Where are Texas census forms?
Texas is counting on the 2010 Census to deliver four new congressional districts, four new Electoral College votes in presidential elections, and millions of dollars in additional federal aid. But, as some elected officials are starting to worry, Uncle Sam can't deliver anything to the rapidly growing Sun Belt state unless Texas residents deliver their forms back to the government.It would help if the forms were actually distributed. I have yet to receive any, and I know others who have not. Perhaps the Democrats are actually trying to do an under count in Texas to deliberately deny the state more conservative House seats.As of Friday afternoon, only 27 percent of Texas households had filled in and returned their census forms — well below the national average of 34 percent — according to computer data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In Harris County, the response rate is 23 percent. Houston's returns are running at 21 percent.
Contrary to historical trends, some of the toughest challenges facing the agency responsible for measuring the nation's population are not from counting the traditionally undercounted groups such as African-Americans and Latinos. Instead, a new and growing threat to an accurate national head count is coming from anti-government conservatives who may not fill out their forms to protest against “Big Brother” in Washington.
“There's a general distrust of the federal government at every level, starting with Congress and the president, all the way down to executive branch agencies,” says Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland.
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In Texas, some of the counties with the lowest census return rates are among the state's most Republican, including Briscoe County in the Panhandle, 8 percent; King County, near Lubbock, 5 percent; Culberson County, near El Paso, 11 percent; and Newton County, in deep East Texas, 18 percent. Most other counties near the bottom of the list are heavily Hispanic counties along the Texas-Mexico border.
There is a reason for the enthusiasm gap on the census: A number of prominent conservative and libertarian Republicans have been blasting the census for months.
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I think the Chronicle should examine whether there is another reason for the lack of return, i.e. a lack of distribution.
"Perhaps the Democrats are actually trying to do an under count in Texas to deliberately deny the state more conservative House seats"
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts too; who is keeping a tally of how many forms are actually distributed, and more importantly the number of forms distributed at the county level. We have witnessed the deception this bunch will use to obtain their objective, why would anybody think they will not use census undercounts and over counts to their benefit.
I'm from a republican district in California and I have not received a census form. I checked online and there have been zero returns from my whole city. I have a feeling no one received a form. I too am concerned about getting our fair share of congressional seats and am suspicious that there may be a purposeful cause. California can use every republican district it can get.
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