Question by Lever: What if we privatized the government census and data-keeping?
You could get a private company to conduct necessary statistics for the government. The census forms get to your house by mail, full of advertisements (of course).
Let’s say in 2020, for the census, someone will knock on your door and do the census and tell you about how for only $ 19.99 you can purchase a special commemorative census plaque that states that you received a census form for 2020. They could probably do it more efficiently, and with friendlier census people.
I think this could be the model, but what do you think?
Best answer:
Answer by spirit_of_tom_joad
I think it would cost about 3x what it does now.
What do you think? Answer below!
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What would be the purpose of that? The government is very efficient with the Census.
As a Conservative, I think the entire federal government should be privatized. That includes all 3 branches of government, the military, the FBI, CIA, and everything in between.
- The Rightwing Conservative
I am sure that, if privatized, it would cost less, come together quicker and be more effective. No unionization allowed, of course.
I was never counted in this past census and can only recall one time in the last 3 that I actually received paperwork to complete. Maybe they just don’t want to count whitey?
I think it would be a political disaster. Other then the political war that it would create when deciding which company or companies would run the census (would you want a Fox or MSNBC subsidiary or associate doing it?) nobody would buy the plaques. Who wants to remember a census?
meh
The Census is a Constitutionally mandated function of the Federal Government. Could a private company perform the data entry and collection than the Government? Yes. I’ve worked in data entry for the private sector and the Census, there was that inevitable government bureaucratic slow down in the Census, although there were a lot of hard workers (and a couple of real slackers).
The Census did do mailers, they were ok.
By the way, the Census uses Fed Ex to ship their documents, not the Postal Service. Because it’s faster, cheaper, and more reliable.