Census 2010

In addition to the irritating hip-hop-like commercials about the Census, I received a letter in the mail today.

Dear Resident:

About one week from now, you will receive a 2010 Census form in the mail. When you receive your form, please fill it out and mail it in promptly.

You response is important... blah blah blah.

Why did they even send this out? Do we have too much money in the government? Why not just send me the Census form in about a week? Maybe the Census Bureau is helping out the soon-to-be-bankrupt Postal Service with some useless mailing. My guess is this exercise costs us taxpayers about $20M. I hope someone at least got a nice kickback dinner out of it.

==========

It's not just me complaining...

Kansas City Star

Benjamin Franklin, father of the first U.S. census — which cost $44,000 in 1790 — famously said that “a penny saved is a penny earned.”

Were he alive today, Franklin might have a less flattering saying for the bureaucrats running the 2010 census, which is costing taxpayers $15 billion — and rising.

That’s $48 per person counted, compared with $16 in 2000 (about $20 adjusted for inflation) and about a penny in 1790 (or 24 cents after 220 years of inflation).

Holy crap! $15 billion?! Why do we let the government manage anything? These are the same people that want to manage your health care. There's 3 people in my household. I'll count'em for $100 and save the government some money. Sheesh...