It sounds like interesting – although temporary – work.
The U.S. Census Bureau is hiring 3,000 temporary workers in the Kansas City area for the 2010 census.
Census forms go in the mail in a little more than a month, and this year’s form has just 10 questions. That’s shorter than the 2000 census form. Jackson County’s final response rate, by the rate, was right on the national average – a puny 67 percent – and among the highest in the state. So census takers are needed to go door to door to homes that do not complete and return their questionnaire.
You have to be at least 18 and a U.S. citizen. You have to speak English, but the government really needs people who are bilingual, too. There is a basic skills test and a background check. Interested? Call the Census Bureau at 1-866-861-2010.
This is probably a good time to mention that so-called senior census that’s gone out in the mail.
A Maryland group called the Civic Council has sent out a “2010 Census of Senior Citizens” that’s meant to look official. It’s not. The letter has language about wanting information to “plan and develop our strategy for protecting Senior Citizens.” Special-interest groups do this sort of thing all the time to raise money and generate what looks like grass-roots support for one policy or another – but the timing and appearance of this “census” sure are lousy. The AARP put these guys on notice last year, too.
Independence Mayor Reimal, who is on the state’s Complete Count Committee, has been saying for a couple of weeks that this mailing could well confuse some seniors.
“And when the actual paperwork comes, they’ll say, ‘I’ve already filled this out,’” he says.
That’s bad because we only have a federal census one every 10 years. Everyone should be counted. And mayors such as Reimal are depending on a good count so their states and cities get their share of federal money for any number of programs over the next decade. Worse case: Missouri might even lose a seat in Congress if it’s population is little short of what’s currently projected.
