It’s the Law: Count on It

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and a few of his congressional colleagues seem to have forgotten the oath they swore to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the United States. Responding to constituent complaints about parts of the long-form census questionnaire, they have suggested that questions that some might consider objectionable can simply be ignored. That is, plainly and simply, advice to break the law, and considering the source it’s especially reprehensible.

About one household in six--approximately 20 million in all--was mailed the long census form; all others got a mere eight questions about the people in the household. The long form aims to gather information that is essential for directing certain federal outlays. In the current decade, expenditures linked directly to census-provided information could total close to $2 trillion.

So there are a purpose and a policy consideration behind every census question, no matter how dubious its relevance may seem. Questions that some find intrusive and none of the government’s business--about indoor plumbing or household income, for example--contribute to a national economic and demographic profile that is of great value to both government and the private sector. This information helps determine where roads and schools will be built, where Medicare and Medicaid funds should be channeled, where shopping centers are best located, where the needs of the disabled may be most acute. The Census Bureau would have done well to emphasize this point much earlier.

The census has steadily evolved beyond its limited 18th century purpose of congressional reapportionment. Those in Congress who now counsel leaving some census questions unanswered suffer from a convenient memory lapse: Every one of the questions, many of which are mandated by statute or court rulings, was approved by Congress two years ago.