Lincoln Blog
February 01, 2010:
State Representative John Payne and Governor Ed Rendell are at odds over the census.
Governor Rendell, ever the defender of big and intrusive government, wants Pennsylvanians to answer all the questions posed on the census form. Representative Payne contends that the only information we are required to give relates to the number of people in our household.
It is true the census has morphed from the constitutionally-mandated decennial count of the population into a giant information gathering exercise wherein the federal government seeks to probe more and more deeply into our lives.
And while some information may be useful, Representative Payne is correct in that we are not required to provide it. Many people feel much of the information on the rather lengthy census form is none of the federal government's business. Frankly, anyone uncomfortable with answering a specific question or questions should just skip over them.
Judging from the governor's reaction you would think Representative Payne had suggested keeping the cure for cancer secret. By Payne is correct in urging his constituents to avoid the probing eye of big brother.
The core purpose of the census is merely to count the population; anything not related to that is an unwarranted intrusion into our lives.
