Ehrlich on Washington column, July 12, 1999

NEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 315 Cannon House Office Buildi Washington, D.C. 205 1 5 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of July 12, 1999 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. MAKE IT COUNT As you are probably aware, our community marked its place in history with the opening of the Census 2000 Baltimore Data Collection Center in Rosedale on June 16, 1999. One of three nationwide centers, the Rosedale site will employ over 2,000 people to receive and process returned census questionnaires. Taking a census once every ten years is an important job; as the future employees of the Baltimore Data Collection Center will learn, just as the framers of the Constitution knew, it is vitally important the count be as accurate as possible. America’s founding fathers were so adamant that an accurate “people count” be obtained they made it a constitutional requirement. Article I, section 2 of the Constitution states an “actual enumeration” of the population every ten years is required. Moreover, the Framers specified this “precise and permanent” standard for the census be employed to avoid partisan manipulation. President Clinton has apparently forgotten this constitutional requirement as he pushes his census “sampling scheme” or poll rather than an “actual enumeration.” The former Secretary of Commerce, Robert Mosbacher, rejected making adjustments to the 1990 census based upon polls or sampling because the sampled data contained huge errors resulting in inaccurate conclusions. Unfortunately, many special interest groups joined with the administration in support of the poll. On January 25, 1999 the Supreme Court ruled the Clinton “sampling scheme” or poll was