What if many of us, led by many influential families, leave that box blank?

[question everything]

The Census box asking about citizenship, that is. And the "refusniks" will include the Rockefellers, the Kennedys, the Eisenhowers, the Roosevelts, the Goldwaters, the Carters, the Clintons, the Landrieus, and the Cuomos, Barryomores and Fondas, the Morgans and the Carnegies, the Whitneys and the Mellons... you get my drift

At least, I would like to think that most of the heirs of these families would object to the idea..

[stopbush]

1. How does that encourage immigrants and minorities to fill out the

census form?

The danger with the proposal is that large populations of immigrants and minorities will be undercounted because they are afraid to answer questions that may mean an ICE team showing up at their home.

[question everything]

2. They will leave the box blank, follow the example, I hope

of the influential families whose citizenship no one doubts..

[stopbush]

9. And how will anyone else know the influential families are leaving the box blank?

[procon]

3. The census people will contact you.

If you didn't complete all the questions on your form someone from the census will contact you for that information. If you refuse to give the information or deliberately give false information, you can be in big legal trouble.

Many, many, many years ago, I got one of the long forms and it took me days and days to complete the dang thing. As I recall, I inadvertently missed a couple of questions and a census worker called me to say that they were sending it back and I had x number of days to finish it and return it or a census worker would come a-calling.

[rsdsharp]

4. Last census I got a long form.

I answered the basic questions (name, gender, marital status, number of people in the household, etc.) and mailed it back, leaving the rest blank. I never heard a peep.

[HipChick]

11. Exactly..Never heard a peep either...they simply do not have the manpower

to do follow up...

[Nevernose]

10. Theres actually a 3rd option

It’s illegal to lie. It’s illegal to refuse. It’s not illegal to tell the person “I can’t recall.”

If you’re mailed the paper form, you can mark ALL the boxes for citizenship: yes, no, permanent resident, student visa, etc. That’s not lying. It’s not your fault if they can’t tell which box you intended.

Bureaucracy can be the best tool in the civil disobedience arsenal, but only if you approach The System like Bruce Lee’s kung fu: do not attack head on. Rather, flow like water around your obstacle.

[Exotica]

5. the citizenship question will cause MILLIONS to not fill out the forms

It will FUCK most of the Blue (FAR more than the Red) states in terms of proper numerical federal congressional representation, the EC, AND their federal funding.

If we do NOT fight this shit, it is another dagger in delaying the eradication of the tyranny by the rural racist RW states and the majority of their shitty, mouth-breathing denizens.

Wake the fuck up!!!!!

[bigtree]

6. that doesn't address the main concern

...which is the presence of the question and the prospect that it will cause fearful individuals and families to just shun the survey altogether.

[question everything]

7. I suppose you are correct

It continues to bug me that this administration is continuing to pass laws and regulations with a purpose, it seems, just to rile us, to get under our skin (at least mine) to show that it can and that there is nothing we can do.

Hope the state lawsuits will succeed.

[eleny]

8. My concern is that it'll get linked to our voting rights

I realize that the census data is confidential. But in this age of trump I'll wait for the court cases before deciding how to handle it. I can sure understand the desire to do something, to push back on all this bullshit.