by Mark Silva
The 2010 Census that will get underway soon is not simply a matter of counting heads. It's not only a question of carving up congressional districts. It's also a question of handing out cash.
Nearly a half-trillion dollars of federal funds are distributed each year based on population formulas that rely on the decennial headcount of the American public.
A new Census Bureau report on the use of Census statistics in federal grant and direct assistance programs has found that $435.7 billion in grant funding was allocated around the nation during fiscal year 2007 based in whole or in part on Census data.
Authors Lisa Blumerman and Phillip Vidal examined 140 federal funding programs "to better understand funding formulae and eligibility criteria that rely upon population and income data."
They found that the federal government distributes a total of $446.4 billion annually using numbers produced by the Census Bureau,
The largest single allocation ($203.5 billion in budget year '07) went to Medicaid, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Other big allocations: Unempkoyment Insurance, Highway Planning and Construction grants, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as "food stamps''), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and Pell grants.
Comments
The census is evil and I'm an idiot.
Posted by: Wingnut | July 27, 2009 3:02 PM
It's not surprising that the Repugs can't win elections anymore after you look at the nutjobs they call "leaders" nowadays.
In an interview with Fixed News, Michelle Bachmann (R-Minnesota) suggested that the Obama administration could use the Census data for nefarious purposes — including the imprisonment of Americans in concentration camps:
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http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/27/census-bachmann-mpr/
Posted by: Mullah Limbaugh - leader of the Greedy Oil Party | July 27, 2009 5:35 PM
With ACORN assisting in the count one can bet that it will be honest. Of course this will be ignored by the MSM, our Democract Congress, and our fine new AG.
Posted by: bubba Porter | July 28, 2009 7:01 AM
"The census is evil and I'm an idiot."
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Posted by: Wingnut | July 27, 2009 3:02 PM
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You are two seven eights correct. I'll leave it to you to figure out what parts you got right.
Posted by: John W. | July 28, 2009 4:12 PM