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Be counted in census, Sen. Brown pleads pleads
By DAVID SKOLNICK
skolnick@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
AP
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In this photo made March 9, 2010, Damashata Washington looks for work at Work 2 Future, a federally funded job training center, in San Jose, Calif. Companies that hire unemployed workers will get a temporary payroll tax holiday under a bill that easily won final congressional approval Wednesday, March 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
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U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Avon)
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is urging Ohioans to accurately fill out census forms because failure to do so could cost the state millions, or perhaps billions, of dollars in federal money.
“Critical funds that promote economic development, keep our communities safe, and help those in need are at stake,” Brown said. “The census determines the future of our state. It determines the resources, services and funding we’ll have available to ensure our children grow up with the education and medical care they need. It determines the funding we’ll have to train our workers and ensure our small businesses can grow.”
The 10-question census form was recently mailed, including to homes in the Mahoning Valley. The U.S. Census Bureau wants all of the forms completed and mailed back by April 1. Between April and July, census takers will go to households that didn’t mail completed forms, Brown said.
Ohio receives about $14 billion each year from the federal government based on census data, Brown said.
“Ohio can’t afford to lose money by not being counted,” the Democratic senator from Avon said Wednesday on a conference call with reporters.
A 2-percent undercount in the number of Mahoning County residents could mean a loss to the county of $61.8 million in federal funding over 10 years, Brown said, using information compiled by the Brookings Institution.
A 2-percent undercount in Trumbull County could result in a loss of $54 million over 10 years there with Columbiana County possibly losing $26.9 million over 10 years under the same scenario, according to the Brookings report.
Brown said he’s concerned that people who lost their homes and are living with family or friends will be too embarrassed to be included on the census.
“They don’t want people to know about their financial struggles,” and won’t participate in the census, he said.
Brown said the Census Bureau is “sensitive about privacy” and strongly urged those with financial issues to be counted.
The number of U.S. House members for each state is determined by population figures compiled by the census.
Ohio is slated to lose two of its 18 congressional seats with this census because its population hasn’t grown as much as other states, Brown said. The House’s 435 seats are determined by the population count.
“Our political power as a state would be diminished” with two fewer House seats, he said. “If all the people in Ohio are counted, we may lose only one member.”
Libertarian Party Chairman William Redpath said the census asks too many personal questions about race, age, sex and home ownership.
“Unfortunately, the federal government wants to use the additional information to fine-tune its control over the lives and money of the American people,” Redpath said in a prepared statement.
Privacy concerns are unfounded, Brown said. The additional information helps the government make decisions on funding various programs, and “everyone’s privacy is protected,” Brown said.