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Chaffetz On Census Takers: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid
October 9, 2009, 6:20PM
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)
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Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) took to the airwaves on Fox today to warn viewers of the rapists and child molesters he says will be coming to their doors courtesy of the U.S. government next year.
Speaking on "Studio B" this afternoon, Chaffetz responded to recent Senate testimony from a GAO official who said it was "possible" that improper fingerprinting procedures at the Census Bureau led to the hiring of somewhere around 200 temporary census workers "with extensive criminal records." The official said the bureau had dismissed 750 of 1,800 temporary workers it hired last year with criminal records after reviewing details of the workers' cases.
Chaffetz, to Fox's Gregg Jarrett:
Chaffetz' full quote:
"It is paramount that the American people have confidence, and the people who are going to go door-to-door next April 10 and conduct a census, and what is concerning we have suddenly about 1800 people that have actually got a criminal background. Nearly 750 people have salacious backgrounds such as child molestation, rape. You even have some people convicted of manslaughter that have been brought into the process. I give credit to the Census Bureau for actually conducting background checks and doing fingerprinting and working with the FBI, but what is not acceptable is that tens of thousands of these were done improperly, so we do not know the background of these people."
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commie atheist
October 9, 2009 6:26 PM
Just get rid of any that are registered Republicans. That should remove most of the child molesters and rapists.
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AhTrini1
October 11, 2009 12:06 PM in reply to commie atheist
LMAO
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ohyeathatsright
October 9, 2009 7:52 PM
It's a temp job, you're not working with PhD candidates here. That said, the Census caught the error and is working to rectify. Where is his "tens of thousands" figure coming from?
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thisniss
October 9, 2009 9:22 PM
If the GOP can demonize census workers, then they don't have to take responsibility for the violence that their rhetoric has unleashed. They've already got the blood of one census worker on their hands, and they're looking to absolve themselves through typical "blame the victim" GOP tactics.
This is disgusting, and dangerous, anti-census fear-mongering. I don't know what else to say.
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Jen06
October 10, 2009 8:01 PM in reply to thisniss
Do you have any verification as to the murderer? My first thought, being rural Kentucky, was a moonshiner. I found this (below)but as far as some "conservative", there is nothing. Perhaps I missed it.
But locals are pointing to Clay County’s drug trade, noting that Sparkman may have stumbled upon pot growers during harvest season, or been killed by meth traffickers.
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SleepinJeezus
October 9, 2009 10:17 PM
Who's in charge here?
As a Congressional Rep., Chaffetz' job is essentially to serve as a member of the Board of Directors that oversees operations for the United States Government. If there is a problem with the way the Census Bureau is hiring temps to do the work of the Census Bureau, then it is his job to find out what is being done to fix it.
Just who the hell is he to instead throw up his hands, avoid any responsibility, and instead draw a target on the back of these workers so that they might hopefully be set upon by some whacko who kills them, leaving them to rot in the woods with the word "FED" scrawled on their chest. Maybe Chaffetz thinks this kind of activity might score him some points with the anarchist crowd. But then just what the hell is he doing himself in running for election to take a government job?
Despicable! Have these jackasses no shame whatsoever?
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Dave Adams
October 10, 2009 10:41 AM in reply to SleepinJeezus
I've often said that putting ideological anti-government Conservatives in charge of a government is like putting ideological anti-coprorate Marxists in charge of a major corporation.
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SleepinJeezus
October 10, 2009 12:50 PM in reply to Dave Adams
Exactly, Dave. "Elect GOP Senator Bloviate! He'll stop guvmint in its tracks!" It's a pretty perverse concept, but it works.
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mjshep
October 11, 2009 11:06 AM in reply to Dave Adams
Hey, I think you may have something there.
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AJM
October 9, 2009 11:30 PM
Looks like some Republican areas are going to be having less representation than their population would call for.
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kaylaspop
October 9, 2009 11:55 PM
When I reported to a Census Bureau training session last March we were informed that fingerprints would be required. Several people who were uncomfortable with that idea ( no one asked why) decided they didn't want to participate. So what. The "what" is that people who have questionable backgrounds aren't going to be in these positions. My experience with the Census process was that it is all on the up & up. Doesn't matter what a Democratic Admin. does, the repugadoodles will find something to scream about.
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Riggsveda
October 10, 2009 6:40 AM
Why is this acceptable coming out of the mouth of an elected official, for Christ's sake, and how is this not incitement after the murder of a census worker in Kentucky???
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diachronic
October 10, 2009 7:28 PM in reply to Riggsveda
He is like most of the thugs in the GOP- trying to start the Second Civil War. He is treasonous, secessionist scum and should be publicized as such.
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shryockke
October 10, 2009 8:28 AM
well, since census numbers are used to decide how much federal tax money returns to the states that paid it,if utah wants to be undercounted, they will just spend the next ten years looking for federal money that it will be clear they do not deserve because their population is so small. so i guess sending fewer census workers to utah will work for all of us. we get to keep utah's money, and they get to not get counted by 'rapists and child molesters.' it's all good.
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nellieh
October 10, 2009 9:56 AM
I was a temporary employee of the Cencus Bureau this past spring. I resent this a$$hole's stupid comment so much I challenge him to a fist fight! I bet it would be his first! After spending 4 years in the US Navy, married for 51+ years in the work force for 60 years it chaps my a$$ to have to read stupid crap like this. It won't surprse me if he is a candya$$ chickenhawk. I met people who needed work, volunteered because they wished to assist and those just looking for something to do. To insinuate they has covert reasons is outlandish. This from a jagoff on the public dole. The census workers have to work for their pay. Not have others do it while you make stupid speeches. Shove any apology you will probably have to make to save your sorry a$$ right up it!
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Kuyleh
October 11, 2009 1:28 AM
I can't wait to see the backlash this will get. I'm willing to bet that 99% of the people that work the census are like Nellieh. And they'll all have the same reaction.
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