It's an invasion of privacy. . I never have, EVER owned an apartment or resort. Should be interesting to see if they ever follow up again. A: Those who do not answer the ACS risk repeated overturesby mail, by phone and in personfrom Census Bureau employees seeking to compel a response. And, further, we cannot wire tap calls coming into this country from suspected terrorists, but we can create bogus laws to try to make us fill out the ACS which provides more personal information than any wire tap could on american citizens. Get every bit of info on that person I can (don't forget to do a criminal search) and call them and start asking them questions they will find offensive and question them about their personal life from what I find out about them. I googled the name and phone number, found out their spouses name where they lived, etc. That sort of thing. I'm fed up with the ACS and all their nosing in my business. Some hypothesize that the Census Bureau will not take legal action against, or pursue fines for, noncompliance with the ACS because doing so would likely attract much negative media attention. Public servants are just public burdens and every time their benefits cost more I have to pay for them and I don't even have any myself!!! I didnt think so. One concern with the collection of such private information, especially financial information, is that ACS information could be compared to information provided to the Internal Revenue Service on tax returns. You will not be fined. He was asking questions about me and my wife! Then we find out she is our next-door neighbor! Interesting. I won't either. He said, "I'll see what I can do." I shall be contacting my Senator and Congressman to voice my alarm and concern on another gross infringement of my Civil Liberties. Title 13 of the United States Code, however, requires that the Census Bureau keep this information confidential and subjects employees who violate this confidentiality requirement to a fine of up to $250,000 USD, up to 5 years imprisonment, or both. Back in 2003 or so we also received a very long census questionnaire, with information I did not want to publish. Person 33. The information from the Census should suffice for the allotment of federal funds for schools and roads. This is harassment, I am no threat. That resulted in a letter from the director assuring me of privacy, etc. I am young and strong and will not put up with this sort of thing. I, too, have been harassed by the Census Bureau. I also, as many of you, returned my census form (as I should and as the Constitution requires) but this has gone so far over the line that it's ridiculous. I filled out the decennial census. You keep referring to the Constitution's original language and writings but that's been beat back again and again over the course of the years. So many people are in a snit just because the word "enumerator" makes them mad. I was willing to answer the survey at first - thinking it would just be a headcount but then I saw the rest of the questions. Continued refusal may lead to additional visits by a supervisor. So get a clue, and if you are so upright and truthful, use your real name. And no one can say with a high degree of certainty whether the virus was the result of . And to poster 201: the survey is much more intrusive than asking how many people live in your household. But it did. I got no answer. What? First time around it ended with phone calls and then they I was given a $25 gift card at the Home Depot. 2) Explaining that you will answer one personal question for every personal question they answer on camera. We have received phone calls. Do you have a debit card, credit card, a loan, a job, own a house, a car, driver's license? If you read and listen to them carefully they actually say that it's mandatory and you could be fined. [24] https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about/qbyqfact/2016/Race.pdf. And it would not fabricate stories in order to confiscate private information from the people it should be serving. About the American Community Survey 1,1 descussion - homework - Currently, Oscar is a 7-year-old boy with Civil Liberties and Rights - Civil Liberties The constitutional Your name, address and phone number (front cover of the ACS), 2. Nothing illegal about that! EXCLUDE incidents involving juveniles or youthful offenders held in facilities operated by your State juvenile system. In a 13-page order, United States District Judge David G. Estudillo found that the federal government never subjected the plaintiffs, who refused to take the American Community Survey (ACS), to a genuine threat of prosecution. As a result, the judge wrote, the plaintiffs claims are not ripe for review., A key contention between the parties was whether the government communicated to the plaintiffs a specific warning or threat of prosecution over their refusal to fill out the ACS. To anon89810: I am all for taking action against them. The census person came back by a week later. Due to the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, individuals felt uncertain and insecure. I contacted an attorney's office on my questions and objections to see if they were valid and what the legal interpretation was of the constitution and the US code. Reporting instructions: A: The law requiring answers to the ACS also provides that a person who fails to answer shall be fined not more than $100.[32] The actual fine for a refusal to complete the ACS could be much greater because a failure to respond to certain ACS questions could be considered a separate offense subject to the $100 fine. finally he told her he would call the cops if she didn't leave. She stated that her supervisor sent her back out. The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is a national measure of customer satisfaction since 1994, trusted by US government and reflecting annual feedback from . There is absolutely no possibility they can guarantee this information will not be disseminated to others or exposed to malevolent wrongdoers. Is there anything I can do about this? There are two of us living here. Then two weeks later a reminder to fill it out. I don't see what the big deal is. I made the mistake of answering some questions, thinking it was a one time thing. If they are "anonymous" why do they need my name, telephone number and race? Matthew J. Holian, "Data and the American Dream: Contemporary Social Controversies and the American Community Survey" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021) (Podcast Episode) Movies, TV, Celebs, and more. In an age when the government has significant technological resources at its disposal to not only carry out warrantless surveillance on American citizens but also to harvest and mine that data for its own dubious purposes, whether it be crime-mapping or profiling based on race or religion, the potential for abuse is grave. Can I write "refuse" on certain invasive questions on the American She was a little surprised how I knew things about her. You'd better hope that you are aren't one of the unlucky three. If you are thinking about filling this out, don't! "The American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing survey that provides vital information on a yearly basis about our nation and its people. anon82113: umm, I worked for the census too. Don't remember getting the long form but if I did, I would have tossed it unopened since I already did my duty filling out the census and mailing it in. Even the IRS does not ask such personal questions as to how our private lives are lived each day. She stated that they lost it. I have no idea about the ACS (or any of their personal questions). I immediately informed him that on the advice of counsel I was refusing the survey. Many people I know who voted for this man are now regretting it. No way was I going to submit that kind of info. Read more here: Camp Lejeune Lawsuit Claims. [17] https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about/qbyqfact/2016/Disability.pdf. Like its children it seems it wants us to be happy and being so it has empowered us to live our dreams freely, Know you are worth it, see it and feel it and it will be. To all the census takers who have the nerve to put their 2 cents here to tell us how safe it is, why don't you also post your personal information for us? I wish I would have kept the census person's name. When he refused, the employee turned up twice unannounced at my apartment, demanding entry, and warning me of the fines I would face if I didn't cooperate.[35] Only after he filed a complaint with the Census Bureau did the agency realize he had actually completed the survey, thus ending its attempts to enter his home. That's why every selfish person here complains that the government doesn't use resources in the right place; the government waits too long to address problems; the government wastes money. Matthew J. Holian, "Data and the American Dream: Contemporary Social Controversies and the American Community Survey" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021) Awards and Nominations. Featured Respond to the ACS Firm, clear refusal and don't even hint that you have any fear of their authority. I received by first survey in early December and a second one just three weeks later. So why do they need how many rooms are in the house, what I use to heat the house, what amount was my electric bill and so on and so on? They again called a few days ago and I answered. Then, the phone calls started and they won't stop. We need to stick up for our rights. We are given dominion (care) over so much and neglect it, destroy it, and enslave it. I told her I wasn't calling anybody. Before the second visit, I posted a 'no trespassing' sign at the bottom of the stairway leading up to my garage apartment. I received the ACS invasion of privacy letter on my door yesterday. We were hired to call people who did not respond and we left messages on answering machines. Instead, two weeks later, the supervisor came by, apologized and dropped off the new booklet. I clearly refused the first polite guy who called and then more firmly refused the stern woman who called next. Subscribe to our newsletter and learn something new every day. Does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as doctor's visits or shopping? In 1990 I returned the long form and after a couple weeks one of their incompetents showed at my doorstep saying I hadn't returned it. I might have to go outside and see if Big Brother is installing hidden cameras. I have a meeting with my congressional representative this morning to let him know that I am not returning this form, and to hand him personally the form that I was sent. They are just being bullies. Got angry and physical with me (not a lot, just a shove as I tried to take back the Public Servant Questionnaire he wouldn't fill out.). Those of you who are posting "what's the big deal" need to start doing some research on your government and the shady things that go on at the taxpayers' cost. Rights Radio with Dr. Joyce Starr They just closed one of the best schools in the area, and nobody surveyed me to ask if I cared about that! The American Community Survey (ACS) qualifies as a government program whose purpose, while seemingly benign, raises significant constitutional concerns. I just left a "Tea Party" I found out I'm not the only 1 that was asked to fill out two census forms, one asking me if I could go up and down stairs, how long it takes for my husband to go to work, how does he get there,how many rooms is in my house, do I have flush toilets, what kind of health insurance, how much is my house payment, insurance on my house, do I have insurance, etc. They're not authorized to do that. (These facilities will be contacted directly for data on sexual victimization.) They want me to call an 800 number to give them my personal info. Those . No one from the Census has ever e-mailed you - they don't have e-mail and even if they did, they don't have yours. In the current study . They are instilling fear. We do not have to be subjected to this mistreatment, Ladies and Gentlemen!! We are entitled to "Quiet Enjoyment" of our homes. Your results may vary but that was my experience. For these reasons and likely more, the ACS has been said to be unanswered by about 45% of its recipients. Then we started getting the calls. She left. I then hung up. Hello, Legally, yes, you are required to answer the census survey. Anyone else with other info/advice is politely requested to add their two cents. . The study found 86.1 attacks for every 1,000 transgender women and 23.7 attacks for every 1,000 cisgender women; it also found 107.5 attacks for every 1,000 . Instead of hiring mindless sheep to bother busy, honest, hard working people, the government can hire people to scour the internet for this "readily available information". Horrible, and a total violation of my rights across the board. The less you say to them the faster they stop bothering you. With a president and congress that constantly lie about everything, how do they expect me to believe that the information on the Census form is truly confidential? First in a 2021 survey, support for hard authoritarianism is low, as only 9% of U.S. faculty were willing to support various dismissal campaigns and only 7-18%, depending on the issue, supported ousting a dissenting academic. Nobody is listening -- another reason not to send in the ACS. It is pages and pages of personal questions. Although I suspect it's really only one or two of you. Empowered by Congress with greater powers to amass information about citizens, the Census Bureau introduced the ACS in 2005. Parent/Community Survey and Employee Feedback Opportunity [8] https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about/qbyqfact/2016/Ancestry.pdf. I received the ACS and the regular Census. Enough is enough and get real. U.S. Census Bureau Notice and Consent Warning You are accessing a United States Government computer network. If they want more personal financial information, then I suggest they get it from the IRS. I was really hoping she would stick around and argue with me some more, I was kind of of enjoying it because I knew there wasn't anything she could do. Actually: for thoe who think you can merely fill out the form and not be called, that's a lie! For the information of the people here, Congressman Poe (Texas) and Bachmann (Minnesota)have introduced legislation to eliminate the ACS intrusive questions. [9] https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about/qbyqfact/2016/Citizenship.pdf. Sad, but I simply do not trust the government anymore. Calendar | City of Harrisonburg, VA They can't really do anything and they certainly aren't going to. The second visit, I handed him a sealed census envelope, and he came back and left a note that the computer kicked it out. I say, good luck with that. Person 30. I am a nurse, taxpaying honest citizen and I will not be forced into answering these obscene questions! I told them I was not responding, and as I shut the door and walked away she stood on the porch and rang the bell, and since then it's all gone down hill. When I did return it, I left off my personal business. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, nor a paranoid, but goodness knows the intrusiveness of these questions can certainly drive a person to it. The information the government is requesting is violating our rights, whether or not it is written in the law. "Um, I filled it out twice". I have written both my senators, Warner and Webb of Virginia, and stated my refusal to comply with the ACS.