by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
The United States government called a few weeks ago and asked me to set aside my personal safety qualms and once again serve my country. A very nice lady in Springfield offered me a job of going door-to-door in my rural community collecting information for the U.S. Census. Even though the awfulness of the coronavirus pandemic was just beginning to be felt nationwide, she enoucraged me to tentatively accept the offer and assured me that I could change my mind any time before the actual training began - in about thirty days.
The pay and mileage were good, by rural Missouri standards, and they would even provide me with a hotel room during the training in Springfield. Even though I was just starting to get nervous about the coming plague, I accepted the offer.
Now it's been over thirty days and I still haven't heard back. But I will. The census is mandated by the United States Constitution - and it will happen - and it will happen this year.
I applied to work for the Census Bureau last winter before we had any notion about the impending worldwide health crisis. As an amateur genealogist, I do a lot of work with old census records, and I am fully aware of the importance of the national count. Not only does it determine the amount of power that the various states have in the federal government, it also sets the amounts of different allocations that various states and political entities receive back from the feds.
And, very importantly, the Census forms the public record of who resides in the United States, and it maintains that record for future historians and researchers to peruse in perpetuity.
The Census puts out a steady stream of interesting email regarding the count and how it is going. (Anyone can get on their email list by visiting www.census.gov.) Today the Census Bureau sent out an update on how well the census is going. Most households received a printed census form several weeks ago, and nationwide over half have filled out and returnd those forms. Those who fail to do so will get a visit from someone like me - eventually.
The Census Bureau states that nationally 55.6% of households have completed and returned their census forms. (People also have the option of completing the form on-line.) The email that came out today contained a tool that allows the curious to check the return rate from the various states, counties, and communities.
My state, Missouri, had a return rate 56.7% which was higher than the nationwide rate, but my rural county, Howell, was just 53%, or 2.6% lower than the national total and 3.7 lower than Missouri's return rate. My community, West Plains clocked in at 56.5%, above the national return rate and almost as high as that of Missouri. (West Plains is a fairly progressive anomaly in a conservative part of the state - with a four year college, large hospital, and an active industrial base within the city limits.)
But about 45% of the people in my area are still in need of a good count. Stand tall, neighbors. I'll be coming to see you!
Citizen Journalist
The United States government called a few weeks ago and asked me to set aside my personal safety qualms and once again serve my country. A very nice lady in Springfield offered me a job of going door-to-door in my rural community collecting information for the U.S. Census. Even though the awfulness of the coronavirus pandemic was just beginning to be felt nationwide, she enoucraged me to tentatively accept the offer and assured me that I could change my mind any time before the actual training began - in about thirty days.
The pay and mileage were good, by rural Missouri standards, and they would even provide me with a hotel room during the training in Springfield. Even though I was just starting to get nervous about the coming plague, I accepted the offer.
Now it's been over thirty days and I still haven't heard back. But I will. The census is mandated by the United States Constitution - and it will happen - and it will happen this year.
I applied to work for the Census Bureau last winter before we had any notion about the impending worldwide health crisis. As an amateur genealogist, I do a lot of work with old census records, and I am fully aware of the importance of the national count. Not only does it determine the amount of power that the various states have in the federal government, it also sets the amounts of different allocations that various states and political entities receive back from the feds.
And, very importantly, the Census forms the public record of who resides in the United States, and it maintains that record for future historians and researchers to peruse in perpetuity.
The Census puts out a steady stream of interesting email regarding the count and how it is going. (Anyone can get on their email list by visiting www.census.gov.) Today the Census Bureau sent out an update on how well the census is going. Most households received a printed census form several weeks ago, and nationwide over half have filled out and returnd those forms. Those who fail to do so will get a visit from someone like me - eventually.
The Census Bureau states that nationally 55.6% of households have completed and returned their census forms. (People also have the option of completing the form on-line.) The email that came out today contained a tool that allows the curious to check the return rate from the various states, counties, and communities.
My state, Missouri, had a return rate 56.7% which was higher than the nationwide rate, but my rural county, Howell, was just 53%, or 2.6% lower than the national total and 3.7 lower than Missouri's return rate. My community, West Plains clocked in at 56.5%, above the national return rate and almost as high as that of Missouri. (West Plains is a fairly progressive anomaly in a conservative part of the state - with a four year college, large hospital, and an active industrial base within the city limits.)
But about 45% of the people in my area are still in need of a good count. Stand tall, neighbors. I'll be coming to see you!
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