OUR UNCONSTITUTIONAL CENSUS

The U.S. Census Bureau is set to count all persons physically present in the country -- including large numbers who are here illegally. The problem stems from the type of census form used:

• In 1790, the first Census Act provided that the enumeration would count all "inhabitants."
• By 1980, there were two census forms: the shorter form went to every person physically present in the country and the longer form gathered socioeconomic information including citizenship status, but it went only to a sample of U.S. households.
• But in 2010, only the short form will be used.

This makes a real difference, take California for example:

• With 5,622,422 noncitizens in its population of 36,264,467, California would have 57 members in the newly reapportioned U.S. House of Representatives.
• However, with noncitizens not included for purposes of reapportionment, California would have 48 House seats.
• Using a similar projection, Texas would have 38 House members with noncitizens included; with only citizens counted, it would be entitled to 34 members.
• States certain to lose one seat are Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
• States likely (though not certain) to lose a seat are Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and Ohio could lose a second seat.

I.e., the census has drifted far from its constitutional roots, and the 2010 enumeration will result in a malapportionment of Congress, with California getting 9 additional seats it doesn't deserve - and at the expense of other states.

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image toon - othr fnn - Dept of Commerce taken leave of Census