Census workers can enter your apartment in your absence
6:00 am May 26, 2010, by Bob Barr
Thousands of census workers, including many temporary employees, are fanning out across America to gather information on the citizenry. This is a process that takes place not only every decade in order to complete the constitutionally-mandated census; but also as part of the continuing “American Community Survey” conducted by the Census Bureau on a regular basis year in and year out.
What many Americans don’t realize, is that census workers — from the head of the Bureau and the Secretary of Commerce (its parent agency) down to the lowliest and newest Census employee — are empowered under federal law to actually demand access to any apartment or any other type of home or room that is rented out, in order to count persons in the abode and for “the collection of statistics.” If the landlord of such apartment or other leased premises refuses to grant the government worker access to your living quarters, whether you are present or not, the landlord can be fined $500.00.
That’s right — not only can citizens be fined if they fail to answer the increasingly intrusive questions asked of them by the federal government under the guise of simply counting the number of people in the country; but a landlord must give them access to your apartment whether you’re there or not, in order to gather whatever “statistics” the law permits.
In fact, some census workers apparently are going even further and demanding — and receiving — private cell phone numbers from landlords in order to call tenants and obtain information from them. Isn’t it great to live in a “free” country?
* ShareThis
* Print
623 comments Add your comment
Greg in the Highlands
May 26th, 2010
6:37 am
And when they take any money, jewelery or credit cards lying about, you have no recourse. You have to PROVE they did it. If I weren’t taxed, feed, and surcharged to keep me under government control, I’d have enough money to leave this “FREE” country.
* Link
* Report this comment
Bob
May 26th, 2010
6:40 am
But Bob, according to the commercials, the country would come to a stand still if gov does not know who to pass the money around to. Isn’t that more important than civil liberties ?
* Link
* Report this comment
nelsonhoward
May 26th, 2010
6:40 am
You are soooooo right again Bob. It is obvious, the census worker is encroaching on our fundamental right,”Freedom Of Privacy.” A coupla of days ago the census worker came to my house, very pleasnt young girl. She said she had only a few questions to ask and I said sure come on in. During the questioning she asked my age and I told her and she said I looked much younger than that. I thanked her for that flattering comment. Now, if she had asked me how much money I had, we would probably be in a relationship now. But, let us get back to the “Freedom of Privacy”, when the landlord let the census worker in without the permission of the tenant, that is “constructive seizure of the apartment” when the landlord “pops” in at any time that is tatamount to “constructive eviction” of the tenant. Not good, and being threatened with a $500.00 fine besides, that is conspiracy. We have to have rights, that is part of the Constitution of the United States.
* Link
* Report this comment
Jim in Ga
May 26th, 2010
7:19 am
Greg in the Highlands,
I remember watching 20/20 or something along those lines about nannies or housecleaners stealing and it was entraptment if it was just lying about and it had to be in a drawer or hidden away for it to be considered stolen. That just makes it even harder if they do come and and take something.
* Link
* Report this comment
Byron Mathison Kerr
May 26th, 2010
7:23 am
Scary! Good incentive to take those few moments to fill out that simple census form.
blogs.ajc.com |
