In August, the deficit soared to $1.4 trillion. With it rose the clamor of the Obama administration’s critics, who continue to argue that the White House has no credible plan to wrestle the deficit back down.
As House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio said in a statement, "Piling more and more debt on future generations while massively increasing federal spending is not a response."
Did you know that you can help the government slow the growth of its ballooning deficit?
It’s simple. Here’s how.
Next spring, make sure to fill out the census questionnaire that turns up in your mailbox. Then send it back in.
If enough of us did that, we could help the government save at least $1 billion, because it wouldn’t have to shell out millions or likely more than a billion to hound people to complete their forms or send out enumerators to fill out the forms for them in their homes.
Doing your part and filling out the census form is one way you can help the federal government not fall as deep into the red as it might.
In past decades, the census bureau has shelled out a major amount of money on what the census bureau refers to as non-response follow-up. That’s when a household receives the census questionnaire in the mail, but forgets to complete it and mail it back.
The initial response rate determines the “non-response” follow-up needed and affects both the cost and the overall success of the census. In 1970, the mail response rate was nearly 80 percent, but in 1990, it sank to 65 percent. In 2000, a massive marketing and ad campaign managed to check the downward slide. Census 2000 held steady near 65 percent.
Given that some groups are telling their constituents not to fill out census forms until an immigration bill is drafted, getting people to send back their completed census forms could be an uphill battle in 2010.
But consider this. Every 1 percent increase in mailback response rate will save the Feds between $80 million to $90 million, according to Stacy Gimbel, a census spokesperson.
After the 2000 census, the bureau spent $1.1 billion in field costs (including salaries and training) to reach people. That doesn’t count headquarters and infrastructure costs or even the cost of reprinting forms.
For more news related to the 2010 Census:
Centuries old approach to all-inclusive census under attack
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