Congressman Jason Chaffetz is proposing another common-sense idea, this time regarding data collection and the census. Instead of hiring an additional 750,000 ACORN activists, why not utilize the 760,000 post office folks who already know the neighborhoods, are already in place and are not a partisan political group?
From Rep Chaffetz:
“The census is a good example of an inefficient government program with billions of dollars of cost overruns that could immediately become more efficient with this common sense approach using resources already at our disposal,”
FACTS:
760,000+ Postal employees
750,000+ Anticipated new hires needed to conduct the 2010 Census
$11 Billion+ Appropriations to conduct the 2010 Census
$ Billions Projected US Post Office revenue shortfall for FY 2009
April 1, 2010 Census Day (Certainly an appropriate day if ACORN is running the census!)
Rep. Chaffetz’ bill will create a “postal holiday” on the “Census Day” to allow the collection of Census information rather than the delivery of mail.
Chaffetz better be careful though – his out-of-the-box thinking and common sense approach is earning him a reputation. Pretty soon, his name will become a verb and people will talk about “Chaffetzizing” or simply “Chaffetzing” when they mean a politician who actually stands on principle and brings forward workable solutions.
June 24, 2009 at 8:37 am
And how exactly does he expect to use a non-partisan group to promote his political agenda? (insert sarcastic tone)
June 24, 2009 at 9:42 am
That is assuming everyone experiences the “Chaffetz Love” you seem to have come down with…
Which I don’t think many outside of UT-3 do.
You notice he’s not really solving the problems people actually care about?
June 24, 2009 at 9:46 am
Forgot to finish my statement (shouldn’t do this while working)…
Anyway, some doofus suggests this every census, and it never goes through, 1) because postal service administrators fight it, because it’s an impossible task for them, and 2) legislators realize it would actually be MORE expensive to train and organize postal employees to “save” money than it would be to hire those already trained, and in fact experienced in the process.
That of course doesn’t address the ACORN conspiracy theories, but rational people aren’t worried about those.
June 24, 2009 at 10:42 am
I agree that ACORN should not be involved in the census.
I’d also like to know what the point was of the Census folks gathering GPS coordinates (perhaps still is being done) for residences a couple of month’s ago.
June 24, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Have you ever used Google Earth or StreetView? GPS coordinates matched with addresses will greatly improve these mapping services and all kinds of other geographic information systems. It’s not a conspiracy.
June 24, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Jasonthe,
I’m calling you on your ridiculous and unsubstantiated claims.
Claim 1: “I don’t think many outside of UT-3″…”[experience] the ‘Chaffetz Love’”
And by your thinking, the majority of Americans are Liberals who see no purpose for Religion, right? You can “think” all you want; it doesn’t change the fact that Chaffetz has already become very popular among Americans who consider themselves Conservative. Ask Michelle Malkin.
Claim 2: “he’s not really solving the problems people actually care about?”
This is Orwellian language for not solving the problems YOU care about, specifically how to nationalize health care, how to open our borders to unfettered immigration, or other government-solves-everything malarkey.
Claim 3: “some doofus suggests this every census”
Calling someone a “doofus” because they make a common-sense connection between a task to visit every house in America and the US Postal Service only makes you look like an idiot. The reasons you give are typical government-loving, unionist, bovine excrement. See below.
Claim 4: “postal service administrators fight it, because it’s an impossible task for them”
Ludicrous. This is like the UAW leadership objecting to having to make cars. Only government bureaucrats and union officials are this dense. If they object, maybe they should find a different place to work.
Claim 5: “legislators realize it would actually be MORE expensive to train and organize postal employees to ‘save’ money than it would be to hire those already trained, and in fact experienced in the process.”
Don’t you mean to say “legislators realize it would actually be MORE expensive to train and organize postal employees to” do their job? More bunk. Postal employees would need little additional training. I’ve answered two surveys for the Postal Service delivered by postal employees in the last two years. This would be no different.
I was around for the last census, and I remember how the survey was taken. Anyone could have done it with a minimum of training, and in fact did. Previous census takers were ordinary people they hired off the street, who had no previous experience collecting census data. ACORN wasn’t running the census then, and they shouldn’t be doing it now, given their propensity for fraud, dishonesty, and theft.
What this comes down to is that there are still people who insist that the harmful status quo must be maintained, money must be wasted, and common sense ideas must be ridiculed because they threaten some little tyrant’s tea-cup empire. What a sorry comment that is.
June 25, 2009 at 8:49 am
[...] Keep ACORN away from the census « Holly On The Hill [...]
June 25, 2009 at 9:18 am
I think this is a fantastic idea.
My mom worked for the census about 15 years ago with only about a half day’s training. It seems like postal employees would certainly being up to it. And it seems like using even just a portion of the money that would be spent on the census to bolster the postal system would be a good idea.
Not always a Chaffetz fan. But this is good thinking, IMHO.
June 25, 2009 at 9:19 am
I meant to say: “It seems like postal employees would certainly be up to it.”
Gads.
June 25, 2009 at 1:28 pm
I’m really surprised that this link hasn’t been posted yet. Really great stuff and a must read if you believe either Holly or Chaffetz. http://bobaagard.blogspot.com/2009/06/chaffetzing-wrong-on-census-acorn-and.html
June 25, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Sorry Congressman, but Census Idea Won’t Work…
You all know that I am a Jason Chaffetz supporter. I like his politics and I like what he is trying to do in Washington. However, I think that Jason is wrong with his latest efforts to save the tax payer money.
No, he isn’t wrong in trying to s…
June 26, 2009 at 8:27 am
ACORN is nothing but a buch of scum, if even one member of acorn steps on my property I will surley kick them in the ass and send them on there way no matter who they a representing.
WAKE UP AMERICA YOU ARE BEING OVER RUN WITH LIBERAL SCUM.