While the media focuses on the ruckus surrounding birth certificates, mosques, and vacations, there has taken place within obama’s government something much more ominous and threatening to our notions of voice, fairplay, and democracy.
Each year the U.S. Census Bureau produces estimates of the U.S. population for each age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin group using the previous completed census count as the base population, then adding or subtracting based on among other things, births, deaths, and international migration (legal or otherwise as far as the current governmental elite are concerned).
This is the Population Estimates Program.
These annual estimates are used in the allocating of federal funds to local, county, and state governments ( http://www.census.gov/popest/overview.html).
In other words, they are pretty damn important; and it’s important to get them right.
Since 1979 it has been codified in federal law (Title 15, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 90) that local, county, and state governments have the right to challenge the government’s population estimates.
This is the Population Estimates Challenge Program.
There were 99 accepted challenges to the government’s estimates in 2007 and 2008 and for every accepted challenge except for 2 there was recorded an increase in the population estimates made by the government (http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/challenges.html).
Then came obama.
obama needed to fill the Secretary of Commerce cabinet position, as well as the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau’s position, and it appears no one from the global community-minded Tripartisan Commission (http://www.augustreview.com/issues/globalization/the_trilateral_commission:_usurping_sovereignty_2007080373/) was available.
The Secretary of Commerce overseas the U.S. Census Bureau and his power, as stated in 13 U.S.C 4, is basically as he sees it; “..the Secretary may issue rules and regulations, as he deems necessary to carry out his functions and duties…”
Just like Katherine Sebalius can do with obama-care.
Therefore, much of what the Secretary would like to do in the context of the U.S. Census and its processes is beyond Congressional oversight.
After first striking out with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who was at the time bearded and enbalttled, obama then asked New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg (R) to be his new commerce secretary.
Apparently Gregg declined to take the position when obama refused to oppose the use of statistical sampling, rather than individual head counts, in running the decennial census program, as well as not assuring Gregg that obama political operatives wouldn’t be interfering with Gregg’s running of the Census bureau and its processes (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/28/AR2010022803364.html).
Perhaps Gregg feared being attacked in the shower by a naked Rahm Emmanuel.
Democrats and Republicans for years have disagreed on whether the census should be based on a strict head count or done by “statistical adjustment,” which is favored by Democrats so that hard-to-track people, like illegal aliens, are counted (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/02/obama-taps-robert-groves-census-director/).
Juan Williams, NPR radio analyst and author of “Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965,” stated that most challenges to the U.S.Census have come from the left as they claim blacks, Hispanics, and the homeless (and this year, illegals) have been under-counted (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/28/AR2010022803364.html).
Statistical sampling done by a liberal left government would of course be beneficial to these groups.
The Netherlands and Germany employ such statistical sampling for their censuses.
Finally, obama finds his commerce secretary, a Mr. Lok Gaa-Fai .
His given English name is Gary Locke, former Democratic Governor of Washington State and Hillary campaign chief in that state (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Locke).
Locke would be in lock-step with obama on just about anything. As one former pollster said of his old boss, “He’s more of a manager than a bold leader or a visionary” (http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1881587,00.html).
That ought to bode well for the U.S. as we struggle with our international trade gap.
obama then chose Robert Groves of the University of Michigan to be the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Groves has been known to do cart-wheels over random statistical sampling.
Why count everybody when counting a few and making an educated guess as to the whole would be close enough for government work?
"With the nomination of Robert Groves, [obama] has made clear that he intends to employ the political manipulation of census data for partisan gain," North Carolina Congressman Patrick McHenry cautioned.
Other lawmakers called Groves an "incredibly troubling selection" who must be watched for "statistical sleight of hand" (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1889793,00.html).....
President George H.W. Bush (the first Bush) brought Groves on board in 1990 to help with that year’s Census. However, his use of statistical models to fill in gaps of undercounting rubbed then Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher the wrong way (Montopoli, Brian, "Obama To Tap Sampling Expert To Be Census Director," CBS News, April 2, 2009).....
Mosbacher called Groves’ statistical techniques “political tampering” (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/02/obama-taps-robert-groves-census-director/).
Currently, however, Groves, as Director of the U.S. Census Bureau, answers to no rational thinking human being; pragmatic yes, rational no.
On the obama payroll for less than a year, Groves would immediately find fault with the 1979 Population Estimates Challenge Program.
So what does he do now that he has this administration backing him up?
Groves acts against the Population Challenge Estimate law like no other Bureau Director has before him.
He suspends the law and thus any challenges to what he as Census Bureau chief will say what the latest annual population estimates will show (Federal Register, Vol. 75, No.1, Mon. Jan., 4, 2010, pp44-46, http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/E9-31171.pdf).
Why?
(1) to focus on the 2010 Census;
(2) it would be “pointless” to do a population estimate and deal with the challenges of that estimate while work is being done on the decennial Census;
(3) it would be a cost-effective means to ensure allocation of sufficient resources for the demographic analysis of the 2010 Census;
(4) to redesign the Challenge Program to make it more demographically accurate;....
(5) to reduce the need for a post-estimate review process;
(6) and, it will allow the Census Bureau to better integrate the date from the 2010 Census into the Population Estimates Program (Federal Register, 75,1, 1/4/2010).
Basically he’s taking a direct approach to ensuring that his love affair with statistical sampling will become a trusted tool in future U.S. Census Bureau processes.
What better way to sure up the liberal left’s voting base and thus ensure a liberal left congressional representative majority.
Groves claims the Challenge Program will resume in 2012, but remember, the Census Bureau is allowed to act without Congressional oversight.
The timing is questionable: suspended right before 2010 congressional elections and then continuing, ostensibly, following the next presidential election.
In the context of the actual Census taking, Groves has also acted in a troubling manner.
This year the government launched a multi-million dollar ad campaign to increase Census participation.
How to pay for this? The U.S. Census bureau was given $250 MILLION of the stimulus monies to run their little Census advertising campaigns ("Obama Picks Robert Groves for Census Director," The Washington Post Online, April 2, 2009).
What’s next? Stimulus paid-for advertising campaigns in 2012 to urge those too stupid (or those considered disenfranchised) to realize that it’s time to vote again for president?
We want everyone counted, right?
I wonder. It appears the obama administration feels that some need to be pushed in that direction a little harder than the rest of the population.
Guess who that would be?
obama announces in February of 2009 that the Casa Blanca would monitor how the census was conducted in order to assure that the Latino and black populations were not disenfranchised (."Growing political battle over the Census: Latinos versus Republicans," Los Angeles Times Online, Feb. 9, 2009).
I bet.
In April 2010 Groves announces plans to seek help from major Spanish news outlets in order to build support for the Census among Latinos (El Nasser, Haya, "Hispanic groups call for Census boycott," USA Today, April 15, 2009).
I wonder how much advertising and reaching out the Census Bureau did in poor, white areas in the Adirondacks.
According to Groves’ own admission, not as much.
In January 2010 Groves appeared before a Pew Research conference and stated the following (http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1477/census-director-robert-groves-explains-process-safeguards-participation-evaluation):
* Because we're trying to reach everyone, we have disproportionately spent locally rather than nationally. We are disproportionately spending in language groups.”
During the same conference Groves also used these phrases to describe the Census process: “..is like a moon shot in its planning horizon,” and “It’s a little harder than fighting a war…”
A “little harder?”
Let obama tell that to returning Iraq War veterans.
And more ominously, given his love with statistical sampling and liberal supporters in charge of our government: “We have a group working right now on the 2020 design, believe it or not.”
Oh, I believe it!
Then just recently in August 2010, Secretary Lok Gaa-Fai announces that due to set-aside contingency funds in the Census Bureau’s budget being unused, that the Census Bureau saved over $1 BILLION dollars during the 2010 Census (http://www.commerce.gov/blog/2010/08/10/secretary-locke-announces-16-billion-2010-census-savings).
He didn’t mention that he had been given $1 BILLION in stimulus funds to begin with, or that the Bureau no longer would be spending time and money fighting those pesky Population Estimate Challenges that were once the law of the land, but now were just archives in Director Groves little file cabinet.
So, while you’re watching Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition for the latest news on the obama administration, remember that you are not receiving the latest news that matters on the obama administration.
One avenue for your voice has been taken away without any congressional debate, vote, or, more importantly, without your input.
How many more?
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/iosoluno/blog#ixzz0xNasxvJW
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