[AT] Re: Census

[dfolske at nccray.net]

> For many years - on all of those, I have come up with the most stupid and
> outlandish
> answers that I can dream up.  And they take those answers without so much as
> a
> blink.
> Bottom line, it is none of their damn business!
 
The data collected by these census is public information that is used 
by many people for both public and private uses. The information 
you provide is confidential and not identifiable to you as an 
individual. 
You have the generally have the right to refuse to answer but please 
do not give false answers.

I find it exceedingly frustrated to be asked for information relating to 
average cash rents or average prices of custom jobs like mowing 
hay or seeding wheat by people who told me the day before that 
they deliberately falsify the information when they complete the 
census of agriculture!

I regularly use information from these census' and annual surveys 
for background information for a wide variety of grant applications, 
some intended to benefit one or two individual farmers, others for 
general economic development or for local youth and schools. 

I realize that some census enumerators have little tact but most are 
good people just doing their jobs. If you do not like it I encourage 
you to become envolved in the local and state political process. 
Work for a better solution instead of being part of the problem.

Sorry Spence for political sounding rant. This is not a republican or 
democratic issue and is only intended to make us take a look at 
ourselves.

If anyone has an issue with my post, please contact me off list. This 
is not the place for it.
Dan