Census Jobs?

[wnlbutterfly]

Thank you Grimjack for answering the question.

Please remember these are just people in your community, it's not like they crawled out from under a Govt rock somewhere. So no matter what your position on the Govt, please be kind.

Oh, and this was something that was set up in the Constitution by our founding fathers. Not a left-wing or right-wing agenda.

[zakity]

FYI for those not wanting trespassers. We really don't have to walk up to the door to map the house, we can do it from the street or end of the drive (if you are rural). They would just like us to get as close as possible.

I have a 200 ft long driveway. You can see my house from the street, well, part of it and the house numbers. There is no reason to walk down my driveway then if they just need to "see" the house.

(Nota Bene - It is not a socialist plot to take away your guns - it is how our country works. The people who do this job are just people doing their job. If you actually shoot them or even shoot at them, the jack-booted thugs will hunt you down)

I realize they are just doing their jobs. But, if you are on my property and I don't know who you are and I am in fear for my life or my children's life, yeah, I will be shooting. I live sort of rural. The first lady had her "census" bag with the "census" side out (huge CENSUS sign in white and yellow). I could see who she was and why she was there from way far off.

The other lady didn't have a bag and I had at least one child outside in the yard. She was walking right past my house to the back of my property where my child was. My house is in the front part of the property and our property goes behind the house. She had no reason to be walking past my house towards where my child was. Would anyone be keen on someone just walking into their backyard?

You just don't walk onto someone's property and walk past their house, especially in a rural area. Geesh, even the guys from the electric company who check the telephone poles on the property drive up the driveway and knock on the door to say they are going behind my house and why they are there. They are in a huge bucket truck with the company's name on it, hats with the company's name on it, bright orange safety vests with "electric company" on it, and it has been the same guys for the last ten years.

And, GrimJack, you might want to reread the Constitution, especially the Second Amendment. They can't take away our guns.

[GrimJack]

butterfly - the discrepancy in pay might be due to where we live - I live in Seattle and the cost of living here is pretty high.

[GrimJack]

And, GrimJack, you might want to reread the Constitution, especially the Second Amendment. They can't take away our guns.

I have no clue where this comment is coming from - like I said "it is not a socialist plot to take away your guns" (heck, I have some of my own; I was born and raised in Montana - my b-in-l gave me a .357 for Xmas 30 years ago - point being, read for content). They can take your guns away for a lot of reasons so the 2nd amendment is not a blanket protection; they can also demand that you disarm for plenty of reasons.

Nota Bene - I have read the constitution and I still don't know ftw you were referring to.

[zakity]

(Nota Bene - It is not a socialist plot to take away your guns - it is how our country works. The people who do this job are just people doing their job. If you actually shoot them or even shoot at them, the jack-booted thugs will hunt you down)

Ok, then you need to explain what you meant by this because I must have misunderstood.

[wnlbutterfly]

Not that I really want to get in the middle of this side thread going on, but he did say "thugs will hunt you down" if you shoot someone, not take away your guns.

I am sure you are right on the job rate. But I know some people that really aren't in much different cost of living area and their rates are still a lot different. One gal getting $11.75, another getting $13.

I would NOT have walked past the house and into the back area. They are suppose to walk up to the door and knock. She might have been looking for "other living quarters", but that is pushing it what you described.

I have been making sure I have my Census bag with me even for that very reason (so people can tell what I am doing). But I am in town and that is different than rural.

Laura

[GrimJack]

(Nota Bene - It is not a socialist plot to take away your guns - it is how our country works. The people who do this job are just people doing their job. If you actually shoot them or even shoot at them, the jack-booted thugs will hunt you down)

Ok, then you need to explain what you meant by this because I must have misunderstood.

If you shoot someone or shoot at someone, the police will arrest you.

The Constitution of the United States demands a census every 10 years. In order to do this, people must be hired to verify that every 'living quarter' is enumerated so that a later mailing out of the census form will go to each and every household. The people who are working down at street level are just regular folk doing the job they are paid to do. The fact that they are federal employees means that it is not just the local police who will go looking for you if you shoot them or shoot at them - the ATF, FBI, Secret Service, and other will hunt you down. These Federal authorities have been called 'jack-booted thugs' (a reference to certain German groups in the '30s) - I use the term as a tongue-in-cheek reference. (Jackboot is a type of combat boot that rises to at least mid-calf, has no laces, and typically has a leather sole with hobnails and heel irons. - see the cover illustration of Jack London's The Iron Heel)

[zakity]

I would NOT have walked past the house and into the back area. They are suppose to walk up to the door and knock. She might have been looking for "other living quarters", but that is pushing it what you described.

I have been making sure I have my Census bag with me even for that very reason (so people can tell what I am doing). But I am in town and that is different than rural.

Yeah, there was no knocking happening. I could see her walk right past my house.

If you shoot someone or shoot at someone, the police will arrest you.

If I am in fear for my life, I have the legal right to defend myself. If I am in fear for my child's life, I am within my legal rights to defend him also. If someone is on my property for "official business" and they let me know, they are fine. There was no knocking and she was not headed towards my front door. If you are walking past my house towards one of my children (she couldn't see my child, but I know he was back there), I am defiinately in fear for my child's well-being.

[kork13]

zakity, there must surely be a local census office that you can lodge a complaint with? Although, if she just walked back, never identified herself, and left, are you certain that she was with the census?

[zakity]

Yeah, after I walked out and very rudely asked what she was doing on my property, she told me that she was verifying addresses and showed me her "ID". She also had the same handheld thingy the other lady had (some sort of handheld computer/GPS thing). She also had a pad of papers to hand out that explained that she was with the Census (the other lady handed me one right off the bat).

[GrimJack]

Yeah, after I walked out and very rudely asked what she was doing on my property, she told me that she was verifying addresses and showed me her "ID". She also had the same handheld thingy the other lady had (some sort of handheld computer/GPS thing). She also had a pad of papers to hand out that explained that she was with the Census (the other lady handed me one right off the bat).

That was a total fail! The training I received stated in no uncertain terms that every address was to receive a courtesy contact to explain what enumerators were doing and why with emphasis on the fact that all personally identifiable information information was confidential - not to be shared for 75 years (actually, 70+ years, I forget but long enough that most people would have died of old age).

If I had any standing with the US Census, I would apologize on their behalf.

The hand held is a fingerprint protected gps/pc, we actually had to scan a fingerprint from each hand just in case something happened (?!?!) to one hand - guess which fingers I scanned. When an address is verified a 'spot' is marked. Much of the data comes from the Post Office and the last census and has to be verified (then QC-ed by the seconded person).

[wnlbutterfly]

I agree, this is not how we were trained. I am going to assume this was Quality Control. They have a second wave that does spot checks (random) and they also have to check if we delete or add an address. But still, their training is the same. Knock on the FRONT door, if no one answers then do the map spot and leave. There should be no snooping around in the backyard.

You could probably get the local office phone number online and call in a complaint. T