| Why the census is always political |
| Monday, February 23, 2009 |
By Tyche Hendricks
SFGate.com
The primary purpose of the census is to count every person living in the United States in order to draw the boundaries of congressional districts and ensure an approximately equal population in each. States and localities also use the data to determine political districts. And the federal government allocates funds for highways, schools, police and other purposes based on the population count.
"What's not political about the census? It's the basis of the two most important things in politics: money and representation," said Harvard professor of government D. Sunshine Hillygus. "Mayors and governors are keenly aware of this. They know that getting an accurate count of their cities is going to directly translate into dollars.
"They also know that whether they get an additional congressman or one less congressman will depend on getting an accurate count."
Gregg's nomination sparked protest from African American and Latino leaders concerned that their communities have been perennially undercounted and afraid that Gregg, with a track record of opposing extra census funding, would sell them short.
To reassure these groups, President Obama indicated that the White House would exercise strong oversight of the census. But that only inflamed Republican leaders, who accused him of a Democratic "power grab." Obama clarified that he didn't intend to remove the operation from the Commerce Department, but Gregg bowed out of consideration.
The Clinton Census Bureau suggested before the 2000 census that statistical sampling could yield a more accurate tally than trying to count every individual. But the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the plan in 1999, noting that the Constitution calls for "actual enumeration" of the population every 10 years.
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posted by citizen jerk @ 6:19 AM   |
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