Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!spool2.mu.edu!sdd.hp.com!decwrl!limbo!taylor
From: ward@tsnews.Convergent.COM (Ward Griffiths)
Newsgroups: comp.society
Subject: Re: The Census
Message-ID: <1605@limbo.Intuitive.Com>
Date: 9 Jan 91 10:29:42 GMT
Sender: taylor@limbo.Intuitive.Com
Organization: Convergent Technologies, San Jose, CA
Lines: 19
Approved: taylor@Limbo.Intuitive.Com

The original purpose of the national census each decade, as established
in the original U.S.  Constitution, was nothing more than counting
noses.  The primary reasons for the nose-counting were to determine how
many congress-critters each state would supply to the house of
representatives, and how much taxes each state would pay to the federal
government.  Of course, the latter reason no longer applies, as the
Constitution was later ammended to allow the federal government to tax
individuals.  I am not sure of the legal basis for the newer nosy
versions of the census, but I must assume that with the current policy
of treating regulations inflicted by government departments as having
the power of law, that someone at the bureau simply decided "Hey!  Why
don't we insist they give us all these nifty personal details about
their lives!".

Can't say as I personally agree with these rules, but as Chairman Mao (a
man I respected but did not admire) said:  Power Comes from the Barrel
of a Gun.  And the government has more guns than I have.  At present.

Ward Griffiths