My Sick Mind

I got my 2010 Census form in the mail today. There is a proclamation on the front of the envelope that warns YOUR RESPONSE IS REQUIRED BY LAW . Which law? According to the Frequently Asked Questions , it's Title 13, Section 221 of the United States Code, whatever that is. They claim to be able to fine you $5,000 if you do not cooperate with the census, but view it as a last resort. I wonder why it's necessary at all. The paper census seems like an antiquated notion from the days when The Three Stooges canvassed from house to house with a big book, asking questions. I get the feeling that the U.S. Census Bureau is one of those big government institutions that nobody has the guts to shut down. For a government with so many budget problems, I'd guess that one of the first places to start cutting fat is with a bureau that counts people with paper mail-in forms. They tell me that my answers will "be used to decide the number of representatives each state has in the U.S...

I don't know what it's like in your state, but here in New Jersey we have to register our motor vehicles and renew that registration every year. I for one, don't understand the process, and the fact that I pay $56.50 for the privilege makes me understand it less, if such a thing is possible. I bought my car in 2005 and paid to register it to drive in the state. Since I haven't sold it, why do I have to continue to pay $56.50? I don't know what the registration fee pays for other than the people who the state pays to process my registration fees. It's like bridge tolls that pay for the people to take the tolls. My head is spinning. Now, our federal government is going to spend $13 billion dollars (that's a lot of dollars) to take the census in 2010. Why? To count people that we already know are here? Isn't that what birth and death records are for? In New Jersey, we have to present several forms of identification to prove that we're offici...