We're Counting On Each Other

 

I am always amazed at how much this administration, which I still contend is headed by a human virus, has managed to find even more insidious ways to infect every aspect of our government. The Bureau of Census is now feeling its wrath.   You would think that after tax breaks for the wealthy, judge packing, the economy, voter suppression efforts, rolled back regulations designed to protect air, land, and sea, botched responses to a pandemic, and most recently disguising herd immunity as political rallies,  they would be tired.  However, this administration never seems to disappoint in compounding treachery. 

This is not the first time that the Census Bureau has had some controversy.  It was just last year that the courts decided the immigration issue on the original questionnaires was not to be added, thwarting another attempt to scare and intimidate people from participating in this decennial event. But like good mafia soldiers, those in power have stayed true to their mission. The lack of understanding of basic civics and critical thinking skills in this country are the main reasons that this administration and this bizarro-world version of the Republican party are getting away with theft.

Why is the census so important? The results determine how much funding local communities receive for key public services and how many seats each state gets in Congress. State and local officials also use census counts to draw boundaries for congressional, state legislative, and school districts.  With just that little  bit of information, you can see why Republicans especially are fighting so hard at every level of government to keep people from having their basic rights. 

The census is one way of trying to bring a sense of equity and fairness to every part of this great nation.  It must be important enough for the Constitution to include it. It certainly showed foresight that this generation seems to lack.

I am sure if someone wants to do the intense research into the past few censuses, they will probably find some hocus pocus with the numbers.  My distrust of the government has slowly grown over most of my years, but it has exponentially grown in the last 4 of them. I am scared to think about the impact of what this will mean in the next 10 years, especially if this ongoing election process proves faulty.  Voting district populations will be redistributed with gerrymandering of individual states,  and depending on which arm of the political machine wins the state, the concept of equity will be questionable.   

I am aware that my paranoia may be brought on by an abundance of edibles followed by bowls of Doritos and pasta.  However, you have to admit as you traverse this land wearing a mask, wondering when your mail will eventually arrive, holding a worthless passport as you dream of the European vacation that you can’t take, and trying to get over so many of the inconvenient hurdles being placed in front of you by this administration, that as Americans, we are so lucky that there are ways to be involved in changing the direction of this country. We have the opportunity to be engaged in ways that citizens of many countries in the world envy. So vote, wash your hands, wear a mask, and if you have not yet done so, by October 15th, 2020, fill out the census online.