re: #142 jcm

There’s a debate on the legal aspects, Congress empowers the Census Bureau and they under that authority get to ask certain things. There’s no speed limits in the Constitution, but there are speed limits everywhere. There is force of law to it.

There is a penalty for not replying.

I don’t think it’s ever really been challenged, and the Census Bureau probably isn’t willing to go to the mat to get every single person to comply.

Yeah, and I think I see why there would be a debate - the last words of that section I quoted above are:

in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.

I would think the Founding Fathers were talking about the “who’s gonna do it” as opposed to “how intrusive shall we get this time”, but I certainly take your point. And I bet you’re right that the bureau just hasn’t (so far) wanted to push it.