Ohio Loses Two Seats: Kucinich Unbound?

The Congressional redistricting that will arise from the 2010 Census won't help Dems, but I figured that, since South Dakota's already as low as it can go in House representation, there's not much to get excited about.

Then one of my favorite Ohioan transplants sends me this depressing Christmas note: Ohio will lose two Representatives, and one may be my man Dennis Kucinich!

Ohio's population grew by 183,000 people over the last decade to 11.5 million, but it wasn't enough to keep up with fast-growing states in the South.

Ohio has 18 congressional districts that now will drop to 16.

...In November, Democrats lost five out of 10 U.S. House seats they currently hold in Ohio. The remaining five are tightly packed into an area that stretches from Toledo through Cleveland and into Youngstown.

...Among the Ohio Democrats in Congress who could face losing their districts are Cleveland's Dennis Kucinich and Betty Sutton, who represents Lorain and Elyria, plus suburban Cleveland and the Akron area.

Both are in areas that have lost population in the last decade ["Ohio Loses 2 Seats in Congress, Sutton and Kucinich May Go," AP via Morning Journal, 2010.12.21].

On the bright side, I'm pleased that the Republicans might consider Kucinich a sufficiently big thorn in their side to draw him off the Congressional map. But I'll bet some elephant in the map room is thinking, "Hey! If we redistrict Dennis out of a job, maybe he'll change his mind and run in the 2012 primary against Obama!"

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Bonus Ohio love: Bob Schwartz has been enjoying a solstice resurgence, cranking out lots of good blog posts on new START (passed!), ethanol, Thune hypocrisy, and other matters over the past week. Keep those keys clicking Bob!

Census Grills Me Twice, But Not About Guns

I refuted last year the silly meme that the United States Census was coming to count your guns. (For an afternoon of entertainment, Google "Census" and "guns"... or just rent Red Dawn.)

A little more evidence: an agent of the federal government, cleverly disguised as a mild-mannered Midwestern woman (why isn't al-Qaeda this smart?), came to my door a couple weeks ago to administer a detailed survey to my wife and me about our house, education, income... all sorts of information! I received a callback message from a shy-sounding headset jockey with poor breath control (she paused to take a breath in the middle of my name). When I called back Sunday (Sunday! Uncle Sam works on Sunday!), a younger woman asked to take a few minutes to double-check the questions from the in-house survey. She even ingratiated herself to me when she read my name by mentioning she'd visited Heidelberg and loved the castle. I thought for sure she was just trying to lull me into surrendering details about my intricate home defense plans.

But no. Neither woman asked about guns, knives, booby traps, RPGs, or any other arguable Second-Amendment equipment that might be of interest to tyrants bent on oppression.

I could be wrong. This is South Dakota. Maybe the Census just assumes by default that we all have guns in our homes. I nonetheless await proof from anyone that the 2010 Census asked anyone about guns.

Rounds Joins Census Conspiracy; Still No Gun Questions

Governor M. Michael Rounds has apparently joined the vast ACORN-led conspiracy masquearding as the United States Census. He exhorts us all to fill out our Census forms.

Of course, part of being a good American is being a wise guy. PPP's Bob Mercer notes that the Census makes an undue call for clairvoyance and declines to submit until April Fools' Day. I had my daughter help complete her first Census response Monday. We even filled out the racial information, something I often skip. 'What color are you?" I asked the young 'un.

"Pink," she said, ignoring the purple jelly on her fingers.

P-I-N-K, I entered in the boxes.

I considered entering how many guns we have, but the Census isn't asking about guns. The Census isn't asking about much else: Governor Rounds points out that this is one of the shortest Census forms in history.

Madison Superintendent Fronts Socialist Census Conspiracy?

First Governor Rounds joins President Obama's shady Homeland Security governors' council. Now our own school superintendent Vince Schaefer promotes the Census! Good grief—how can there be a Marxist conspiracy if everyone's in on it?

Actually, Vince Schaefer simply understands what everyone not wearing a tri-cornered hat does: responding to the Census provides the information necessary to help your schools and local governments as well as Uncle Sam plan the services your community needs. Not responding to the Census does more harm than good. Fill out that form!

Census Counting Guns? No.

"Bob" from Aberdeen, SD, just called in to NPR's Talk of the Nation to contribute to a conversation about suspicion and animosity toward the U.S. Census. Bob complains that the 2000 Census form asked him how many guns he owns and what rooms he keeps them in. Bob says he's no gun nut, but he feels such questions are inappropriate.

Such questions on the Census form are also imaginary. The program guest says he can't recall seeing any such question on the Census long form. Check for yourself: I search the 2000 long form and find neither gun, weapon, nor firearm. Ditto the individual Census report. Ditto the 1990 form. And ditto the 2010 form.

I may have missed something, and I'm open to verifiable information to the contrary.

And don't forget: there is not one documented instance of anyone being fined for declining to respond to the Census... and declining to respond will do you and your community more harm than good.

Refusing to Respond to Census Rarely Punished, Does More Harm Than Good

Sibby and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachman (wouldn't you like to have those two on a panel?) are worried that the census is going to fine you $5,000 if you don't fill out your census form. The U.S. House's online federal law book shows Title 13 imposing only a $100 fine for refusal to respond and seems more concerned with protecting the confidentiality of your info. The U.S. Census Bureau does say your answers are required. The U.S. Census also says that an amendment increased the fine for non-participation to a maximum of $5,000 (a change that appears to have been made in 1987).

But notice also that Title 13, Chapter 7, Subchapter II, Section 221, clause (c) creates a religious exemption: if it's against your religion, you don't have to answer, no fine.

Plus, this Census blogger (yes, there apparently is such a person) can't find a single instance of the Census Bureau ever enforcing those fines. As Census spokesman Stephen Buckner tells MyTwoCensus.com, “The Census Bureau is not a law enforcement agency. We try to make Americans understand the importance of completing the census, but we don’t try to enforce those penalties.”

The only penalty you'll really receive for not responding to the census won't hit you but your whole community: you'll lower the headcount for your community, and you'll thus receive less federal funding. "Hooray!" shout the Tea Partiers, but remember, even if the Census doesn't know you exist, the IRS still has your number. Ditch the census, and you'll still pay taxes; you'll just get less in return.

Note that even Michele Bachman is smart enough to tell the Census how many people are in her household. If her followers went ape and refused to answer any Census questions, they might put Michele out of a job, as that part of Minnesota could lose a seat in the U.S. House. That doesn't affect South Dakota—we're already down to one at-large seat—but it could screw up our state legislative redistricting. If the Tea Partiers in Sioux Falls and Rapid City all put a big NO on their Census forms, liberal hotbeds like Lake Herman could end up with their own legislative district! Whoo-hoo!

I sympathize with those who prefer not to give the government information. I often leave questions about gender and race blank. But when the Census comes, I will tell them I'm here, along with my wife and daughter.

Refusing to fill out the Census form is an easy bit of civil disobedience. I suppose it might make you feel good, but it will likely be counter-productive. Fill it out, and fry some other fish!