My Experiences as a Census Enumerator
I worked as a Census Enumerator, a paid job, for the U. S. Census Bureau (‘Bureau’) for the past two months in San José. Enumerators, also known as Census Takers, conduct research on behalf of the Bureau. They collect household and demographic information by canvassing their assigned areas. Enumerators must appropriately document and report the results they find to the Bureau.
This part-time job gave me a tremendous opportunity to get to better know my neighborhood, meet interesting people, learn their attitudes towards the U. S. government, in general, and census, in particular. Although most of the respondents (the populace) were friendly, I was a bit disappointed at the amount of Apathy, Racism Ignorance, and Disillusionment (ARID) that still persists in the neighborhoods I worked in—Almaden Valley, where I live, and Blossom Valley, my neighboring community. Remember, these are areas where the average home prices are about $1.48 million and $1 million, respectively. So, one would expect the residents to be middle- to upper-class with decent education, but I didn’t expect these attitudes from the residents.
In the software world of databases there are properties called ACID—Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability. In layman’s terms, suffice it to say that when you transfer money in a bank from your checking account to your savings account, or vice versa, these properties ensure your transaction either succeeds completely or fails completely. The transaction is done in isolation—no one else is messing with yours. Once the money transfer is complete, it is sustained—durable—and is irreversible.
</digress>
Some residents just did not bother answering the Bureau’s Questionnaire in person with me and refused to answer it online or by calling a toll-free number.
Racism
I knocked on the front door of a house, but there was no answer. Then I saw two Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) trucks next to the house and people standing and talking on the sidewalk across the street. I was told a PG&E transformer had overheated and caught fire. (It was a hot day with temperature in the low 100s.) Hence the family had evacuated temporarily. I asked all the five people if they could provide, as a proxy, any info about the family, but they could not. As I started to drive off, a gentleman returned to the family to quickly pick up his phone charger. He was Black and all the five people I talked to were White! I live in a cul-de-sac with nine houses and I know exactly how many people live in each of those, albeit I can’t name them.
Ignorance
Many folks have absolutely had no idea how often census is taken (it’s decennial—every 10 years) and the price the community pays for not being counted—lack of representation in the U. S. House of Representatives, federal aid to schools, seniors, food stamps (aka SNAP), etc. One respondent (occupant) said, “I don’t believe in the Census, it only helps immigrants and minorities.”
Disillusionment
I knocked on another door of a house, with a monster pickup truck in the driveway with a Confederate flag flying and saw a pit bull approaching the front door. The respondent was in the backyard and came to the front door steaming and saying, “I’ve told you five 5 times not to show up and (pointing to his barking dog), see, even my dog hates you.”
Overall, the Trump administration has politicized Census, as it has the entire COVID-19 mess. Typically, census are taken through December 31 and the results are tabulated and reported by April 30 of the following year. However, this time Trump and his cronies in the Department of Commerce, which overseas the Bureau, moved the census-taking deadline to October 15, with the results to be reported by December 31. Since May, however, career officials at the Bureau have warned that the agency can no longer meet the Dec. 31 reporting deadline because of the pandemic. But the right-wing Supreme Court today allowed the Trump administration to end census counting by October 15.
So, my fellow Americans, you just got a preview of what’s on the horizon when Amy what’s-her-face is nominated to the SCOTUS. You can kiss Roe vs. Wade, Obamacare, Women’s Rights, Same-Sex Marriage…Good Bye!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
