Census 2010

Around the beginning of March I received an envelope from the Census. Not the long- awaited and much advertised arrival of the actual census form, though. A letter telling me the actual census form would soon be arriving.

A week or so afterward, the middle of March more or less, I received the actual Census. Basically, the census wants to know who is living at the address: name, age and race (with a separate subsection for Hispanic), on April 1, 2010.

Being somewhat particular about legalese, I filled out the form, not expecting anything to change before April 1. But, I decided to wait until after the first to mail it back, since the whole premise was the status of the household as of April 1.

About a week later,still a week to go before April first, I received a reminder from the census to mail my form back. I continued to wait.

April 1, there was ANOTHER census form in my mailbox, apparently it having been assumed I had lost my first one, which I mailed (since it was now April 1).

One of the other questions the census wanted to know if the property was owned by you...with or without a mortgage or loan, rented, or freeloaded (occupied without payment of rent)?

I answered the question dutifully, imagining after 70-something years have passed and the information becomes public record, one of my descendants learning that I lived here and owned land.

But why does the government really want to know the status of the property?

Maybe to find out how much of the US is actually owned by Americans?...all those defaulted mortgages become bank-owned properties-banks that were bailed out by the US government who owes China over 800 billion dollars..

What do you put up for collateral on a 800 billion dollar loan,anyhow?