Census crazy costs

About a month ago I received a postcard in the mail telling me the 2010 census was going to be shiped to me within the next 30 days. I thought to myself, "I guess the government wants to make sure I know this important document is coming and I waited for the census to be delivered. Oddly enough, a few days later I received another notice that the census was on its way. Ok, ok ... I understand it's important but two warning postcards???

Then it happened .... I received my census form. It took about five minutes to fill it out (quite simple really) and I mailed it back the very next day. Guess what happened next? Two days later I received another postcard reminding me to fill out the census form that I received a few days earlier.

Mix the cost of all that postage in with the thousands of radio and television commercials that the government purchased - making sure us "stupid people" fill out the census forms and I started wondering just how much the 2010 census is costing America.

Mr. Robert Goldenkoff of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said that the 2010 census is estimated to cost over $14-Billion .... far more than any in USA history. I understand that census figures are very important as they help distribute more than $400-Billion in annual Federal Aid but does it really have to cost $14-Billion???? Do we really need all those reminders and all those commercials?

Goldenkoff says it costs about $75 to tally each unresponsive household. He also siad there is extra costs involved counting over 12-million undocumented immigrants. The GAO says the Census Bureau needs to re-examine its approach and he asks, "Does it really make sense to go back to a household six times?"

Here we are in a very difficult economic time and the government is spending $14-Billion to count us. It just doesn't make sense to me. I understand the need for the census but I just cannot justify $14-Billion to do it. What do you think ?????