2. I'm an American, Period!

Websites I rely on:

THOMAS - U.S. Congress on the Internet In the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, a service of the Library of Congress

The Libertarian Party Libertarians believe in the American heritage of liberty, enterprise, and personal responsibility. Libertarians recognize the responsibility we all share to preserve this precious heritage for our children and grandchildren.

Free-Market.Net Freedom Network The Henry Hazlitt Foundation supports the ideas of liberty, including individual freedom, voluntary cooperation, and free enterprise. We believe that freedom and free markets are absolutely essential for human peace, prosperity, and happiness.

Advocates for Self-Government The job of the Advocates is to present the freedom philosophy to opinion leaders. We help them encounter, evaluate, and if appropriate, embrace the ideals of self-government.

REASON Online: Home of REASON Magazine The magazine of free minds and free markets

Further reading regarding this issue:

YOUR PAPERS, PLEASE ... 'Constitution is stupid,' argues Census worker Michigan family decries abuse by 'Cens-less' Bureau employee. By Julie Foster

Census 2000: Privacy and the Constitution "Endangered Liberties" Program Excerpts.

The U.S. Census: A Head Count or a Dole Out? By Paul M. Weyrich. From the "Endangered Liberties" Television Program.

The Founding Spirit - Census 2000 Are you alarmed by the latest Census? You're not alone. This page is dedicated to those who know better than to trust the federal government with personal information.

Senseless bureau attacks privacy rights by Don Feder. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and other congressional Republicans are doing something useful for a change -- urging citizens not to answer census questions they consider to be an invasion of their privacy.

Judge puts brakes on Census Bureau by Sarah Foster. Attorney: 'Huge victory for the Constitution and for privacy-loving Americans'

Census Nonsense A long list of boondoggles, meddling regulations, and income redistribution schemes rely on information from the census. That's a good reason not to participate, by Jacob Sullum

Libertarian Party urges nationwide boycott of government's "official" racial categories WASHINGTON, DC -- The Libertarian Party has launched a national campaign to abolish the government's system of racial classifications, and is urging Americans to refuse to disclose their race on census forms in the year 2000.

How the Census got so big and expensive All the Constitution requires is a simple count of every citizen. So what happened?

Libertarians say: Real Americans don't answer nosy Census questions WASHINGTON, DC -- The federal government says it's your "civic duty" to complete the 2000 Census form -- but it's actually your patriotic duty to refuse to answer most of the government's snooping questions, the Libertarian Party said today.

Census 2000: The Government's Interest in Racial Data is NOT in Your Interest! Census 2000 racial data will be used by the government to discriminate against non-minorities. Should you supply racial info to the government?

Census 2000 Protest: Check American Indian! By Charles Michael Byrd. An interracial point of view.

Policy.com Issue of the Week Monday, July 12, 1999 Census 2000: The Politics Behind the Numbers

Stuff that scares the bejeesus out of me:

Genocide in the Classroom By Paul Craig Roberts. Language was a prime factor in the murder of 6 million Jews by the National Socialists in Germany and 60 million to 80 million "class enemies" by communists in Russia and China. Today similar language is being used in American colleges and universities to annihilate the history, culture and self-esteem of white people.

Sources I'm not quite sure about:

U.S. Census Bureau Home Page Our Goal is to provide the best mix of timeliness, relevancy, quality, and cost for the data we collect and services we provide.

Adversity.net We support fair and equal treatment under the law, without regard to race or gender, and without racial and gender preferences!

I got my Census 2000 form this week in the mail. I believe in the Libertarian point of view on this issue (and most other issues as well), so I'll be marking "1" (one) in the first box and leaving the rest unanswered. I'll risk the $100 fine.

The Census is necessary to determine the number of seats each State gets in the House of Representatives. All the rest has been "tacked-on" over the years to help nameless bureaucrats (I can't bring myself to say "public servants") determine how to re-distribute taxes collected from the "haves" to their favorite "have-nots". Haves and Have-nots aren't even accurate terms for what is happening here since many have-nots pay more than their share of taxes and many haves get huge shares of Government pork.

My point is that these decisions are made by people we didn't elect and are not accountable to the people they "serve". Sure, Congress made the Laws (some good, many bad) that Federal Agencies operate under, but the agencies make the Byzantine rules that are used to implement those Laws and, sadly enough, these rules, more often than not, bear little resemblance to the Laws they claim as their mandate.

The Census data will be used to support Affirmative Action and Quotas (among other things like highways and more public schools that don't work), policies that were never in the original anti-discrimination legislation. And for good reason. These programs are divisive. Folk wisdom says it best "Two wrongs don't make a right". These policies and rules were put in place by judges and Federal agencies who were exceeding their authority.

These policies have done far more harm than good. They fuel the rhetoric of the extremists on both sides of the issue. Racial purity is an evil fiction whether it comes from the likes of a David Duke or a Louis Farakan. There are only two kinds of people - Good people and bad people and both types come in all flavors. People must be treated as individuals on a case-by-case basis and prosecution of the anti-discrimination laws is the just way, not blanket quotas and programs that favor one "group" over another.

I have a Nephew and a Niece and they are adopted. They are not of my race. It did not take long for them to generate in me the same affection I reserve for blood relatives and, to me, there is no longer any difference. I love them. I have no doubts that they will be able to make their way in the world without the help of the Government. It would be nice if their future accomplishments not be overshadowed by the stigma of Affirmative Action and quotas.

The greatness of America derives from the rich diversity of the "melting pot" of its peoples. I can't see how tinkering by the Federal Government can enhance it. They show evidence of turning it into a bitter stew with their endless manipulations.

I recently turned fifty. I'm on the leading edge of becoming an "old white man". That's as Politically Incorrect as you can get. I can say with some certainy that there's nothing for me in the Census results except maybe more taxes to compensate the minorities I've trodden on. I can't remember mis-treating anyone but that's beside the point. I meet the classification.

By filling in the first box of the Census form, I've met the constitutional requirements. The census takers will have to guess at the rest. They can use their "statistical analysis" tools to pick any race they want for the rest of my data. I will be proud to be counted as an African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, Native-American, Mixed-race American, or even Caucasian-American. The one thing shared by all these classifications is "American" and that's the only thing that counts.

< Back to IntroMore to come. Stay tuned. >

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Issued Wednesday March 29, 2000

Updated Monday June 19, 2000

copyright © 1996-2000 Larry Robert Kephart all rights reserved