It seems from this report that gerrymandering is alive and well in the
United States. But it seems that there will be statistics available on
the undercount in the 2000 US census even if congressional districts are not
drawn in ways that reflect the best estimates of the distribution of the
population.
Is this ahead of the UK, or behind the UK - as far as statistics are
concerned? We still don't really know the causes of the undercount in the
UK in 1991, or meaningful categories for the groups undercounted in 1991.
The One Number Census this year is regarded as an administrative necessity,
but the Census Coverage Survey won't really give us detail on who will be
missing, that we won't know whether the ONC totals are an accurate count of
the total population.
Are we ahead of the US or behind? Or is it that the crucial use of the US
census is for political representation, whereas in the UK it is mainly for
the allocation of resources?
Ray
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-----Original Message-----
From: Census2000 [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 5:36 PM
Subject: MALONEY SLAMS REPORTS OF WHITE HOUSE "PRIVATE PROMISES" TO
BLOCK USE OF ACCURATE CENSUS DATA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, FEB. 8, 2001 CONTACT: BEN CHEVAT,
202-225-7944
MALONEY SLAMS REPORTS OF WHITE HOUSE "PRIVATE PROMISES" TO BLOCK USE OF
ACCURATE CENSUS DATA
NEW YORK, NY - After reading in the Wall Street Journal today that President
Bush has promised House Republicans that his administration will block the
use of corrected Census numbers in configuring congressional districts
throughout the country, Census Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Carolyn B.
Maloney (D-NY) released the following statement:
The report states that Republicans on Capitol Hill insist, "The White House
has privately promised to block states from using sampled numbers to redraw
any of the nation's 435 congressional districts." In the story, it was also
reported that Missouri GOP Rep. Roy Blunt, Bush's point person in Congress,
went on to say he does "not believe there is any reason," that the President
would allow the use of "statistical sampling," (WSJ, 02/08/01).
"If this report is true, President Bush is now in clear contradiction with
statements he made just days ago, when he told every Democratic Member of
Congress, in response to a question I posed on correcting the Census
undercount, 'I haven't been briefed on that,'" Maloney said today. "When
was the President briefed and when did he know it?"
Referring to the disenfranchisement of thousands of minority voters in this
fall's election in Florida, Maloney added, "This decision will make Florida
look like a case of petty theft."
"Even worse than the fact that millions of Americans must learn about the
Bush Administration's position on counting every American through media
reports of 'private promises,' is the fact that it has also now been
reported that the Bush team is relying on the counsel of top Republican
National Committee staff including 'redistricting guru' Tom Hoffeler, in
developing their Census strategy."
"President Bush's Republican Administration and colleagues are obviously not
worried about the consequences of deciding not to accurately count America's
historically undercounted Black, Hispanic, Asian and American Indian
populations, but I can guarantee they will be worried when America's Black,
Hispanic, Asian and American Indian populations learn that the Bush
Administration and their GOP cohorts have decided that they don't count,"
Maloney concluded.
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