Our government at work

Yesterday, we received a letter at the GunUp office from the United States Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, US Census Bureau. This letter informed us that our business had been selected (without our input) to participate in the 2012 Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons. Here’s where it gets ridiculous, and I’ll upload the entire letter so you can see it.

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In case you can’t read it, I’ll reproduce the text here:

This report is MANDATORY and must be completed by October 29, 2013.

Title 13, United States Code, Sections 131 and 224, requires your respose

So, of course we go try to go to the website listed in the letter to do our civic duty and what happens? The site’s closed due to the .gov shutdown. So to recap, here’s what happened:

  1. Federal Government opts us in to a survey without our consent
  2. Tells us that the survey is mandatory and that we’re required by law to reply
  3. Shuts down the website during the mandatory reply period due to a lack of funds

Let’s assume for the moment that the shutdown lasts past the 29th of October. I can guarantee that the government would still fine us for failing to reply in the allotted time…even though it’s their fault that we can’t.

It’s things like this that make me want to invade a small island and set up my own country.

2 Comments

  1. I had one of those some years ago.
    I threw it in the trash.
    Never heard from them again

  2. I remember when the census bureau sent me a questionnaire in a year not ending in 0.
    I managed to cram a copy of 1984 in to the questionnaire envelope and answered only how many people were living at the residence.

    They sent it back calling it unnecessary documentation. Yep. I’m on a list.

    In other news the IRS will be calling you next no matter what you do. In short: http://goo.gl/ktUDPo

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