Congratulations to The Common Sense Contest Winners!

Well, that was a very short-lived contest! I received many responses, but, only 10 could win - well, actually, 11 won. I bought 11 copies of Glenn Beck’s Common Sense: A Case Against an Out-of-Control Government inspired by Thomas Paine with the intention that I would keep a personal copy. Well, I decided that in the spirit of the contest I am passing my personal copy along. First up - the winners of the contest. For those winners that have a blog - if they are not already on my blogroll - I will be adding them. After the winners - I will post up the response to the questions.  The winners are in no particular order here:

1. Rob - aka - Lot2Learn (blogger) - Did I Miss Something
2. RE Ausetkmt (blogger) - Bad Gals Radio
3. Linoge (blogger) - Walls of The City
4. James (blogger) - Stand Up For America
5. Donald (e-mail subscriber)
6. Jan (blogger) - Better Life, Better Health through Chiropractic
7. Inge (blogger) - Dementia for 2
8. Jan G. (e-mail subscriber and long-time friend)
9. Casey (blogger) - The Conservative Cloak Room
10. Thaddeus (blogger) - Army of Epiphenomenon

Congratulations to all the winners.  I will get the books out to you right away on Monday. Now - the answer:

An individual comes to your door and announces they are a representative of the government. The individual then proceeds to tell you that they’ve been trying to get in contact with your neighbor, but, for whatever reason they keep missing them. They ask you if you could answer a few questions about your neighbor, these being:

1. Do you know if your neighbor is married and/or has any children?
2. What kind of car, or cars, does your neighbor drive?
3. Since they keep missing your neighbors, do you know what time they leave for work and what time they get back?
4. Do you know what line of business your neighbor is in and/or do you know where he works?
5. How long has she been living at that location and do you know whether she owns or rents?

This is just a short list. So - what is your response to the questions and why?

This actually has a short answer - apparently, it wasn’t as common sense as I thought. The winners above all had variations, but came up with the right answers.  Others, I hope you come back and read this.

1 - the answer to all 5 questions should be - I don’t know and I won’t give out any information about my neighbors or myself.

2 - The government has no constitutional authority to ask such questions unless there is a lawful reason that is accompanied by a duly authorized subpoena or warrant.

So - the reason for this contest - as some of my winners figured out - has to do with the upcoming 2010 Census.  I actually have some insider experience with this.  In 2000, before I educated myself, I was a Census Taker.  I was going through a divorce and needed some extra cash.  On the weekends I would meet with a supervisor who would hand me a stack of census forms and a list of addresses of those individuals who did not complete their censuses beyond just the count of individuals in the home.  I would drive around for 8 hours on Saturdays and Sundays attempting to get these completed - with all the personal questions.  As part of this process, if the individuals in question were not home, we were to knock on the doors of the neighbors and ask them if they could provide the answers.

Some times some of the neighbors provided the answers.  Other times they did not.  I couldn’t understand at that time why no one was being cooperative.  In fact, there was one guy who enlightened me and from that point forward I was questioning it.  I walked around in to this guy’s garage (I heard some noise in the back so I went around) - There was a group of men sitting around a table - the entire room was adorned with various flags including the American Flag and The Gadsden Flag - and lots of rifles and rifle racks.  After I identified myself and my purpose - after the entire room was done laughing - the man stood up and approached me.  Rather than being beligerant - he calmly explained Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution stating I had no authority to ask him any of those questions and that he had completed all that he was required by law to provide to the government.  He also informed me he was a Marine (intimidation factor here). I said thanks and moved on to the next house.  But - from that point forward I decided I needed to know more.

Given that ACORN has been hired to conduct the next census and the fact there is a 28 page supplement added to this census that asks a lot more detailed questions than what I had in the contest - we all need to be aware of what the constitution says with regards to the census:

(Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.) (The previous sentence in parentheses was modified by the 14th Amendment, section 2.) The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.

It is clear, with regards to enumeration, that the only thing that the government is allowed to ask is how many people live in the household.  Additionally, Linoge also has a post on this topic.  I urge you all to stand by your constitutional rights and only answer what is legally required.  I will also be asking all of my neighbors to decline answering any questions about me or my family when ACORN comes around.  Some of my neighbors are not nearly as educated about this process - so - it will be my duty to inform them.  I suggest you all do the same.