters, an advance visit to prepare GQ facilities for
census day and finally enumeration of all group quarters.
-- Update Leave ($116 million):
The Update Leave (U/L) operation delivers census questionnaires to
addresses where the location of the housing unit or the delivery point for
receiving mail does not ensure that the mail gets to the correct unit
(e.g., mailbox banks are broken or mail is left at a central location).
During the operation, enumerators canvass the blocks in their assignment
areas, update the address list and Census maps, determine if the housing
unit is a duplicate or does not exist and needs to be deleted, and delivers
addressed census questionnaires to each unit. All housing units in U/L
areas for which census does not receive a completed questionnaire by mail
must be visited during Non-Response Follow-Up (NRFU).
-- Update/Enumerate ($108 million):
The Update/Enumerate (U/E) operation is a method of data collection
conducted in communities where many housing units may not have house number
and street name mailing addresses. This method will be used on American
Indian reservations, colonias (usually rural Spanish-speaking communities)
and resort areas with high concentrations of seasonally vacant living
quarters. The U/E enumerators canvass assignment areas to update
residential addresses, including adding living quarters that were not
included on the address listing pages, update Census Bureau maps and
complete a questionnaire for each housing unit during the same visit.
-- Local Census Office Staffing Operation ($388 million):
The Local Census Office (LCO) Staffing Operation supports the major 2010
Census field operations. The LCO Staffing Operation recruits, hires and
releases office and field staff; performs supervisory and non-supervisory
functions for office activities and field operations; distributes training
and procedural manuals for office staff; and trains employees and office
staff for the field operations performed at the LCO. The LCO also manages
and troubleshoots field and office automation systems and problems and
incorporates Quality Assurance into all its activities.
For more information about the Census Bureau ARRA Proposed Recovery
Plan, visit:
Monday, April 6, 2009
Will Groves pick force Locke to contradict his testimony to Senate regarding statistical sampling?
...or, so asks Human Events.
White House continues effort to control Census
Having failed to move the operation of the 2010 census into the White House, President Obama late last week nominated as director of the U.S. Census Bureau the Michigan sociology professor Robert Groves, a fervent advocate of statistical sampling. That technique, which uses samples instead of actual counting, is easily manipulated and often results in the over-counting of traditional Democratic constituencies, especially minorities.
The data from the Decennial Census taking place in April of 2010 will be used to apportion seats in the House of Representatives and to disburse billions in federal dollars. Republicans are very concerned that the White House efforts to politicize the census will result in a corrupted count aimed to benefit Democrats. With Groves' appointment, their apprehension should grow.
Groves served at the Census Bureau from 1990 to 1992 as an associate director of statistical design, where he strongly advocated adjusting population numbers in urban areas to augment the number of people in these typically Democrat strongholds. The United States Supreme Court ruled this process unconstitutional in 1999.
Earlier this year, hyperpartisan White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel moved oversight of the 2010 Census from the Commerce Department to the White House. In 2006, then Rep. Emanuel revealed to USA Today the motivation behind the shift, “If you think redistricting is always partisan and political which it is… it’s going to be on steroids this time.” As outrageous as that maneuver was at the time, the president has now reinforced politicization of the process with his nomination to run the Census Bureau the man whose name is synonymous with exploitation of the census to reach political outcomes.
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) sits on the Senate subcommittee responsible for census oversight. “A sampling process would open the census to the worst kind of political manipulation,” Coburn (R-Okla.) said. “The Constitution clearly requires a count of every person, not a best guess that could be influenced by political rather than empirical considerations.”
On Friday, House Republican leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) expressed concern about the Groves nomination. “Conducting the census is a vital Constitutional obligation,” Boehner said. “Its findings help determine how hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars are spent, as well as how the American people are represented in Congress. It should be as solid, reliable, and accurate as possible in every respect. That is why I’m concerned about the White House decision to select Robert Groves as director of the Census Bureau. … We will have to watch closely to ensure the 2010 census is conducted without attempting similar statistical sleight of hand.”
Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) serves as the ranking Republican on the House subcommittee charged with census oversight. “The fight to protect the accuracy and independence of the 2010 Census has just begun,” McHenry said. “With the nomination of Robert Groves, President Obama has made clear that he intends to employ the political manipulation of census data for partisan gain. Mr. Groves is a leading advocate for partisan data manipulation. In fact, his efforts to tamper with census results in 1990 are well-documented and were rightly rejected.
“This represents a reversal of recent White House assurances that it would not exercise political influence over the census. This move will force Commerce Secretary Locke to contradict his sworn testimony during his confirmation hearing. Secretary Locke made clear that the political manipulation of census results, or ‘statistical adjustment,’ would not be used in the 2010 Census. This alone should be enough for the U.S. Senate to prevent the confirmation of Mr. Groves.
“The partisan adjustment of census data produces a false count that does not address the undercount,” McHenry continued. “Furthermore, it is both unconstitutional and prohibited by federal law. The census is far too important to become a tool to wield political power. In order to uphold the law and protect the credibility of our country’s entire statistical system, we will take any and all action necessary to preserve the 219-year tradition of an accurate and independent census.”
White House continues effort to control Census
Having failed to move the operation of the 2010 census into the White House, President Obama late last week nominated as director of the U.S. Census Bureau the Michigan sociology professor Robert Groves, a fervent advocate of statistical sampling. That technique, which uses samples instead of actual counting, is easily manipulated and often results in the over-counting of traditional Democratic constituencies, especially minorities.
The data from the Decennial Census taking place in April of 2010 will be used to apportion seats in the House of Representatives and to disburse billions in federal dollars. Republicans are very concerned that the White House efforts to politicize the census will result in a corrupted count aimed to benefit Democrats. With Groves' appointment, their apprehension should grow.
Groves served at the Census Bureau from 1990 to 1992 as an associate director of statistical design, where he strongly advocated adjusting population numbers in urban areas to augment the number of people in these typically Democrat strongholds. The United States Supreme Court ruled this process unconstitutional in 1999.
Earlier this year, hyperpartisan White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel moved oversight of the 2010 Census from the Commerce Department to the White House. In 2006, then Rep. Emanuel revealed to USA Today the motivation behind the shift, “If you think redistricting is always partisan and political which it is… it’s going to be on steroids this time.” As outrageous as that maneuver was at the time, the president has now reinforced politicization of the process with his nomination to run the Census Bureau the man whose name is synonymous with exploitation of the census to reach political outcomes.
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) sits on the Senate subcommittee responsible for census oversight. “A sampling process would open the census to the worst kind of political manipulation,” Coburn (R-Okla.) said. “The Constitution clearly requires a count of every person, not a best guess that could be influenced by political rather than empirical considerations.”
On Friday, House Republican leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) expressed concern about the Groves nomination. “Conducting the census is a vital Constitutional obligation,” Boehner said. “Its findings help determine how hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars are spent, as well as how the American people are represented in Congress. It should be as solid, reliable, and accurate as possible in every respect. That is why I’m concerned about the White House decision to select Robert Groves as director of the Census Bureau. … We will have to watch closely to ensure the 2010 census is conducted without attempting similar statistical sleight of hand.”
Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) serves as the ranking Republican on the House subcommittee charged with census oversight. “The fight to protect the accuracy and independence of the 2010 Census has just begun,” McHenry said. “With the nomination of Robert Groves, President Obama has made clear that he intends to employ the political manipulation of census data for partisan gain. Mr. Groves is a leading advocate for partisan data manipulation. In fact, his efforts to tamper with census results in 1990 are well-documented and were rightly rejected.
“This represents a reversal of recent White House assurances that it would not exercise political influence over the census. This move will force Commerce Secretary Locke to contradict his sworn testimony during his confirmation hearing. Secretary Locke made clear that the political manipulation of census results, or ‘statistical adjustment,’ would not be used in the 2010 Census. This alone should be enough for the U.S. Senate to prevent the confirmation of Mr. Groves.
“The partisan adjustment of census data produces a false count that does not address the undercount,” McHenry continued. “Furthermore, it is both unconstitutional and prohibited by federal law. The census is far too important to become a tool to wield political power. In order to uphold the law and protect the credibility of our country’s entire statistical system, we will take any and all action necessary to preserve the 219-year tradition of an accurate and independent census.”
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Breaking news: Obama nominates Groves as Census Director
The AP has an informative piece regarding Obama's pick to head the Census Bureau, which oversees the upcoming decennial headcount of America. Obama's choice - Robert Groves - is a professor who advocates the controversial "sampling" method of counting individuals, as opposed to actual enumeration. Read the story below or click here for more information.
Obama to nominate sampling expert to head census
By HOPE YEN –
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has chosen Robert M. Groves to be the next census director, turning to a professor who has clashed with Republicans over the use of statistical sampling to lead the high-stakes head count.
The White House will announce the selection of Groves on Thursday, a Commerce Department official told The Associated Press. The official demanded anonymity because the individual was not authorized to speak before the announcement.
Groves is a former Census Bureau associate director of statistical design, who served from 1990-92. He has spent decades researching ways to improve survey response rates. If confirmed by the Senate, he will take the helm less than a year before the decennial count, which has been beset by partisan bickering and will be used to apportion House seats and allocate billions in federal dollars.
House Republicans quickly expressed dismay over the selection of Groves, saying Obama's choice raised serious questions about his political intentions.
"This is an incredibly troubling selection that contradicts the administration's assurances that the census process would not be used to advance an ulterior political agenda," said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., the top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. "Mr. Groves will have every opportunity to address these concerns during the confirmation process."
When he was the bureau's associate director, Groves recommended that the 1990 census be statistically adjusted to make up for an undercount of roughly 5 million people, many of them minorities in dense urban areas who tend to vote for Democrats.
But in a fierce political dispute that prompted White House staff to call advisers to the bureau and express opposition, the Census Bureau was overruled by Republican Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher, who called the proposed statistical adjustment "political tampering."
The Supreme Court later ruled in 1999 that the use of statistical sampling cannot be used to apportion House seats, but indicated that adjustments could be made to the population count when redrawing congressional boundaries.
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has made clear that sampling will not be used for apportionment. He stated during his confirmation hearing that there are no plans to use sampling for redistricting, while indicating that sampling could be used to measure census accuracy or collect a wider range of demographic data.
Census experts have said it would be difficult at this point to make plans for sampling in the 2010 census for congressional redistricting purposes since it is only a year away. It is more likely that Groves could have an impact on statistical adjustment and other decisions as part of long-term planning for census surveys after 2010.
Groves, 60, a professor at the University of Michigan, would take over at a critical time. Census officials acknowledge that tens of millions of residents in dense urban areas — about 14 percent of the U.S. population — are at high risk of being missed due to language problems and a deepening economic crisis due to the financial meltdown that has displaced homeowners.
The government is devoting up to $250 million of the $1 billion in stimulus money for outreach, particularly for traditionally hard-to-count minorities.
But Hispanics, blacks and other groups are warning that traditional census outreach will not be enough, citing in particular rising anti-immigration sentiment after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, praised Groves as a well-regarded academic, calling the question of statistical adjustment in the 2010 census a "non-issue" because there are no plans for it.
Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., who chairs a House subcommittee on the census, said Groves will be a strong and effective manager for the bureau. "I look forward to working closely with him to reduce the undercount of minorities," said Clay, speaking also on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Republicans have been crying foul after the White House earlier this year indicated that it would take greater control over the census to address minority group concerns about Obama's initial nomination of GOP Sen. Judd Gregg as Commerce secretary.
Gregg later withdrew his nomination, partly citing disagreements over the handling of the census. The White House has since made clear that Locke will make the final decisions regarding the 2010 head count.
Democrats and Republicans for years have disagreed on whether the census should be based on a strict head count or cross-checked against a "statistical adjustment" to include hard-to-track people, particularly minorities, who might have been missed.
Meanwhile, the cost of the 2010 census is estimated to be $15 billion, the most expensive ever, and experts have long said the Census Bureau must do more to reduce a persistent undercount among minorities, as well as to modernize what is basically a paper mail-out operation that has been in place for decades.
Obama to nominate sampling expert to head census
By HOPE YEN –
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has chosen Robert M. Groves to be the next census director, turning to a professor who has clashed with Republicans over the use of statistical sampling to lead the high-stakes head count.
The White House will announce the selection of Groves on Thursday, a Commerce Department official told The Associated Press. The official demanded anonymity because the individual was not authorized to speak before the announcement.
Groves is a former Census Bureau associate director of statistical design, who served from 1990-92. He has spent decades researching ways to improve survey response rates. If confirmed by the Senate, he will take the helm less than a year before the decennial count, which has been beset by partisan bickering and will be used to apportion House seats and allocate billions in federal dollars.
House Republicans quickly expressed dismay over the selection of Groves, saying Obama's choice raised serious questions about his political intentions.
"This is an incredibly troubling selection that contradicts the administration's assurances that the census process would not be used to advance an ulterior political agenda," said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., the top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. "Mr. Groves will have every opportunity to address these concerns during the confirmation process."
When he was the bureau's associate director, Groves recommended that the 1990 census be statistically adjusted to make up for an undercount of roughly 5 million people, many of them minorities in dense urban areas who tend to vote for Democrats.
But in a fierce political dispute that prompted White House staff to call advisers to the bureau and express opposition, the Census Bureau was overruled by Republican Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher, who called the proposed statistical adjustment "political tampering."
The Supreme Court later ruled in 1999 that the use of statistical sampling cannot be used to apportion House seats, but indicated that adjustments could be made to the population count when redrawing congressional boundaries.
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has made clear that sampling will not be used for apportionment. He stated during his confirmation hearing that there are no plans to use sampling for redistricting, while indicating that sampling could be used to measure census accuracy or collect a wider range of demographic data.
Census experts have said it would be difficult at this point to make plans for sampling in the 2010 census for congressional redistricting purposes since it is only a year away. It is more likely that Groves could have an impact on statistical adjustment and other decisions as part of long-term planning for census surveys after 2010.
Groves, 60, a professor at the University of Michigan, would take over at a critical time. Census officials acknowledge that tens of millions of residents in dense urban areas — about 14 percent of the U.S. population — are at high risk of being missed due to language problems and a deepening economic crisis due to the financial meltdown that has displaced homeowners.
The government is devoting up to $250 million of the $1 billion in stimulus money for outreach, particularly for traditionally hard-to-count minorities.
But Hispanics, blacks and other groups are warning that traditional census outreach will not be enough, citing in particular rising anti-immigration sentiment after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, praised Groves as a well-regarded academic, calling the question of statistical adjustment in the 2010 census a "non-issue" because there are no plans for it.
Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., who chairs a House subcommittee on the census, said Groves will be a strong and effective manager for the bureau. "I look forward to working closely with him to reduce the undercount of minorities," said Clay, speaking also on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Republicans have been crying foul after the White House earlier this year indicated that it would take greater control over the census to address minority group concerns about Obama's initial nomination of GOP Sen. Judd Gregg as Commerce secretary.
Gregg later withdrew his nomination, partly citing disagreements over the handling of the census. The White House has since made clear that Locke will make the final decisions regarding the 2010 head count.
Democrats and Republicans for years have disagreed on whether the census should be based on a strict head count or cross-checked against a "statistical adjustment" to include hard-to-track people, particularly minorities, who might have been missed.
Meanwhile, the cost of the 2010 census is estimated to be $15 billion, the most expensive ever, and experts have long said the Census Bureau must do more to reduce a persistent undercount among minorities, as well as to modernize what is basically a paper mail-out operation that has been in place for decades.
Hispanic group: Immigration reform needed before 2010 Census
According to the AP, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Univision Inc., the League of United Latin American Citizens and SEIU called on the Obama administration to follow through on his campaign pledge to reform America's immigration policies.
**Some of you readers might recall that SEIU (Service Employees International Union) was reportedly involved in the Blagojevich Senate-seat selling scandal... Sources claim that an SEIU official served as the "go-between" for the Obama admin and Gov. Blagojevich...read more here.**
From the Census story...
Saying traditional census outreach will not be enough, Hispanic groups on Wednesday urged the Obama administration to follow through now on its pledge to pass immigration reform or risk an undercount of millions of people.
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Univision Inc., the League of United Latin American Citizens and SEIU announced a grassroots campaign that would supplement Census Bureau efforts to reach the traditionally hard to count Hispanic community. An estimated 1 million Hispanics, or about 3 percent of the U.S. population, were missed in 2000.
"Make no mistake about it: The census cannot succeed if Latinos are not fully counted," said Arturo Vargas, executive director of NALEO, noting that Hispanics make up half of the nation's percentage growth. "We are the future of the United States."
He said a halt to immigration raids is not enough and referred to President Barack Obama's pledge on immigration reform.
"That needs to be decided today, not in the 2010 census," Vargas said.
Ruben Keoseyan, publisher of La Raza newspaper, expressed concern about a mixed message where Hispanic groups work to build trust in immigrant communities only to have it destroyed if the government conducts a raid days later. "The federal government plays an important role in augmenting what we are doing," he said.
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, who addressed the groups Wednesday, stressed that all personal information in census forms will be kept confidential. He noted that Obama would soon nominate a new census director.
"We all recognize what is at stake," Locke said.
Census officials have acknowledged that tens of millions of residents in dense urban areas — about 14 percent of the U.S. population — are at high risk of being missed due to language problems and a deepening economic crisis that has displaced homeowners. They are devoting up to $250 million of the $1 billion in stimulus money for outreach, including an additional $13 million for Hispanic advertising.
**Some of you readers might recall that SEIU (Service Employees International Union) was reportedly involved in the Blagojevich Senate-seat selling scandal... Sources claim that an SEIU official served as the "go-between" for the Obama admin and Gov. Blagojevich...read more here.**
From the Census story...
Saying traditional census outreach will not be enough, Hispanic groups on Wednesday urged the Obama administration to follow through now on its pledge to pass immigration reform or risk an undercount of millions of people.
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Univision Inc., the League of United Latin American Citizens and SEIU announced a grassroots campaign that would supplement Census Bureau efforts to reach the traditionally hard to count Hispanic community. An estimated 1 million Hispanics, or about 3 percent of the U.S. population, were missed in 2000.
"Make no mistake about it: The census cannot succeed if Latinos are not fully counted," said Arturo Vargas, executive director of NALEO, noting that Hispanics make up half of the nation's percentage growth. "We are the future of the United States."
He said a halt to immigration raids is not enough and referred to President Barack Obama's pledge on immigration reform.
"That needs to be decided today, not in the 2010 census," Vargas said.
Ruben Keoseyan, publisher of La Raza newspaper, expressed concern about a mixed message where Hispanic groups work to build trust in immigrant communities only to have it destroyed if the government conducts a raid days later. "The federal government plays an important role in augmenting what we are doing," he said.
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, who addressed the groups Wednesday, stressed that all personal information in census forms will be kept confidential. He noted that Obama would soon nominate a new census director.
"We all recognize what is at stake," Locke said.
Census officials have acknowledged that tens of millions of residents in dense urban areas — about 14 percent of the U.S. population — are at high risk of being missed due to language problems and a deepening economic crisis that has displaced homeowners. They are devoting up to $250 million of the $1 billion in stimulus money for outreach, including an additional $13 million for Hispanic advertising.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Commerce Secretary Locke on U.S. Census
In an interview with NPR, newly-confirmed Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke discussed his role as overseer of the 2010 Census:
In his new role, Locke is responsible for roughly 40,000 employees and oversees everything from the U.S. Census to National Weather Service forecasts. One of the reasons Sen. Gregg withdrew his nomination was concern over whether the Commerce Department or the White House would run the census.
The results of the census' population and poverty counts have become politicized over the years. Minority communities say they have been chronically and historically undercounted, which affects their representation in Congress and their eligibility for federal funding for all sorts of federal programs. Republicans say that changes to the current system would result in overcounting.
Locke says he has been repeatedly assured by Obama and other White House officials that the census director would report to him.
"But of course, as in past administrations both Republican and Democrat, there has always been consultation, communication between the Census Bureau and Commerce and the White House — as well as members of Congress," Locke says. "Commerce wants to know how it's coming along — as does the White House."
In his new role, Locke is responsible for roughly 40,000 employees and oversees everything from the U.S. Census to National Weather Service forecasts. One of the reasons Sen. Gregg withdrew his nomination was concern over whether the Commerce Department or the White House would run the census.
The results of the census' population and poverty counts have become politicized over the years. Minority communities say they have been chronically and historically undercounted, which affects their representation in Congress and their eligibility for federal funding for all sorts of federal programs. Republicans say that changes to the current system would result in overcounting.
Locke says he has been repeatedly assured by Obama and other White House officials that the census director would report to him.
"But of course, as in past administrations both Republican and Democrat, there has always been consultation, communication between the Census Bureau and Commerce and the White House — as well as members of Congress," Locke says. "Commerce wants to know how it's coming along — as does the White House."
Census goes a-twitter
Not only is the Mississippi Census on Twitter, so are other states, as it turns out.
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