Thread: Counting Illegals in Census = Lost Seats in Congress

Counting Illegals in Census = Lost Seats in Congress



Dollars and Census
Charles Mahtesian

The decennial census, our national head count, might seem like the most apolitical of exercises. Over time, though, it has emerged as anything but - there’s simply too much federal money and power at stake. Among other things, census data determines how many congressional seats are apportioned to each state. It affects how those districts are drawn, and it shapes federal funding to states and municipalities. Understandably, then, the politicking over the 2010 census is well under way.

Some of the census-related skirmishes are almost too esoteric to warrant much attention. They deal with things such as what should be asked on the questionnaires, the inclusion or elimination of certain surveys or the vagaries of place designations. How long should the census form be? Should the minimum population threshold be lowered? Should there be a special census designation for places such as Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley? Is it still worth asking a question about foster children when past response has been spotty and another federal agency tracked the same data? The answers to these seemingly arcane questions matter in Washington and in statehouses and city halls across the country, because in the end they translate into dollars and clout - even if they don’t attract much notice from the media or average citizens.

Though the census still is three years out, you can bet there are at least two issues that will generate headlines. The first is minority undercounting. This is not new, but it’s likely to be affected by the current congressional pecking order. Since Democrats control Congress and most Hispanics and African-Americans in Congress are Democrats, minority undercounting will get increased scrutiny. The congressional Black, Hispanic and Asian caucuses already are working together to address it, and Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees the census, has made clear that the undercount is a top priority.

For these lawmakers, the minority undercount has consequences that reach beyond federal aid. Clay, like many other African-American members of Congress, represents a big-city district that is declining in population - St. Louis. His home state is on track to lose a congressional seat after the next census, and the boundaries of his district undoubtedly will be affected in redistricting, perhaps in ways not to his liking.

The other contentious issue concerns the counting of illegal immigrants. Since the Census Bureau does not distinguish between citizens and noncitizens - its constitutional mandate calls for counting all “personsâ€

How can you possibly count illegals in the census? They are not citizens, they don't pay state and federal taxes. What a bunch of morons. It should be very clear to anyone WITH A BRAIN that illegals being counted in the census is obsurd because it skews the input data, and therefore the output will not be accurate.
Of course, these are probably the same idiots who survey 1,000 people, and statistically claim these 1,000 speak for the majority of the nation.