Census participation

Remember the recent "movement" by the anti-government establishment to boycott the census? While some popular conservatives promoted answering only the question regarding the number of people in a household, others took it a step further by suggesting that people ignore the census altogether as a sign of civil disobedience (many immigrant groups oppose participating in the census for other reasons). Interestingly, many of the groups boycotting the census are the ones who wrap themselves in the Constitution as they decry the continued degradation of individual liberties.

In addition to the irony that taking the nation's headcount is mandated by the Constitution, higher participation rates translate to taxpayer savings. Each percentage point increase in the response rate is estimated to save taxpayers $85 million by reducing census workers' efforts to physically count individuals. So boycotting the census not only obstructs carrying out a Constitutional mandate, it wastes taxpayer dollars.

I applaud any person's (or movement's) principles when they have a solid foundation that supports a consistent view on a wide range of issues; the libertarian Cato Institute is a fantastic example of that type of organization. Unfortunately, many of those who propose boycotting the census are caught up in a contradiction that is difficult to unravel.

Where are they now?

Arizona's new state law to combat their problem with illegal aliens infringes on personal liberty and gives the government the authority to question people without reasonable cause. Surely this represents an unprecedented widening of government's power to detain anyone they want for questioning. And the state is now claiming that they will require federal funding to help pay for the hiring and training of additional law enforcement; state officials have even started a preemptive campaign of knocking Washington for not giving them the money based on their initial read of federal officials' reactions.

Does this not rock the very core of Tea Party beliefs? Where is the outrage? Where are the demonstrations? Or is an overstep of the Bill of Rights acceptable when the goal is to send "them" back "there?"

I've not written in a while - sorry about that. It's not for lack of material: final passage of a health care bill largely written by Congressional Republicans, the feared anti-nuclear President's administration taking huge steps toward securing rights for power companies to build nuclear power plants, the opening of several new sites for off-shore oil drilling, a likely repeal of the military's don't ask/don't tell policy, and a continued ramping up of drone and special forces strikes in Afghanistan that are incredibly demoralizing to the Taliban.

I have realized that by opening myself up to writing about issues of the day, I am becoming more partisan, and I can't say I like that very much. Not that I am consistently landing on one side of the aisle; but I find myself in awe and somewhat ashamed of the current discourse in Washington.

I'll get back on the horse soon. For now, I feel like taking this in for a little while longer...