The enumerators are coming!

The enumerators are coming! (Full Version)

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TheHeretic -> The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 6:46:25 PM)
I'm sure the conspiracy lovers are going to have fun with the part about the census doorknockers being trained to report any "anti-government sentiment" they might encounter. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100503/ap_on_go_ot/us_census_safety The good old US of A is about to get an up close and personal look at their government in action. The buck stops with Barack. How's it going to go?

pahunkboy -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 7:04:43 PM)
Actually they don't need to come here.

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 7:26:35 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: TheHeretic I'm sure the conspiracy lovers are going to have fun with the part about the census doorknockers being trained to report any "anti-government sentiment" they might encounter. I'm sure they will, but they'll have no reason to (not that that ever stops them anyway.) The article's poorly worded, but even so, it doesn't say enumerators are being trained to report "anti-government sentiment." What it says is they are being trained to report any sign of "hostility from homeowners expressing anti-government sentiment or other potentially dangerous behavior." Not the same thing, although the article could have made that more clear had it been written by a reporter who actually showed up for class the day they taught journalism in journalism school. The only thing enumerators are trained to report - in fact, the only thing they are even allowed to report - is anything they perceive to be a reasonable threat to their personal safety. If they witness a crime in progress, they are not even allowed to call 911 to report it. To do so is potentially a firing offense. There is absolutely no way in hell enumerators are being trained to "report possible anti-government sentiment."

Musicmystery -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 7:34:09 PM)
I'd be happy if they show up. I got a letter, saying the census form was coming, please fill it out. Then I got a post card, reminding me to return the census form, with a number to call for help. I called and explained that I hadn't received a census. They asked for the census ID number. I don't have it, as I never received census form. They told me without a census ID number, they couldn't send a replacement form. However, they were a week away from starting to send out replacement forms, and I should just wait for that. Five weeks later, no form, no census workers. Last time was just as fucked up. I received a form. I completed it and sent it back. Then a census worker showed up. I explained I had already sent the form back a month so ago. Didn't matter--insisted on doing another one. And then I hear over the years about counting homeless people? I've lived in the same place for over twenty years, and they can't manage to find me. Hard to trust data collected in such a seemingly haphazard way.

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 7:51:21 PM)
If they show up at your door, they have to count you in case the form got lost in the mail or you're lying about having sent it back. If they're there, then for whatever reason your original form either didn't get to them or there was something about it that the computer couldn't tabulate. Doesn't really matter what the reason is, the result is that you haven't been counted yet and they have to get you on record. I know the data collection procedures may seem haphazard, but really a lot of what you're seeing is extreme thoroughness. They know that in an operation this size, forms are going to get lost, forms are going to get sent to the wrong address, forms are going to be mangled by the computer instead of counted, whatever. They have layers of redundancy built in to make sure that every human being in the country is counted at least once. They'd rather risk counting you two or three times than risk not counting you at all, because when the final tabulation is complete duplicate records will be corrected. In the end, no matter how many forms you fill out, you'll only be counted once. And you also have to keep in mind, 99% of the people working on the census have only been doing this job for a few months, or even weeks. The people you're talking to on the phone are temporary workers just hired for the few weeks it takes to do this. And, they were trained by temporary workers, who in turn were probably trained by temporary workers themselves. There's only so much they can do with the limited resources they have, and a lot of what you may see as confusing make-work actually had to be designed that way in order to compensate for the fact that all of the enumerators had less than a week of training and perhaps only a few days of work experience after that before their job is gone. The people doing the actual counting don't have time to get good at their jobs, because some of them literally may work less than a week before the work runs out. So the procedures are designed to make it almost impossible for them to make mistakes.

rulemylife -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 7:53:19 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda I'm sure they will, but they'll have no reason to (not that that ever stops them anyway.) The article's poorly worded, but even so, it doesn't say enumerators are being trained to report "anti-government sentiment." What it says is they are being trained to report any sign of "hostility from homeowners expressing anti-government sentiment or other potentially dangerous behavior." Not the same thing, although the article could have made that more clear had it been written by a reporter who actually showed up for class the day they taught journalism in journalism school. The only thing enumerators are trained to report - in fact, the only thing they are even allowed to report - is anything they perceive to be a reasonable threat to their personal safety. If they witness a crime in progress, they are not even allowed to call 911 to report it. To do so is potentially a firing offense. There is absolutely no way in hell enumerators are being trained to "report possible anti-government sentiment." Panda, Panda, Panda, of course they are. This is all part of the socialist takeover being engineered by Obama and the leftist Democrats. You need to start listening to Beck and Limpdick regularly.

pahunkboy -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 7:55:11 PM)
well we cant ALL suck Obamas dick.

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 7:57:39 PM)
And thank god for that!

littlewonder -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 7:58:12 PM)
The census worker stopped at my home a couple days ago. He asked me about 10 questions that I basically quickly answered so he could leave and I could get on with my day. He didn't want to be there (told me matter of fact that he couldn't wait to finish up for the day after having been attacked by a dog and chased out of a yard by an angry homeowner), and I didn't want to be talking to him. Took us 10 mins. He asked me if my neighbors were nice people or if they'd slam the door in his face and he was on his way. I kinda felt sorry for the guy but ya know..even I was tempted to not answer the door when he knocked. Only reason I did was because I thought he was a contractor I was waiting for.

TheHeretic -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 7:58:36 PM)
I'm sure the plan is pretty impeccable, Panda. Whether they are going in cocky, convinced they have this shit all figured out, or just clinging to the belief that it will all work out somehow, now we get to see their work. I have low expectations. My form was mailed, late-ish (damn dog), so they may or may not make it to my door. I hope it isn't an idiot if they do. How's it going so far? 6 traffic deaths in a week... It seems like the feds would shut down a mine with that sort of death rate.

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 8:05:59 PM)
quote: The census worker stopped at my home a couple days ago. He asked me about 10 questions that I basically quickly answered so he could leave and I could get on with my day. He didn't want to be there (told me matter of fact that he couldn't wait to finish up for the day after having been attacked by a dog and chased out of a yard by an angry homeowner), and I didn't want to be talking to him. Took us 10 mins. He asked me if my neighbors were nice people or if they'd slam the door in his face and he was on his way. I kinda felt sorry for the guy but ya know..even I was tempted to not answer the door when he knocked. Only reason I did was because I thought he was a contractor I was waiting for. Poor guy. Sounds like he wasn't having a good day, and maybe doesn't have the right temperament. When the dog runs out to attack you, you hit the dog in the nose with your bag and move on to the next house. If the guy yells at you to get out of his yard, you dial 911 and report him for anti-government sentiment. Just kidding. If someone yells at you, you just move on to the next house on your list. It doesn't pay to go through life taking shit personally that wasn't meant personally. It's just business, and if someone slams the door in your face, there are always other ways to get the information. It's an extremely low-stress job if you do it right and have the right personality. But in this economy, I suppose people will take anything, even if they don't feel suited for it or even hate it. The money can be pretty damned good ($17 an hour here), so a lot of people probably figure they can't afford to pass it up if they get the call.

nancygirl34652 -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 8:11:09 PM)
i received a visit from a census worker the last time and will probably receive a visitor again this time even though i mailed my form back immediately. Seems they want all the information filled out...lol.....i am sorry but i do not see how knowing my name or my date of birth is going to help any social programs or budgeting or whatever they deem to use the info for....my year of birth, yes i gave that because i can see how that type of age information can help in some way but any other personal info is not needed. So they sent the guy to my house to tell me that i forgot to fill in some information...lol....i explained what and why and the guy actually ending up agreeing with me! edited because i made a stupid typo

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 8:18:35 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: TheHeretic I'm sure the plan is pretty impeccable, Panda. Well, I wouldn't use that term. It's elaborate, I'll say that. It's a bureaucracy in action, is what it is. There are a lot of things they could do better and a hell of a lot more sensibly, but they've apparently decided that the brute force approach gets the best results. They throw a lot of people at the problem, waves and waves of people, and then they throw a lot of money at the people because... well... because they have a lot of money, apparently. Or at least, they spend as though they do. quote: ORIGINAL: TheHeretic Whether they are going in cocky, convinced they have this shit all figured out, or just clinging to the belief that it will all work out somehow, now we get to see their work. I have low expectations. My form was mailed, late-ish (damn dog), so they may or may not make it to my door. I hope it isn't an idiot if they do. Depends on where you live. They have a 28-question screening exam just to get in the door, and in many parts of the country if you don't score perfect they don't even look at your application. Too many smart people out of work this year; they don't need to hire morons. I know that in Saint Paul, nobody with less than 26 out of 28 is hired unless they're a veteran, and even then I'm not so sure. Most hires score 27 or 28, and it's a fairly challenging test. A lot of people with perfect scores aren't even making the cut. They'll make a lot of mistakes, and they know it. They're confident that they'll catch most of them, because there are people who've spent ten years writing the software to flag anomalies. It's actually pretty good, too. But at the same time, they know they won't catch all of them. Their stated goal is to count every single person, but realistically they know they'll fall short. They just want to come as close as possible, even if they don't publically admit it.

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 8:24:47 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: nancygirl34652 i received a visit from a census worker the last time and will probably receive a visitor again this time even though i mailed my form back immediately. Seems they want all the information filled out...lol.....i am sorry but i do not see how knowing my name or my date of birth is going to help any social programs or budgeting or whatever they deem to use the info for....my year of birth, yes i gave that because i can see how that type of age information can help in some way but any other personal info is not needed. So they sent the guy to my house to tell me that i forgot to fill in some information...lol....i explained what and why and the guy actually ending up agreeing with me! Well, they need the name to make sure they don't count people twice. It's amazing how many people move and don't understand they're only supposed to fill out one form; or they split time between a primary residence and a dormitory or vacation home, or military base, and fill out one form at each place. Cross-checking the names helps weed out the duplicates. But if you refuse to give it, they're not supposed to badger you over it. The important thing is just to make sure you're counted.

Musicmystery -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 8:33:44 PM)
quote: i do not see how knowing my name or my date of birth is going to help I don't see the point of withholding either--government records already have this information.

TheHeretic -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/3/2010 10:10:20 PM)
I found a fun little blog from someone who at least claims to be on the job... What does "census" stand for, anyway? Counting Everyone Now Slows Unemployment Seekers Cordial Enumerators Noodling Streets Until Summer Constitutionally Engaged Ninjas Surfacing Ubiquitously, Suckers Loops, Whorls, Arches and Acronyms of the Census

Real0ne -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/4/2010 12:08:40 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Musicmystery quote: i do not see how knowing my name or my date of birth is going to help I don't see the point of withholding either--government records already have this information. this goes to the history of the "name". when they have a validated commercial vessel name they can put a lien on those names. that is why they can and continue to slice and dice away all your rights as 14th amendment citizens who are none the wiser of the true purpose of what they are doing, are no your rights are not unalienble rights as you all will stand on your soapbox and claim. they are privileges that have just been liened by the conglomerate for "their" benefit because you allowed it.

DomYngBlk -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/4/2010 7:46:22 AM)
Imagine it will go just fine. Open your door and answer the questions and don't be an asshole

rulemylife -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/4/2010 8:03:57 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Real0ne this goes to the history of the "name". when they have a validated commercial vessel name they can put a lien on those names. that is why they can and continue to slice and dice away all your rights as 14th amendment citizens who are none the wiser of the true purpose of what they are doing, are no your rights are not unalienble rights as you all will stand on your soapbox and claim. they are privileges that have just been liened by the conglomerate for "their" benefit because you allowed it. I have no idea what you just said, but surprisingly I'm pretty happy with that.

flcouple2009 -> RE: The enumerators are coming! (5/4/2010 8:28:26 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: DomYngBlk Imagine it will go just fine. Open your door and answer the questions and don't be an asshole That's way too easy for some of these people.

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