Why did our Gov. spend over 42 million dollars to mail notices about census forms being mailed?

It's creating jobs for recyclers? lol....I am sure you remember a time not too long ago when "million" was a lot of money. In the last 5 years "million" has been replaced by "billion", so 42 million doesn't sound like a lot of money to some people, but it sure as hell is!

I am so tired of this waste. It is absolutely disgusting.

To heighten the anticipation and excitement perhaps? Or, to provide temporary envelope stuffing jobs in support of the Census thereby lessening unemployment numbers by a smidgen in order to give our administration a minor lessening of unemployment numbers.

There are some astonishing costs associated with the 2010 Census - the largest in our nation's history, the most compelling number being the $14.5 billion price tag. See attached link for an interesting read of statistics. This costly Census will produce results which do not adequately represent the national reality and it may be that what our forefathers perceived to be a simple counting has now turned into a behemoth dollar guzzling monster that needs to be streamlined and made much more cost effective. I cannot see the point in spending all that money to count people who have lost their homes, don't have jobs and need to be reminded of the good lives they once had.

I have said the way to cut out government spending is to cut out some of these useless programs/jobs which the government has. I have had to do jobs for the government when they had no one else who could use a dictaphone and type at the same time, and I was paid under the table to do it. This is no joke. I worked for awhile through a temporary agency when my children were young so I could be home with them after school. You might as well know that these people get paid the big money to do nothing, and I mean nothing with a capital "N." The Park Rangers probably have the hardest jobs, but the people in the government offices may as well not even be there for the most part.

The whole "tax rebate program" nearly killed Lewis Black the first time around . . . I can't imagine what he's doing right now. Keep an eye out for a famous comedian trying to commit suicide in New York City. EDIT: In an evil twist, I'm supposedly getting my check right after my wedding. It sure would have come in handy before. But I didn't even get one last time. As Lewis said, people who really needed it "got a poke in the eye." I was a graduate student living on student loans. Money I didn't have to pay back (with interest) would have been nice. Of course, personally, I think the money comes from the incredible a** raping we're getting on Federal taxes anyway . . .

Not really that much on the mailing that it is being mailed to you (got mine yesterday) since they get a bulk rate. That said this is in my opinion just another example of how the government is "creating government jobs" and wasting money. The only job sector showing growth in the US is government employees and mainly state/local employees which were hired to keep up with reporting and tracking requirements of various programs in the "stimulus Package"; more jobs created tracking paperwork then whave been created actually doing something. Check the Dept of Labor site if you doubt that. Just wasting money to show they care. You aso forgot the in six langauges letting you know it is coming.

Remember this?

Congress now has a $621 million welcome mat in the form of a new, grand visitor center that makes its public debut December 2. The visitor center, the largest addition ever to the 215-year-old U.S. Capitol, is meant to inform, involve, and inspire, officials said Monday at a media preview.

It didn't take long for a reporter to fire back: "How inspired will taxpayers be when you inform them of the cost?"

It was an inevitable question because controversy has clouded the Capitol Visitor Center since its groundbreaking in 2000. It was to be open in four years, but it has taken eight. It was to cost $265 million, but its price tag has skyrocketed!

THREE HUNDRED FIFTY SIX MILLION DOLLARS OVER BUDGET!

To top it off the original visitors center was just fine. I've been there several times.

I got on yesterday as well here in Ohio.

I know they should just send the census and save the money or reminding us.

Gunny you are right and you know why the government jobs are increasing, because the Obama administration is all about big government and having the government control everything.

You know, I got that letter yesterday and thought it was stupid. What a waste of paper/trees as well. Doesn't our Big Brother government want our nation to be more green? This is the worst example I have seen yet of government waste.

By the way, while on the subject, I refuse to answer the racial questions.

yeah, I don't really get it either... maybe there is a reason?

EDIT: looked it up... according to them:

"The advance letter helps people know that their 2010 Census form will be arriving soon,” said Census Bureau Director Robert M. Groves. “It's an important reminder about the impact the census has on our communities, that the census is important and that everyone needs to participate.”

Census Bureau research shows that reaching out to respondents with an advance letter and reminder postcard if necessary can boost census mail-back rates and save money. For every 1 percent increase in households that respond by mail, taxpayers save about $85 million in operational costs associated with census takers going door to door to follow up with households that did not mail back the form."

http://2010.census.gov/news/releases/operations/12...

Just another example of rampant government waste. The politico (or more likely an UNELECTED "OFFICIAL" bureaucrat) who authorized this should be discharged without severance and have his golden parachute retirement confiscated.

That 40 million definitely should have been redirected into a real job rather than lining the pockets of some faceless bungler.

The politicians have come to believe that they are our masters rather than our servants.

They are out of control.

It is time to vote ALL of them out of office.

We need to have a "REMOVE INCUMBENT" option on the ballot.