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Thursday, September 02, 2010
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| | Email this article • Print this article | Despite protests over Census, not counting could costs a House seat
Despite the shrill rantings of politicians like U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., the U.S. Census scheduled to be held this year is of vital importance for a variety of reasons, but the most important may be the loss of a U.S. congressional seat in Minnesota if all heads in the state are not counted.
Minnesota currently has eight seats in the U.S. House, with the Glencoe area located in the southern portion of the massive 7th Congressional District of U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn.
Peterson needs to fly his own plane to get around the district to meet with constituents. The 7th District ranges from the Canadian border south to Sibley County and from the North Dakota and South Dakota borders as far east as Carver County.
Bachmann and her followers have been rankling against the U.S. Census over the intrusiveness of the questions, which range far beyond names, ages, and occupations of every household member. Bachmann has urged her followers not to cooperate with census workers by not filing a complete census form.
While we agree that many of the questions are more than the basics needed to conduct a census, not cooperating is self defeating and simply nonsense. If enough Minnesotans answer Bachmann's call, that might guarantee a loss of one more representative from Minnesota, perhaps Bachmann's own 6th District.
The census has become more than just counting heads. It has been used for years for a variety of other studies, like the future demographics of school districts to determine if enrollment is expected to grow or decline, which has a major impact on school budgets.
It is used to determine eligibility for many federal programs, like the school lunch program, or dairy price supports or even Medicare reimbursement. Glencoe Regional Health Services and other outstate hospitals have fought for years to get the same Medicare reimbursements that many metro hospitals receive.
The census data is used by government, businesses, educators and many others. The federal government distributes $400 billion annually to state and local governments based on census information.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2010 Census actually got under way last spring as addresses and maps were updated.
More than 130 million households will receive a census form in March either by mail or in person from a census worker.
April 1 has been designated Census Day when the census forms should be returned. For those not responding, follow-up visits by census workers will occur.
The Census Bureau is required to provide a 2010 apportionment count to the president by Dec. 31.
While some consider the census process as an intrusion, most of us consider it a necessity for our states, communities and local units of government.
Do not listen to the naysayers. Get counted. As the Census Bureau states: "It will affect your community's future. Your country's future. Your future."
It also happens to be the law.
- R.G.
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