Comments on: Census: A Little Too Personal?

By: Bebe

Bebe — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:31:43 +0000

I am in total agreement with you Chris! Thanks for this post and this letter. I still haven’t sent in the census form either, and debated whether I would or not.

Whomever this current administration thinks it is, I still live in America and as such I am obligated to uphold the Constitution, which I will. Just the headcount and this letter they will have on us too!

Thanks again!!

BeBe

By: ward

ward — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:33:34 +0000

Chris, If you fill it out and mail it out before April 1, you could answer IDK. The question is “As of April 1, 2010, how many people live here…”

By: Chris M.

Chris M. — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:39:50 +0000

Just got my census form, parts are contradictory but I still feel it to be too personal

By: Chris M.

Chris M. — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:59:02 +0000

No worry of that Mrs. Beth. I have been researching Libertarian ideals and Austrian economics for the past year. And name-calling is only used against people like us, when our facts cannot be proven wrong—which is quite often.

By: beth

beth — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:01:54 +0000

As long as no one starts personally attacking anyone or abusing the site, this is an open forum. Also, I think you have made some very interesting points here that I had not previously considered.

By: Chris M.

Chris M. — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:40:55 +0000

I have EVERY intention of printing this letter and including it with my UNCOMPLETED census form. There is absolutely no reason why we should be trying to get OUR OWN money from the government. I hope that Central is not such a sheepish town, that it not want to exercise its freedom to follow the Constitution. I feel that probably instead of actually GETTING money from the Feds, we would be taxed. Our children have already been thrown under the bus (of debt)— the more we ALL reach for “handouts” from federal programs, the deeper we put them into debt. I am sure I am pushing the envelope on this site, but don’t cut me out, I have a strong voice and I intend on helping others see the evils that I do. I will post interesting articles on the forums, if anyone is ready to learn…..

By: Chris M.

Chris M. — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:30:50 +0000

Census Law
Posted by Walter Block on March 10, 2010 12:56 PM
I pass this along letter on the census for your information, only. I do not counsel anyone to break the law. Of course, I’m not real sure of what the law is. A direct and literal reading of the U.S. Constitution it seems to me, a non lawyer, is clear as to what the law is: people are legally obligated, only, to cooperate in a head count for political representation purposes. But, my fear, my expectation, even, is that present courts will not interpret the law in that way, and may instead punish census rebels who refuse to furnish additional required (requested?) information. In any case, the following will undoubtedly be of interest to all people concerned with liberty; I offer it exactly as it was sent to me:

From: ronpaul-200@meetup.com on behalf of DarkLaw
Sent: Tue 3/9/2010 9:02 PM
To: ronpaul-200@meetup.com
Subject: Re: [ronpaul-200] Ron Paul CNN on Cafferty Files 2/27/10

My response to the Census

I compiled this letter and inserted it into the Census envelope, along with my 2010 census form.
I marked off that ‘02′ people reside at this address….and, well… read the rest!

Use this as a template! This is just another small step in which we can show the Feds we won’t take this nonsense lying down!
______________________

To Whom it May Concern,

Pursuant to Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution, the only information you are empowered to request is the total number of occupants at this address. My “name, sex, age, date of birth, race, ethnicity, telephone number, relationship and housing tenure” have absolutely nothing to do with apportioning direct taxes or determining the number of representatives in the House of Representatives. Therefore, neither Congress nor the Census Bureau have the constitutional authority to make that information request a component of the enumeration outlined in Article I, Section 2, Clause 3. In addition, I cannot be subject to a fine for basing my conduct on the Constitution because that document trumps laws passed by Congress.

Interstate Commerce Commission v. Brimson, 154 U.S. 447, 479 (May 26, 1894)

“Neither branch of the legislative department [House of Representatives or Senate], still less any merely administrative body [such as the Census Bureau], established by congress, possesses, or can be invested with, a general power of making inquiry into the private affairs of the citizen. Kilbourn v. Thompson, 103 U.S. 168, 190. We said in Boyd v. U.S., 116 U. S. 616, 630, 6 Sup. Ct. 524,―and it cannot be too often repeated,―that the principles that embody the essence of constitutional liberty and security forbid all invasions on the part of government and it’s employees of the sanctity of a man’s home and the privacies of his life. As said by Mr. Justice Field in Re Pacific Ry. Commission, 32 Fed. 241, 250, ‘of all the rights of the citizen, few are of greater importance or more essential to his peace and happiness than the right of personal security, and that involves, not merely protection of his person from assault, but exemption of his private affairs, books, and papers from inspection and scrutiny of others. Without the enjoyment of this right, all others would lose half their value.’”

Note: This United States Supreme Court case has never been overturned.

Respectfully,

A Citizen of the United States of America