If you’re among the unemployed masses, maybe you’ve had plenty of time to follow the saga of Republican Senator Judd Gregg, his nomination to the post of Commerce Secretary, and his eventual withdrawal over issues that included… the 2010 U.S. Census. Amy Sullivan of TIME has explained the basic contours of that fracas:
Why does it matter who oversees the census? In very general terms, Republicans would prefer to err on the side of undercounting and Democrats would prefer to err on the side of overcounting. The options can yield very different numbers for demographic groups and localities — and they have significant political and policy implications.
What does all of this have to do with unemployed Washingtonians? Well, this morning my in-box received the following message from Governor Christine Gregoire:
Even though the census is a year away, census workers are needed soon. The local Census Office will be hiring 4,000 temporary employees for 2009.
“This is not only an opportunity for thousands of Washingtonians to gain much-needed employment, this census ensures Washington receives its fair share of federal funds,” Gregoire said. “Every Washingtonian who completes the census form means about $800 of federal funds each year coming to Washington for roads, community and senior centers, schools, hospitals and emergency preparedness.”
So, you know, apply early and count often!
I worked for the 2000 census. I had to do follow-up calls to those people who didn’t mail in the form themselves (field officers had to track them down to get their info). I was 19, and I had to talk to a lot of angry Oklahoman rednecks. It was awful.
Just to be meta for a moment, this post is how SLOG posts are supposed to be. Progressive information/discussion that directly applies to Washingtonians. We may get some fuckheads, but it won’t be because the thread was structured to fail.
The specific ideological objection Gregg and other conservatives have is against modern statistical methods — against science, in other words. This may sound familiar. Modern census counters use statistical methods to count the undercounted — methods that have been shown time and again to be MORE accurate than simple counting, not less.
Their argument has a conservative intellectual underpinning — the Constitution says “enumerating”, blah blah blah — but the real reason is of course that the undercounted are overwelmingly dark, poor, and (to the extremely limited extent they vote) Democratic. And they need welfare. Of course, Gregg has no problem with welfare that goes to whites (there are no blacks in New Hampshire).
For an illustration of how this works, imagine you had a mountain of pins to count. You could count every one of them, or you could count how many pins are in a pound and then weigh the rest. The latter will give you a much more accurate number than the former.
I worked for the 2000 census my senior year in high school. Best fucking high school job ever. The pay would up being almost 20 an hour when millage was factored in and I could essentially choose my hours. Between that and another job I was pulling down over 2 grand a month working 25 hours a week.
With no expenses to speak of I was livin quite large.
“come to you census!” That’s my slogan. Let’s make t-shirts.
I worked for the 2000 census in Seattle. By applying very early, I was fortunate enough to have a temp job that lasted over 1 1/2 years, in the Seattle Census office.
Various projects come up during the year before the actual counting, such as many address verification jobs.
It was a very rewarding, although challenging at times, job. The census is a phenomenal and important undertaking. If I didn’t have a position I loved now, I would just at the chance to do it again.
I just applied at my local office here on the East Coast. I need work. Thank you for the tip.
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blah blah blah
It’s only the Constitution, after all.
Democrats “overcount” because they are lying cheaters.
Republicans “undercount” because they don’t make people up.
@3 – The other Republican objective is to justify having so many rural republican districts both in congress or state legislatures. Eastern Washington should be 1 Congressional district. In the state legislature only 4-6 districts, at least one a lock for Democratic Spokane, another a Democratic lock for Native Americans and/or Latinos around Yakima. A third state district with Pullman should be competitive.
@8, @9 — you apparently missed the “more accurate” part of my summary. We know for a fact that millions of people get missed by the census. We know for a fact that we can use statistical methods — the same scientific methods that make every other aspect of your life possible — to correct for the missing people.
Republicans aren’t interested in the truth. They’re interested in turning every single aspect of life into a partisan contest. This has been the hallmark of Republican thinking since 1968. People like you who think you are “conservative” are dupes. Always have been.
@8 in particular: you know absolutely nothing about the Constitution. I’ve never met a Republican who did.
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You fool no one.
Once you start massaging the numbers you can make them say whatever you want them to.
It is a tool for the party in power to stay there.
‘Counting’ is not such a difficult concept.
Besides, an actual count gives more unskilled Seattle PhDs a chance to work a few months between stints drawing unemployment.
Otherwise you just need Emanuel and one computer tech to pump out the numbers.
I don’t answer the door when I am home. I also screen calls meaning I don’t answer it for anybody. How will they count me? Camp outside my house? I had a girlfriend once who got harassed daily last time around. She told them 2 adults and that is all they are getting. They finally gave up. Anymore information is an infringement on privacy.
Oooh, I just signed up for a testing session tomorrow. This’ll be even better than when I took Greyhound all those times in college.
@14 You are totally cool. The laws of statistics and very large numbers don’t know you, and you don’t know them.
i’d suggest you keep your odd thoughts about ‘rights’ and ‘privacy’ to yourself and ‘yours’.
and for godssakes don’t let ANYTHING INFRINGE.
eh, changed my mind. go eat a gun.
I should warn you, from prior experience doing census work (both mine and my dad’s), that you’d be surprised how many people open their doors while … starkers.
Other than that it’s a fun gig.
@12; “Once you start massaging the numbers you can make them say whatever you want them to.”
This is the mantra of folks who don’t know jack about numbers. It is the fallback excuse for anti-science know nothings. It’s said by the same kind of people who say that evolution is only a theory or that we really don’t know that humans are causing climate change.
Crawl back in your cave.
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Actually it is the mantra of grad students getting research material in publishable form. If you treat them right the numbers can be your friend.
Stick your head back in the sand.