Making Sense of the Census

Right smack dab in the middle of an ecoonomic crisis, someone decides we can't put one Consitutional mandate on hold.The Census!Yes the Constitution calls for it to take place every 10 years but frankly, couldn't it wait just a bit?Guess not!

I mean really.We're in debt way above our eyeballs, we're still dependent on foreign oil for more than two-thirds of our consumption, our infrastructure is in need of repair, we're right on the brink of numerous alternative energy breakthroughs and we decide we need to spend $14 billion counting ourselves.Is it just me?Please say it ain't so.

Sure, it's created jobs, some 1.4 million by some estimates, but unemplyment is still 9.7%, well above the projected 8% we were forced to accept.And, considering there are some 150 million individual federal tax returns filed in a year, that 1.4 million number represents nearly 1% of the work force.So let me get this straight.We hired back 1% of the work force from the unemployment rolls and we still have 9.7% unemployment and maybe rising.

Now get this one.With a population of say 330 million, that means we hired 1 census taker for every 235 persons.And of all the data we have on everyone now, how far off can we be from an actual number?And what difference does it make right now?In my humble opinion, here's what we should be borrowing money for.

If I owned a home outright, but it cost me twice as much to heat and cool it as the average house of my size, it would be to my long term benefit to borrow some of the equity to improve energy efficiency and lower my cost of ownership.In theory, my money is coming back to me in cost reductions which in turn also makes my house more valuable.

Now, if you're going to keep making me borrow money against my kids future, I at least want to know that my kids and maybe myself, have a way of recovering the cost.I will pay more taxes if some day it costs less to drive to work, heat my house, recreate, travel and go to church on Sunday.Don't get me started.The point is, it is not prudent nor is it good stewardhsip to borrow money and spend it on something that cannot return your investment.

And by the way, these jobs are temporary jobs that will go away.And the only way to replace them may well be to print more money and just keep printing and printing and printing till the dollar isn't worth the paper it's printed on.It's easy to see the road to hyperinflation, a weaker dollar and much higher gold prices.It's also easy to see why gold demand worldwide is on the rise.If you believe gold is an inflation hedge, then be sure to have enough to help you pay back all the money being borrowed on your children's behalf now.