Census

I find it unbelievable that the cost for the 2010 census is estimated at just under $15 billion. A quick calculation shows that the cost translates to almost $50 per U.S. citizen. In this day of number crunching and data mining, this per capita cost seems excessive. I am sure if this process were placed under bid by private contractors, a less costly and more efficient process would ensue. This government endeavor only provides fodder for those who condemn government services. Chris Shane, Towson

One in 9 housing units in the Baltimore region sat empty last year, from well-tended homes for sale to boarded-up shells, according to new estimates from the Census Bureau . That's on the high side but not nearly the highest. The agency measured vacancy for the 75 largest metro areas -- not counting vacation properties shuttered in the off-season -- and says the Baltimore region is in a three-way tie with Chicago and Pittsburgh for the 26th worst rate. (It's 11.6 percent, to be exact.)

With apologies to Peter Schmuck, I'd like to examine and comment on a few of the major, ostensible goals of the census: Item: Collection of demographic data to include age, sex, race, national/ethic origin, living arrangements, and dwelling type. My take: All of this to be spit back at us in charts and graphs to further advance class/group envy, divisiveness, pitting one American against another and the perversion of our cherished motto from "E pluribus unum" into "E pluribus squared."

Baltimore and Harford counties are conducting their annual surveys of the homeless population this week, gathering information about how many people lack a permanent place to stay and why. The one-day census is also intended to help service agencies learn where there are gaps in assistance programs. The federal government requires a count, known as a point-in-time census, during the last 10 days of January from all local governments at least every other year. Most conduct the survey annually.

Thank you to The Sun for your March 18 editorial urging prompt response by all Marylanders to the 2010 census ("Return your census form," March 18). We're off to a great start. After the first week, 24 percent of Maryland households had returned their forms -- nearly twice the national average. Folks have remarked to us that, as advertised, they're easy and quick to fill out. But the work of Maryland's Complete Count committee isn't over. We're reaching out to community leaders, clergy and others to spread the message, especially in economically challenged areas that are traditionally the hardest to count.

The U.S. Census is a good bureau to work for, but on June 14, Spencer Williams was shot and killed while taking a coworker home. This young man worked for the U.S. census and was a team leader. It's sad that this happened to him, but crime is everywhere these days. People who live in Baltimore just don't say "B-more careful!" for no reason. My sympathy goes out to his family. He just celebrated his 23rd birthday a couple of days before he was gunned down. I hope police find the person or persons who did this and punish them to the full extent.

I found the talkback comments regarding The Sun's Sunday editorial on the need for Marylanders to respond to the national census distressing ("Getting it right," April 4). To think a simple census questionaire can bring out that kind of mean spiritedness! To find something negative is one thing, but the mean spirited tone of the comments is itself a sad commentary of the state of community in our area if not in the country. I wonder if people understand what they are angry about and the negative effect such anger has on them and on the fabric of America.

Mayor Schmoke has abandoned his wait-and-see attitude regarding the accuracy of the U.S. Census count that showed Baltimore's population declining by some 66,000 people during the past decade, a drop of 8.5 percent that was nearly a third again larger than expected. Last week Schmoke joined a growing chorus of mayors across the country who are challenging the official figures that will serve as the basis for distributing vast amounts of federal aid in the 1990s.The city's case rests on an apparent discrepancy between the number of households identified by census workers from mailing lists and the number of households indicated by city property records and utility company accounts.

A fire official says one person was transported to a hospital after a white powder was discovered at an Essex office that processes census forms. Baltimore County Fire Department Lt. John Milby said crews spent about 3 1/2 hours on scene and collected some of the material for testing. He said there were "some reports of some skin irritation." Milby said officials got a 911 call at 11 o'clock but it was not clear what symptoms the person taken to the hospital had. - Associated Press

The image is appropriate for Christmas: Joseph leads a donkey on which Mary rides, a star shining above them on their journey to Bethlehem. But the poster's message, in Spanish and aimed at illegal immigrants, strikes many as inappropriate: "This is how Jesus was born ... Joseph and Mary participated in the census ... Don't be afraid." Worshippers at the Rev. Angel Nunez's church in East Baltimore received their first glimpses of the poster during services this week, enthusiastically greeting the image that connects the birth of Jesus Christ and the 2010 census, the pastor says.

Why can't political redistricting be done simply by adding or subtracting adjacent zip codes? Surely by using census and post office data, not to mention private industry's marketing research, we pretty much know the precise population of every zip code in the nation. Why can't political redistricting be simply done by adding or subtracting adjacent zip codes? Start from one corner of the state and go north, east, south, or west (depending on what shape the state best lends itself to)

After several years of discouraging results, Maryland fisheries officials say the number of juvenile striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay this summer was the fourth highest in the 58-year history of their annual census. The abundance of palm-sized newborns bodes well for those who catch — and those who eat — the official state fish, also known as rockfish. "We had a widespread good spawn in the bay. … In three to four years that will translate into excellent fishing," said Tom O'Connell, director of the Fisheries Service for the Department of Natural Resources.

Housing vacancies increased at a faster rate along much of Maryland's Eastern Shore over the last decade than in the nation as a whole, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. Baltimore's supply of vacant homes, though, expanded more slowly than the nation's rate. The census report contradicts the notion that the number of Baltimore's empty rowhouses is growing at a rapid pace while Marylanders are rushing to new developments in distant counties. The slow pace of construction in the city helped stabilize vacancy rates from 2000 to 2010, while the boom in new homes on Maryland's eastern periphery made the rates escalate there, experts said.

About one in four Baltimore residents is living in poverty, a one-year increase of more than 20 percent, according to estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. Although the recession officially ended in June 2009, a federal survey conducted last year shows that the downturn's enduring effects have led poverty rates to skyrocket over a short period. The uptick is straining government and charitable resources and leaving Baltimore leaders scrambling for solutions. "People who were managing have now dropped into poverty," said Susan J. Roll, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

A couple of years ago, Joe and Marlene Everett were 50-something empty nesters with a daughter out on her own and a son away at college. Now, thanks to the weak economy, the Everetts are once again all living under the same roof in Woodbine. It's a bit of a financial strain, admits Marlene Everett, but one the couple has taken on willingly to help kids who don't yet earn enough to live on their own. "We enjoy them being here right now," the 54-year-old mother says. "This is the last time they will live at home before branching out. " More American families are finding themselves in a similar situation, according to the federal government.

If my sister had her way, my niece would never leave home. Thankfully, my 18-year-old niece managed to escape to college this year. But some families are struggling financially and parents and their young adult children are forced to double up. The U.S. Census Bureau today released new data that showed the number of “double-up households” rose by 2 million from 2007 to 21.8 million by spring 2011. As of this spring, 5.9 million people age 25 to 34 lived with their parent's, up from 4.7 million before the recession.

Battle lines are being drawn, it seems, in the fight over where battle lines for state politics will be drawn in Maryland. The U.S. Census Bureau has digested the information it gathered in 2010 and the task of deciding which precincts will be in which legislative districts has begun. Over the weekend there was a hearing on the matter as it applies to the legislative districts for the Maryland General Assembly, but there's no doubt the wrangling will go on for weeks, largely unnoticed by those of us in the general public.

U.S. restaurant unit counts declined by 2 percent, or a loss of 9,450 restaurants, according to an annual, and much-quoted, census published by the NPD Group, a Chicago-based market research company. UPDATE: The same survey shows no statistical difference in the total number of restaurants in the Baltimore area. Translating that statistic into plainspeak is tempting, but it is wrong to say, as I've seen elsewhere, that there were 9.450 closings. Am I right about this? Read on  - the rest is directly from the NPD press release: "U.S.