<\/center>=======================================
\nNEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY
\n2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100
\nWashington DC 20037
\nWorld Wide Web: http:\/\/www.LP.org
\n=======================================
\nFor release: January 14, 2000
\n=======================================
\nFor additional information:
\nGeorge Getz, Press Secretary
\nPhone: (202) 333-0008 Ext. 222
\nE-Mail: 76214.3676@Compuserve.com
\n=======================================<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON, DC — The federal government says it’s your “civic duty” to complete the 2000 Census form — but it’s actually your patriotic duty to refuse to answer most of the government’s snooping questions, the Libertarian Party said today.<\/p>\n
“Real Americans don’t answer nosy Census questions,” said the party’s national director, Steve Dasbach. “You can strike a blow for privacy, equality, and liberty by refusing to answer every question on the Census form except the one required by the Constitution: How many people live in your home?”<\/p>\n
This week, in an attempt to reverse declining response rates, Census Bureau Director Kenneth Prewitt held a press conference to plead with Americans to view the once-a-decade Census as a “civic ceremony.”<\/p>\n
The results of the Census, lectured Prewitt, affect “power, money, group interests, civil rights; in short, who gets how much of what.”<\/p>\n
And that’s exactly what’s wrong with the Census, countered Dasbach — and why Americans should boycott almost every question.<\/p>\n
“The U.S. Constitution says the purpose of the Census is to make an enumeration; that is, to take an accurate count of Americans for the purpose of apportioning Congressional districts,” he said.<\/p>\n
“But the federal government has gone far beyond that Constitutional mandate, and uses the Census to ask dozens of probing questions — including the color of your skin, the number of toilets in your home, your disabilities, and how many cars you own.”<\/p>\n
In fact, the long version of the Census contains a whopping 52 questions, noted Dasbach, which is 51 more than the Constitution requires.<\/p>\n
But it’s not just the questions that are offensive, he said, but how the information is subsequently used.<\/p>\n
“As Mr. Prewitt noted, the Census is all about ‘who gets how much of what’ — which is why Americans should refuse to answer those prying questions. The fact is, the information collected by the Census is used to dole out an estimated $180 billion in taxpayers’ money, to justify and expand wasteful government programs, and to allow the government to discriminate against Americans based on their racial or ethnic background.<\/p>\n
“In other words, Census information is used to forge the chains that bind Americans to failed government programs, meddlesome bureaucracies, and a sky-high tax rate. So, if you care about privacy, genuine equality, and old-fashioned American liberty, it is your civic responsibility to just say ‘no’ to nosy government bureaucrats.”<\/p>\n
To make it easier to respond, Dasbach said he had an all-purpose answer for Americans when they get their 2000 Census form.<\/p>\n
“We live in an information age,” he said. “But the only information the government deserves on the Census, beyond the number of people in your home, is: None of your business.”<\/p>\n
Of course, any American who gives a “None of your business” response could face pressure and a $100 fine from the Census Bureau, Dasbach acknowledged.<\/p>\n
“Yes, it would be easier just to give the government the information it wants,” he said. “But I think many Americans will realize that a $100 fine is a small price to pay for making a principled stand for privacy and freedom.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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