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My husband and I have discussed what we will do about filling out the Census form. And, if my on line research is any indication, many other Americans are having similar discussions. There are others who do not trust those collecting the information and  how the information will be used. There seems to be different information as to the fines that could occur if citizens do not completely fill out the form or if it filled out inaccurately.

My post is not to encourage or discourage American citizens to complete the 2010 Census and American Community Service form. I suggest that you become informed about the questions that will be asked, how that information will or will not be used, and if you are willing or able to pay the fine if you decide to not answer any or all of the questions.

Here is some information for you yet there is much more out there if you wish to take the time to read it.

Rep. Michele Bachmann and Rep. Steve King have been speaking about the 2010 Census partnership with Acorn.

Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota said earlier this month that she wouldn’t answer certain questions on the 2010 Census form partially because of concerns about Acorn. A spokeswoman for Ms. Bachmann didn’t make her available for comment.

Rep. Steve King (R., Iowa) tried unsuccessfully to attach an amendment to a must-pass appropriations bill to forbid any Acorn involvement in the 2010 Census. The outspoken Mr. King is perhaps the most vocal critic of the organization, introducing a host of bills that would limit Acorn’s affairs in federal governance.

The actual questions and reason for the questions – “meeting Federal Needs” and “Community Benefits” are listed here.

This is from 2000 but very interesting. I share a portion of the article U.S. Census questions put your privacy at risk by Robyn Blumner. I found myself thinking of all the advances in technology in the past ten years. It is much easier for Big Brother to keep track of us….

Then there’s the privacy issue. The Census Bureau promises up and down that it will keep your personal information confidential and will only share statistics. But even aggregated data, when finely parsed, can be highly compromising.

While the Census Bureau didn’t release the names of Japanese-Americans during World War II, the bureau did lend a hand to our government in tracking them down. According to a new research report, the bureau’s complicity assisted in the rounding up of 120,000 Japanese-Americans who were then sent to camps for the duration of the war.

The paper, titled “After Pearl Harbor: The Proper Role of Population Data Systems in Time of War,” says in days following Pearl Harbor the bureau put out detailed reports on the Japanese population in the country, including where pockets could be found. J.C. Capt, the director of the Census Bureau at the time, explained: “We didn’t want to wait for the declaration of war. On Monday morning we put our people to work on the Japanese thing.” The paper indicates bureau disclosures to the War Department were so exacting that it provided the number of Japanese people living on various city blocks.

What’s even more troubling is that a block-by-block report on racial make-up wasn’t generally available then, but it is today. Now, with computer assistance, the bureau’s databases can organize “nonidentifiable” information in ever-smaller nuggets and make it available in no time…..

There’s a reason the law prohibits the census from forcing people to disclose their religious affiliation. Matters of faith should be private and a compendium of where religious minorities lived could later be used as a tool for repression. But if that information is deemed too intimate and potentially compromising, then so should questions of race, ancestry, household relationships and physical and mental health.

By not answering invasive questions on the census I risk a fine of $100. That comes to ten dollars a year to protect my privacy — well worth the price.

And the fine for not filling out the questions:

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Bachmann may be in trouble if she fails to fill out the entire census. Spokeswoman Shelly Lowe told the Washington Times that anyone over the age of 18 must fill out all the questions and any such person who refuses to answer “any of the questions” faces a $5,000 fine.

Each of us will need to decide if completely and honestly filling out the 2010 U.S. Census is the American thing for us to do. What will the Government really do with the information collected? Are we willing to pay the fine?

Good luck with your decision.