God and Country
by PHIL JONES
I had a refreshing experience recently. I signed up for the Census. No, I don’t mean I filled out my questionnaire and sent it in, like 95% of you who are reading this column. What I mean is, I signed up to help conduct the Census.
What’s so refreshing about that? It has been exactly the opposite of what I expected.
I expected the Census Bureau to be a bunch of stuffy, bloodless bureaucrats, wasteful and inefficient, and in love with unnecessary paperwork. You know, the government. I expected the pay to be poor, or mediocre at best.
I expected it to be scary, unpleasant work. I don’t listen to Rush Limbaugh or any of the other hate and fear mongers of talk radio, nor do I watch Fox News, but from the sources I do check, I am aware of the misinformation they have been pumping into people’s minds. You know what I mean. All about how the Census is part of some evil plot to turn the country over to the minorities and make Barack Obama the Dictator of the World, and how we are all going to be slaves if we tell the government all those things they want to know about us, et cetera, ad nauseum. So I expected a high percentage of the people I approached would be distrustful, hostile, or even threatening toward me as a Census taker. I even asked my wife to pray for my safety. (She said she was already doing that.)
What I found was just the opposite. The crew leaders, trainers, and my fellow trainees are the nicest bunch of people you could ever want to meet. They are intelligent, gentle, and have a good sense of humor. In fact, I learned today that this year’s batch of Census workers is the best educated in the history of the country – probably because Wall Street has put so many of us out of work, we are available in large numbers!
I learned that the Census Bureau is absolutely dedicated to the confidentiality of the personal information they collect. Census workers are trained to guard all such information closely, and any Census worker – temporary or permanent – who discloses the personal identifying information of any respondent is subject to very stiff fines and jail time. The Census Bureau does not disclose identifying information to anyone, not even to other government agencies. They report statistics only. The personal identifying information is kept under lock and key for 72 years.
I am impressed with how smooth and efficient the operation is. Of course there are occasional glitches, but given the massiveness of the undertaking – to count each and every person in the United States – and the fact that they do it only once every 10 years, and rely almost entirely on temporary employees to get it done, it is remarkable how well-organized it is, and how little time, money and effort is wasted. The pay is actually good, and the government reimburses me for every mile that I drive my car – an important consideration when your job sends you roaming around the countryside.
It has been quite the opposite of scary and unpleasant. I have met dozens of the nicest people from all walks of life. The vast majority are more than happy to talk with me for the 10 minutes it usually takes. I haven’t encountered a single paranoid hot-head. At least, not yet. I have had to do some detective work to find some of the addresses, and resolve some of the situations, but even that is enjoyable. A colleague and I returned a lost dog to its owner while making our rounds yesterday.
I have learned a lot about my community by driving along its streets, in neighborhoods I have never visited, even though they are close to my home. I feel much more rooted in the Buda/Kyle area as a result.
It has also boosted my faith in my fellow Americans. They don’t believe everything they are told. They think for themselves. They see through the bull. They see the media for what it is – a bunch of self-serving people out to make a buck by stirring up controversy, or creating controversy out of thin air. Thin, hot air.
I don’t want to paint too rosy a picture. There have been isolated instances of violence involving Census workers – some as perpetrators and some as victims – but no more than in previous years. (This is the 23rd time the Census has been taken. The Constitution mandates it every 10 years. The first time was in 1790.) And there are scam artists posing as Census workers to take whatever advantage they can. (This can easily be avoided. Any real Census worker will be happy to provide you with his or her employee number, and a San Antonio phone number you can call to verify that he or she is legit.)
The Census Bureau expects the operation in Hays County to last through June. In that time, I will probably run into a few unpleasant people or situations. Law of averages. But so far, I have found the work to be downright fun.
