I’m confused. And frustrated. I know that the census is important, and I didn’t have any real qualms about filling it out, at first. When the form arrived, however, I began to ask questions.

Right off the bat, the form says NOT to include people in the military. Later on (Question 10, to be precise), it asks if the person “sometimes” lives/stays elsewhere, including the military. What the heck? What am I supposed to answer?

My concern is mainly how the results will be tabulated. If I don’t count Lane b/c he is away w/the military, then when references are made to the “number of children raised in single-parent homes based on the 2010 Census,” how do I know that my family won’t be counted in that number?

Furthermore, I already list all of my dependents’ full names & birthdays on my annual tax return, so couldn’t they pull that info by cross-referencing my name & address? Why do they need it all again?

I am a little surprised that there aren’t more questions about household income, level of education and other demographic details.

On a related note, I think the postage required for the pre-letters, census forms and postcard reminders should be enough to get the U.S. Postal Service back in the black this fiscal year.