Comment 44247

By moylek (registered) - website | Posted July 28, 2010 at 14:58:28

I certainly don't consider myself part of the "reactionary conservative base" that everyone keeps talking about, but I can come up with a number of non-insidious reasons for no longer making this part of the census compulsory ...

  • most countries get along without such a thing
  • political, media and consumer polsters manage to come up with polls (valuable enough for people to pay for) despite having no powers of imprisonment for non-compliance
  • the government maks oodles of money selling this data - which makes motives for keeping it at least slightly suspect
  • the government does more and more "for our own good"; a step away from creeping nannystatism - even backwards - is refreshing and good for everyone now and again
  • there's something about the apologias which feel uncomfortably close to "if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear" to me
  • there's something just wrong about not being allowed to say "no" when the government just wants to know more about you for no immediate reason (vs. wanting to know your income for taxation purposes, or your address in order to issue a driver's license) - it's a bit of an affront to the course of our political history, which has been in the direction of increasing respect for individual dignity and respect

I've not made up my mind about the issue, and I certainly believe that the data is useful and valuable, but I certainly disagree with those who think that this can only be about "pleasing the [evil, right-wing, Bush-loving, abortion-banning, gun-toting] base."

Comment edited by moylek on 2010-07-28 14:06:20

-- Kenneth Moyle Hamilton, Ontario

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