Michelle Bachman - quite possible the nuttiest person next to the Mad Hatter - was on Fox recently to discuss the 2010 Census with stereotypical "pretty-blonde-girl" Megyn Kelly. But there was a problem with their analysis.
Bachman has previously discussed her abject fear of ACORN with Glenn Beck, as well as her assumption that the long-form ACS ( which is going to only be distributed to approximately 0.0028% of Americans ) and the 2010 Census. Now, she's meshed all three together in her mind and convinced herself that if she fills out the census that someone's going to come to her home and take her away.
Nevermind that ACORN isn't even conducting the 2010 Census. Nevermind that Bachman and Kelly on attempting to make their audience believe that the ACS and the 2010 Census are the same - which they aren't. The questions that Bachman is expressing fear over have been in place for quite some time.
Think Progress details some of these.
Most importantly, the questions that Bachmann is so concerned about — questions she suggests might somehow lead to internment — are not new questions (not to mention they frequently overlap with information given to the IRS every year). Census questions on race have been asked since 1790; home language since 1890; rent since 1880; and income since 1940. The Census has asked what kind of heating fuel heats Americans’ homes since 1940.
Here's her and Beck going on into their little delusional, fantasy-world.
The 2010 Census has a FAQ as well as a page on how their data is protected.
It's this same abstract, illogical, blathering that creates a fear within people that leads to some nutty things. It's not a grand leap of rational thinking to assume that some person, quite possibly in a staunchly conservative region of the US, is going to assault a census taker - should that person be so amped-up with Beck and Bachman's rhetoric.
Here's a simple question for Bachman, Beck, and Kelly - did they have this much of a problem with the 2000 Census?
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