Franken May Be the Comedian but the Joke is on Bachmann!
By anniepa
@anniepa (27955)
United States
June 30, 2009 11:13pm CST
You may have heard that Representative Michelle Bachmann, the two-term congresswoman from Minnesota's Sixth District, has said she will not fully fill out the census form, a misdemeanor punishable by up to $5,000. This isn't really anything new for the fear-mongering conspiracy theorist who had previously called for an investigation into "anti-American activities" of members of Congress and had more recently spoken of Americorps as planning "reeducation camps" for our young people. However, this time she could just be fear-mongering herself out of a job!
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/49237132.html?page=2&c=y
"The 2010 census will likely determine whether Minnesota loses one of its eight U.S. House seats; population determines seat allocation. Political experts agree that a few thousand people not filling out census forms may be all it takes for the state to lose a congressional advocate in the nation's capital. If Minnesota were to lose a congressional seat, Bachmann's district appears to be candidate for absorption."
Gee, who will get the last laugh if that happens!
For the purpose of discussion, how could the same state that voted for Al Franken also vote for a clown like Michelle Bachmann?
Annie
7 responses
@iriscot (1289)
• United States
1 Jul 09
Who is this Michelle Bachmann, is she is bed with Glenn Beck, she made some weird statements on Fox's Glenn Beck TV show. She's probably just another conservative "Rabble Rouser". Is she actually going to refuse to fill out her Census Form? It seems there are some weird politicians in Minnesota.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
1 Jul 09
a lot of people all over this country are not going to completely fill out the census. Fill it out yes. Just not completely. Some of the information is none of tehir business. Especially with ACORN involved.
@irishidid (8688)
• United States
1 Jul 09
I see nothing wrong with only filling out what is required by law. I don't think it is so much the census itself but who is conducting it this time around. I myself will refuse to answer any questions an Acorn worker asks me. Their honesty is highly questionable.
Let's put this into some perspective, we as citizens should not be against each other but stand together to make sure that Obama and the rest of government do the right thing by the people. So far that isn't happening.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
1 Jul 09
The point I was making is that if even a relatively small number of people from her state do what they think she is telling them to do and refuse to fill out the census it could have a negative effect on her state and on her own job. I agree, we as citizens shouldn't be against each other but Michelle Bachmann is probably the most divisive member of Congress.
Annie
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
1 Jul 09
Rep Bachmann has never said not to fill out the Census but that you don't have to fill out the questioner. They are two different items that are being done at the same time. It will be interesting to see what states gain and what states lose population and which gain. Then cross that with the taxes in each state and see if people are moving to avoid taxes.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
1 Jul 09
From the article to which I linked:
"Bachmann has been careful to say that she's willing to tell the census how many people live in her household, the basic information that will determine whether Minnesota keeps a congressional seat. But that's a message that's easily lost in her fear-mongering; Beck didn't help when he pantomimed flushing census documents down the toilet."
The thing is, those who would follow any advice of Bachmann's would possibly also be fans of the likes of Beck which would lead me to believe there MIGHT be some who would actually do what Beck suggested and not fill anything out at all.
Annie
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
1 Jul 09
I only heard her talk about the census and I wasn't aware there was something separate from the census. I know in previous years there was a short form and a long form that only a small number of people received and I'd assumed it would be similar to that this time.
Annie
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
1 Jul 09
It is the responsibility of everyone in the US to tell the census bureau how many people live at their residence. There is absolutely no Constitutional mandate to answer any other questions they ask.
There is no Constitutional backing to any law that requires us to answer a bunch of questions that have nothing to do with a count of the people. The only Constitutional purpose of the census is to count heads for Congressional representation.
The census takers are under the obligation to conduct the census in a legal and Constitutional manner. In the 2000 census, the people who came to my door wanted me to lie about where I lived on April 1, 2000. I told them that no one lived at my residence on that date, but they kept re-asking the question in different ways, trying to get my family counted. What good is a census if the census takers don't care what the facts are?
1 person likes this
@piasabird (1737)
• United States
1 Jul 09
"For the purpose of discussion, how could the same state that voted for Al Franken also vote for a clown like Michelle Bachmann?"
You know, probably if I looked hard enough, I could find a picture of Franken dressed as a clown!
I don't know what to think about the people of Minnesota. It was a tight race so half of them aren't fools. I guess the other half (the fools) who voted for Franken must have thought ...... well, in the words of Stuart Smalley:
"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me."
@piasabird (1737)
• United States
2 Jul 09
This is what someone else wrote about Franken on another web site.
This will improve our country: A Godless, profane idiot whose biggest life accomplishments are being a failed comedy writer and bankrupting the only major liberal radio network in the country with his retarded political dialog.
That pretty much sums it up.
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
1 Jul 09
LOL Maybe they like politicans that will make a fool of themselves. It's good to see that they finally seated someone, dang it's way over due.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
1 Jul 09
Showing a great deal of "class"...lol...here's what Senator Jim Inhofe, R-OK said:
"I'll tell you what a lot of people are thinking, and that is it looks like things are going to be over and we are going to get the clown from Minnesota," he said. "They are not going to get more than 35 votes."
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2009/07/oklahoma_republ.php
Annie
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
1 Jul 09
it is about privacy and our right to it. THey can use the information about how many people live in the house for the congressional seat. It is not decided by how much you make a year but by how many people are in the area. So as long as people just fill out that part it will not hurt her at all.
that is all I plan on filling out. A court has even ruled that you don't have to fill out the whole thing.why? because of privacy rights.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
9 Jul 09
The people of her area won't lose representation but they could end up being a part of a different district if the state loses one or more districts which would result in the boundaries being redrawn. That happened in Pa. several years ago when the GOP was in control of Congress and it appeared gerrymandering attempts might have cost my Representative, Paul Kanjorski, his seat depending on how the new districts were drawn. As it turned out, that didn't happen but his district did change a bit. He got some areas he didn't have before and some places that had been in his district were put in another one but it didn't affect my immediate area. Typically the party in power will try to do whatever they can to benefit their majority and take away from the minority.
Annie
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
1 Jul 09
your right that she is a menance. But I would rather her get voted out than the people of her area loose their representation.
1 person likes this
