1 In 3 Americans Failed To Return Census Forms

Originally posted by ProtoplasmicTraveler

That’s not freedom, nor anything close to freedom, but truly a combination of brainwashing, borne out of the fears, that if some are too free, then it keeps others from being “free”, only in that later case, “free” to be 100% reliant on the protections that a shared version of “freedom” creates in their own minds, often for people who lacked the initiative and self empowerment to ever be free on their own, or accept the responsibilities of it to begin with.

I have a cousin who has been brain damaged from a very early age. I guess you could say he lacks the "initiative and self-empowerment", not to mention the "acceptance of responsibilities" that his condition makes impossible. His family is not rich, so they rely on some state funding in order to properly support and care for him. Similarly, there are government-funded hospitals and other institutions in which there are people who have no families and never will be Howard Roark out of "The Fountainhead."

These people, too, have a right to life, as good a one as it is possible to give them.

I do not feel I am less free because some of my tax money helps support people like my cousin. I do not feel he is an infringement on my liberty or my self determination.

If you want to know more about my opinion of Ayn Rand and social Darwinists see my signature.

reply to post by Sestias


I, for one, agree with you.

What i refer to is the analogue in the institutionalization of a prisoner, or long term patient, and the "free range slave"/common citizen.

You can see, in our current state, that people are wanting more and more service provided for by the government. Codependance is like a drug.

I cannot recall who it was...perhaps Jefferson. But it was said (and i paraphrase...at work and don't have the time to find the exact quote): "A democracy will only work until the people realize that they can pay themselves."

Maybe you can call it "The Conservation Of Energy". People are just lazy by nature. I don't know.

I'll admit I have not returned mine. No political statement. I think we just lost it in the chaos when we moved.

reply to post by Sestias


People like to paint Rand as some cruel she-beast. They either forget about the social responsibility she kept beating home or they just dont know anything about her work outside of some jokes made on the Daily Show.

Her cruelest characters always crashed and burned. Success always came with generosity and charity. Not government mandated 'generosity' as in wealth redistribution but in real self-motivated charity for the sake of civilization.

If government enforced wealth redistribution went away overnight your cousin and his family would not suffer some Hollywood inspired devastation.

...i dont have issues with the census but i havent mailed ours in yet because i havent had time... if they send someone to my door to collect the info in person, thats fine... i'll take my sweet assed time filling out what i believe is pertinent info while they sit with my paper-shredding insane mother (severe alzheimers) and listen to her incessant "who are you?", "whats your name?", "and you are?", "who are you?", "whats your name?", "and you are?", "who are you?", "whats your name?", "and you are?"... with a little luck, maybe she'll entertain them by dropping her diapers and taking a crap on the living room floor while singing "you cant touch this!"...

Originally posted by Wyn Hawks
...i dont have issues with the census but i havent mailed ours in yet because i havent had time... if they send someone to my door to collect the info in person, thats fine... i'll take my sweet assed time filling out what i believe is pertinent info while they sit with my paper-shredding insane mother (severe alzheimers) and listen to her incessant "who are you?", "whats your name?", "and you are?", "who are you?", "whats your name?", "and you are?", "who are you?", "whats your name?", "and you are?"... with a little luck, maybe she'll entertain them by dropping her diapers and taking a crap on the living room floor while singing "you cant touch this!"...

Wow, i bet Thanksgiving is fun at your house.



I was informed by my wife today that if i do not fill out the census, she will fill it out and send it in anyway. She then told me that if i didn't stop it, she was going to make me see a doctor.

reply to post by thisguyrighthere


I've actually read several of Rand's books. I once was a fan, back in my undergraduate days. That was when I believed I was invincible, and would be eternally young. I believed I was in complete control of my existence and my destiny.

The reality was my parents were paying the bills, and I was in good health because I had had excellent medical and dental care when I was growing up, among other benefits. My education was due to the privilege of being in an excellent school with excellent professors. In other words, everything I had I owed to others.

Real life taught me that real people are subject to accident, chance, illness and yes, sometimes poor choices. The brightest and the best can need a hand-out at some time in their lives.

I now find Rand's absolute scorn of ordinary people, ordinary kindness and humanity, and social responsibility both unrealistic and truly offensive. The only people she celebrates are complete egotists.

BTW: You might read Freud on the importance and role of the ego.

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan
I was informed by my wife today that if i do not fill out the census, she will fill it out and send it in anyway.

...you've got at least another week to procrastinate - be a shame to waste it... besides, if its so important to her, she shouldve already done it, lol...

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan
She then told me that if i didn't stop it, she was going to make me see a doctor.

...lmao... its been my experience that "stop it" works on husbands about as good as "behave yourself" works on the insane... would be a helluva hoot if she took you to a doctor who hadnt filled out their census either...

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
reply to post by Sestias

 

If government enforced wealth redistribution went away overnight your cousin and his family would not suffer some Hollywood inspired devastation.

Actually, yes they would. If they lost the small amount of assistance they get it would be a severe hardship on them both financially and logistically. At best they might have to send him to a state institution, which is certainly better than homelessness but not nearly as desirable as caring for a disabled person in your own home. (I trust you don't think we should close the state institutions, too. After all, they cost money, and their patients are dependent on them).

The American people are generous and churches do a lot, it's true. But there are assistance programs for the disabled and mentally challenged just because in the days when the government did not provide some social safety nets, people like my cousin were often homeless, sick, hungry and untreated, and died young and miserably. One could not always depend on a high-minded and generous soul to come along and care for them out of the goodness of their hearts. Any understanding of history would prove this to be true.

There are reasons why society believes we need some social safety nets. In a totally Darwinian society (such as exist in some third world countries) many good people would not survive.

Originally posted by Sestias...I returned my census form, BOTH of them (do they want to count me twice?) because I once had a census taker show up at my door due to my negligence with the mail. They asked a zillion questions and it was a pain in the neck.

www.nytimes.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Those of you that got 2 in the mail are for those of us that never received 1 in the mail.

So, THANKS to all of you that submitted twice on our behalf.

I also never received any phone calls or knocks on my door demanding a response.

reply to post by wyldwylly

I was missed in the 2000 census. I know we need an accurate count in order to plan for many things, but they really are a pain. Count yourself unhasseled and lucky.

I sent both of mine back partly because of the notice on the envelope that said a return was required by law. Surprising how that galvanized me. I like to avoid dealing with the law as much as possible.

I thought that deadline was a long time ago. The census worker came here weeks ago. We did ours the day we got it, but there are dozens of farm workers living in other areas on the farm who probably didn't.

People are high if they don't believe the government doesn't have an exact count of natural-born and naturalized citizens. With tax-returns, birth certificates, bank loans, school enrollment, SSN's and other federal documents required to live here, it's just hard to imagine that they don't have an accurate count. They should just go around counting illegals and homeless and add the numbers. Problem solved.