If I told you that a member of Congress has become so unhinged over the upcoming census that they intended to BREAK THE LAW by refusing to answer questions, who would you guess it was?
Oh yeah, that's right. The übernut from Minnesota has struck again:
BACHMANN: The motherload of all data information will be from the Census. ... Unfortunately, the Census data has become very intricate, very personal, a lot of the questions that are asked. I know for my family, the only question we will be answering is how many people are in our home. We won’t be answering any information beyond that, because the Constitution doesn’t require any information beyond that.
Hey Michele, that document you keep indicating you know? I don't think it means what you think it means:
While the Census Clause expressly provides for an enumeration of persons, Congress has expanded the scope of the census by including not only the free persons in the States, but also those in the territories, and by requiring all persons over eighteen years of age to answer an ever-lengthening list of inquiries concerning their personal and economic affairs. This extended scope of the census has received the implied approval of the Supreme Court,349 and is one of the methods whereby the national legislature exercises its inherent power to obtain the information necessary for intelligent legislative action.
You see that? Intelligent legislative action. Something you should really aspire to. Once you get past the intelligence requirement, that is...
The fact that this exclusive interview was given to the Moonie Times is just icing on the cake. You literally can't make this stuff up. I'm not sure how you parody this, but I look forward to seeing Stewart and the gang try...
UPDATE2: h/t to m00finsan, who informs us (via ThinkProgress) what REALLY has a bee in Michele's bonnet:
Bachmann explained that her fears over the Census were in large part due to the fact that her Number-One Enemy, ACORN, could possibly be involved. (The group might help recruit some of the 1.4 million people needed to go door-to-door to count every American.)
The Minnesota Independent reports that even the Moonie Times acknowledges that her stance is, ahem, extralegal:
But as the paper reports, Bachmann is "misreading" the law — and it could cost her family $100 per question left unanswered.
UPDATE: I was headed out the door for home, just getting to the comments. You can read about questions intended for use in the census ( h/t to Timaeus) at http://www.census.gov/...