The Upcoming US Census and the Citizenship Question

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   RJ Schwartzposted 6 years ago

   President Trump is pressing for a question to be asked on the 2020 census to state: Are you a US Citizen?  Seems like a fair question since the census has a lot to do with how governmental resources are allocated and of course the number of representatives each area has in Congress.  Yet, the mainstream media is aggressively attacking the idea for a wide variety of reasons.  What are your thoughts?  It was a regular question on the census up until 1950, so it's obvious legal.

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      GA Andersonposted 6 years agoin reply to this

      Hi RJ, Considering what aspects of our lives are affected by the Census, (as you mentioned), that seems like a reasonable question to me.
      
      GA

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      Credence2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

      I can't balk here, that is a reasonable question to ask. People would not dare say that they were not citizens in fear of being deported.
      
      But aleast now we can address the tireless complaint from conservatives of populations of non-citizens being represented politically and see, in actuality, how much truth there is to it.

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         wildernessposted 6 years agoin reply to this

         While I find it a reasonable question, I don't really see the value in it.  IF an illegal alien fills out the form, I highly doubt they will sign a document giving address and the fact that they are here illegally. 
         
         On the other hand, I can certainly see some legal citizens of sanctuary cities lying on the form for no more reason than to create confusion and use ICE resources in another misguided effort to protect criminals. 
         
         I'm not sure how political representation will be discovered, either - is that one of the questions?  How one is registered or voted in the past?  It's been a while, but I don't recall any such question, and if there IS a question on past voting practices it is surely not provable, making the statement worthless at best.

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            Credence2posted 6 years agoin reply to this

            While I find it a reasonable question, I don't really see the value in it.  IF an illegal alien fills out the form, I highly doubt they will sign a document giving address and the fact that they are here illegally. 
            
            Acknowledged, Wilderness, that situation probably true is no worse than where it is we are currently.
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            On the other hand, I can certainly see some legal citizens of sanctuary cities lying on the form for no more reason than to create confusion and use ICE resources in another misguided effort to protect criminals. 
            
            Seems to me that if I were them, I would not advertise my presence. Lying on the form or no form at all, we remain in the same space. The question in itself is harmless for those that are here legally, as they should have nothing to fear. Those here that are not legal citizens are given cause for concern even if it may only be psychological.
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            I'm not sure how political representation will be discovered, either - is that one of the questions?  How one is registered or voted in the past?  It's been a while, but I don't recall any such question, and if there IS a question on past voting practices it is surely not provable, making the statement worthless at best.
            
            I was of the belief that the census was the vehicle by which proportional representation in the HR and electoral college among the states are determined. Population is the determinant, that population has to include only American citizens and not have population numbers used for that determination artificially inflated by those that are here illegally.
            
            Reminds of the 3/5th compromise in Ante-bellum America, where the South wanted to include the population of non-voting, non citizen slaves for the purpose of greater representation in Congress. It was not right then and it is not now.

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   Rodric29posted 6 years ago

   It is a fair questions, I think. Why would anyone get offended by being asked if they are US citizens? It is not like it is a racial question.

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   Carolyn M Fieldsposted 6 years ago

   Absolutely fair question.

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   MizBejabbersposted 6 years ago

   I believe it's a fair question, but I don't think it will be answered honestly by any illegal alien. Why would any of them answer it honestly? They haven't hesitated to break the law once, so why should they care about another dishonesty?
   
   Our voting practices are supposed to be Constitutionally protected. To ask a question pertaining to voting practices, I believe, would be a violation of a legal citizen's constitutional rights.

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