Has Census time rolled around again? Your calendar hasn’t changed. But Congress just rolled out another Census—in 2012. And this Census has nothing to do with the reason the Constitution gives for it.

The Census in the Constitution

The Constitution tells us to cooperate with the Census Bureau. The reference in our Constitution to the Census appears in Article 1, Section 2.

The actual Enumeration (the Census) shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. (sic)

According to the Constitution, the purpose of the Census is to apportion electoral votes and congressional seats, which is no more than one for every 30,000. Twenty-two Censuses have taken place since then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson took  the first Census on August 2, 1790. Today The Bureau of the Census handles this task under Title 13 U.S.C. § 11. Congress has expanded its reach to include surveys and statistical models, like the American Community Survey. But the Constitution does not provide for the American Community Survey, although Congress did pass that afterward. Since it is in direct conflict with the Constitutional requirement, shouldn’t it have needed a Constitutional Amendment? I challenge you to review all 27 Amendments of the Constitution and tell me where anything remotely resembling an Amendment about the census exists.

An unconstitutional Census?

The US Constitution. Photo: National Archives of the United States

The last census in accordance with the terms of our Constitution was taken in 2010, which very simply means the next should be scheduled for 2020. As is the case in government today “should” doesn’t mean “will”. In 2012, two years after the census of 2010, another census will be mailed to everyone in the good old USA called the American Community Survey. Apparently, under Title 13, which governs how the information should be gathered, there is latitude to twist the original intentions of our founders. And that our lawmakers have twisted away, shouldn’t surprise us.

Once again, I have to ask – what didn’t they understand in Article 1, Section 2 that specifically says that the census should be taken every ten years? And I also have to ask that if their understanding of written text is so impaired, what are they doing in the halls of Congress? They are clearly unqualified – regarding both their understanding of the written word and their understanding of the Constitution. These two factors make them unfit to represent us in government – or frankly, anywhere else.

Let me go a step further, since they have taken an oath to uphold and preserve our Constitution, which oath they have violated, each and every one of them should be impeached immediately. Of course the wimps now holding office lack the intestinal fortitude to take such action; therefore, We the People need to help them. This November let’s do a little impeaching of our own at the polls. Now I’m normally a diplomatic person, but diplomacy seems to be slipping away from me these days, so let me put it clearly – albeit undiplomatically – Throw all the bums out of our house! They may lack a good deal of intestinal fortitude to do what’s constitutionally ethical, but let’s show them that there’s a great abundance of guts left in the American people. Again – throw all the bums out!

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