Population estimates indicate that while Minnesota's population has remained essentially flat while other states have seen substantial increases. As a result, there is a chance that Minnesota could lose a congressional seat since the allocation of the 435 congressional seats is based on census results. Rep. Bachmann's planned boycott - if followed by others - could negatively impact the representation of Minnesotans in Congress.

Didn't Representative Bachmann say she would answer the basic census question about how many people live at her address but would boycott the personal questions beyond?

The U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 2) mandates a headcount of everyone residing in the United States. Rep. Bachmann has vowed to comply with her constitutional headcount information but will boycott additional questions.

The additional questions are Name, phone number, race, other locations of habitat, age, date of birth, relationships, financial conditions of ownership of home, who visits and stays with you in your home and others.
(see the form at http://2010.census.gov/2010census/pdf/2010_Questionnaire_Info_Copy.pdf )

I agree with those that have a distrust of the organization ACORN participating in the census based on their record of voter registration activity.

In American law it is illegal to discriminate based on your race. If this is true, why should the government care if I am, according to the census form, White, Negro, Thai or Salivdorian? They should only care if we are American Citizens. Why should our government use race as a factor when setting policy or tax allocation decisions if under the law in America we are equal? And our phone numbers, names and ages? Question what will happen with this data, why they need it, and who controls access to your information.

One more time: Acorn exists to empower the powerless by community organizing that helps them learn how to stand up for themselves and to defend themselves against unfair treatment. One way to reduce feelings of powerlessness is to help poor people register to vote.

In the last election, Acorn hired some 13,000 temporary employees to do voter registration. They were paid by the number of registrations accomplished. An infinitesimal number of these employees (10-20?) tried to defraud Acorn -- I repeat, TRIED TO DEFRAUD ACORN, NOT THE GOVERNMENT -- by submitting phony registration forms with made-up names. Acorn, which reviews each registration form, recognized the phony forms and told the police who the guilty employees were. The police arrested them.

There was never any attempt on the part of Acorn to submit phony voter registration forms. The government knows this, but many right-wing Republicans do not.

The other day at a House Judiciary meeting, Rep. Peter King of New York asked what they would do if they knew that the Census Bureau planned to conract with a criminal organization that would falsify the entire census to meet some nefarious goals of its own. The name of that criminal organization? Acorn, of course.

The willful ignorance of King, Michelle Bachmann, other members of Congress, and some right-wing media types is shocking. These are the people who are trying to improve their "image" so as to return to power. Good luck, folks.

Bernice Vetsch you are right - saying acorn never commited voter fraud. that is like saying al capone never committed any murders. acorn learned a lesson from al capone. you don't need to kill anybody if you can hire someone to do it for you. acorn "subcontracts" people to commit voter fraud for them and when they are arrested claim they have no control over the subcontractors.
bernice what you say would be believable if only few subcontractors committed vote registration fraud, but acorn has been endited for voter registration fraud in 14 STATES. this tells me this is the policy of acorn to commit voter fraud.
if acorn collects the census information for your house do not be surprised if you are living with mickey mouse and the entire dallas cowboys football team. IF YOU WANT TO GIVE THIS CRIMMINAL ORGANIZATION YOUR PRIVATE INFORMATION THEN GO AHEAD - I DO NOT

hello Bernice Vetsch

when acorn " employees" turned in fraudulent infomation regarding voter registration, the various states had to verify the information. thousand of votes where rejected by state officals. HOWEVER when census infomation from acorn is turned over to rahm emanuale in the white house, WHO IS GOING TO THROW OUT THE BOGAS INFORMATION PROVIDED THEY THESE FEW CRIMMINAL EMPLOYEES. NO ONE

Dave "Dizzy" Dziock and Congressman Bachman should put their money where their mouths are when accusing ACORN of fraud. They talk a big game but they've never given us the real deal and shown us proof. In fact, ACORN lives by the law and makes an important contribution to the U.S. election process.

David G: No VOTES were rejected, only voter registration forms with dumb names like Mickey Mouse. And which 14 states have indicted Acorn for voter fraud when there has been no voter fraud? I'd like to know.

Acorn will NOT be "collecting census information." All canvassers will be hired by the Census Bureau, trained by the Bureau and supervised by it. Acorn and other organizations will only be referring job-seekers to the Census Bureau for possible employment.

Bachmann has a very conditional loyalty to this country - she only wants it to prosper is her ideology is in power. Failing that, she does everything she can to tear it apart.

Behaving as the Rush Limbaugh of the Minnesota
Delagation is cheating Bachman's District out of
Representation in Congress.

Let us not forget that Limbaugh is nothing more than a Big-Mouthed Entertainer with a microphone
and is accountable to no one.