The Supreme Court has now prevented the U.S. Secretary of Commerce from putting the citizenship question in the 2020 census form; the court wants a “fuller account” of why he wanted to include it. In a split five-four decision Chief Justice Roberts, who was appointed by President G.W. Bush ostensibly because the former held conservative views, sided with the four Leftist justices.
Roberts did the same thing in disgracefully upholding Obamacare.
The U.S. Constitution empowers the Congress, not the Supreme Court, to carry out the census in “such manner as they shall by law direct” (Article I, Section 2). Title 13 U.S. Code S 141 (a) empowers the secretary to take the census “in such form and content as he may determine, including the use of sampling procedures and special surveys. In connection with any such census, the secretary is authorized to obtain such other census information as necessary.” However and for unexplained reasons the citizenship question, which appeared routinely on all census forms from 1890 through 1950, was omitted (see https://www.snopes.com/news/2018/04/02/census-stop-asking-citizenship/).
The ruling by the Supreme Court is just another move that diminishes the value of citizenship the rationale being that it will decrease the participation of non-citizens, illegals in particular, resulting in an undercount. An undercount could result in a state losing some of its representatives in Congress along with some federal funding (and in the case of one-party “blue”states that could be a good thing in my opinion — see https://ballotpedia.org/Gubernatorial_and_legislative_party_control_of_state_government).
In 2014, a New York state senator introduced a bill allowing aliens who are not in the United States legally under federal law to enjoy certain privileges by virtue of being “New York state citizens” and a New York state assemblyman introduced a similar bill in the state assembly.”(see https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/immigration/item/18506-n-y-state-senator-introduces-bill-to-give-vote-to-illegal-aliens).
Citizens are supposed to enjoy rights and privileges that are not afforded to non-citizens; this is what defines citizenship and along with it a nation. So why even have a nation along with citizenship if everyone is to be treated the same? A nation that doesn’t have borders, a common language and a common culture disintegrates.
So until and unless the citizenship question is included in all census forms, both long and short, I will refuse to participate in the 2020 Census and I urge all of my fellow citizens who happen to reside in upstate New York to do the same thing.
CHARLES F. HEIMERDINGER
Edinburg
