Comments on: The Consensus on The Census

By: Mara

Mara — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:53:39 +0000

Recently, I found the 2010 Census form hanging on my door. As I began filling it out, I came across a dilemma. The U.S. government wants to know if my children are adopted or not and it wants to know what our races are. Being adopted myself, I had to put “Other” and “Don’t Know Adopted” for my race and “Other” and “Don’t Know” for my kids’ races.

Can you imagine not knowing your ethnicity, your race? Now imagine walking into a vital records office and asking the clerk for your original birth certificate only to be told “No, you can’t have it, it’s sealed.”

How about being presented with a “family history form” to fill out at every single doctor’s office visit and having to put “N/A Adopted” where life saving information should be?

Imagine being asked what your nationality is and having to respond with “I don’t know”.

It is time that the archaic practice of sealing and altering birth certificates of adopted persons stops.

Adoption is a 5 billion dollar, unregulated industry that profits from the sale and redistribution of children. It turns children into chattel who are re-labeled and sold as “blank slates”.

Genealogy, a modern-day fascination, cannot be enjoyed by adopted persons with sealed identities. Family trees are exclusive to the non-adopted persons in our society.

If adoption is truly to return to what is best for a child, then the rights of children to their biological identities should NEVER be violated.

Every single judge that finalizes an adoption and orders a child’s birth certificate to be sealed should be ashamed of him/herself.

I challenge all readers: Ask the adopted persons that you know if their original birth certificates are sealed.

By: Shelly Kneupper Tucker

Shelly Kneupper Tucker — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:06:34 +0000

Rather a census taker than the police.

By: Joy

Joy — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:37:38 +0000

I didn't realize that there was a fine. Committed civil disobedience would call for not sending in the form & paying the fine, but I suspect most won't bother. Path of least resistance is strong. Wonder if they will dispatch a census taker to collect. Hahaha. .-= Joy´s last blog ..MARCH MADNESS =-.

By: Shelly Kneupper Tucker

Shelly Kneupper Tucker — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:50:11 +0000

That sounds like it will work, Anne. Joy, we have to fill these forms out. This isn’t one on which we want to “take a stand.” I don’t know the fine, but the government will fine us if we don’t return it. If they can use the information in a helpful way, it didn’t seem all that invasive to me.

By: Shelly Kneupper Tucker

Shelly Kneupper Tucker — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:48:06 +0000

I sent mine back, because I don’t want a census taker to arrive . I’m looking for my tax refund check, too! Maybe if the government had connected the two, they’d get those census forms back quicker?

By: Joy

Joy — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:00:16 +0000

Resourcefulness rules! Good to keep looking until you find an answer, Anne. Government is often a two-edged sword. They provide statistical data if we answer their questions. Give up a little personal information for information about the nation as a whole. Weigh the benefits against the costs to determine process usefulness. We do have a choice about providing information, and if that changes we will be in a sorry state. With how much fear do we want to surround ourselves? If we trust, stand up and be counted. If not, take a stand. .-= Joy´s last blog ..CHEER FOR BEER BREAD =-.

By: Anne

Anne — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:37:04 +0000

Well, I’ve done some projecting around today–didn’t really have the time, but I did it anyway. Apparently the solution to our problem is to send BOTH forms back without filling them out. That will bring a census enumerator to the doorstep. We can then demonstrate to him/her that this really is a single family dwelling and not an apartment house.
.-= Anne´s last blog ..The Work of Human Hands =-.