Editors Corner: Stand and be counted
03-05-2010Heather Hahn
Editor
“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ... . So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.”Luke 2: 1, 4-5 (New International Version)
And it came to pass in these days that a decree went out from the U.S. Constitution that a census should be taken of the entire United States.
This month, the U.S. Census Bureau will begin mailing out forms to households across the country. Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution mandates that the federal government make an “actual Enumeration” of the population. That means counting both citizens and non-citizens.
Unlike the famed decree that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, the once-a-decade U.S. headcount doesn’t require any travel (just the roughly 10 minutes it takes to fill out the 10-question form and mail it back). And this census isn’t for the purpose of levying taxes either.
Instead, the enumeration determines how many representatives each state gets in the House. Census data also will guide the federal government’s distribution of more than $400 billion (of already collected tax revenues) to state and local governments.
Leaders from many faith-based charities also rely on census data when writing grant proposals or making the case for additional services.
While it’s true that the 2010 census won’t mark anything near as momentous as Christ’s birth, it still is very important. That’s why the Census Bureau is asking faith leaders to encourage worshipers to fill out and return their census forms.
For example. the Wesley Foundation at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a grant to help encourage students and others who live in its surrounding neighborhood to complete their 10 questions.
In 2000, only 67 percent of Pulaski County households mailed in their census forms. In fact, only three Arkansas counties had a response rate of 70 percent or better. Even with follow-ups from census workers, bureau officials estimate that some groups, particularly the urban poor, are still undercounted.
People rightfully worry about their privacy. But please be assured the information gathered is only used for statistical analysis. Neither the IRS nor Immigration and Customs Enforcement use the data to track people down. In fact, individual forms remain confidential for 72 years.
Census forms are due in April. After that, census workers will knock on doors to follow up with households that haven’t responded.
Now is the time to stand up and be counted.
To contact me, please e-mail hhahn@arumc.org or call 501.324.8037.
