This might be something, or it might be nothing.
Remember when the Obama administration
lied about the extent of ACORN's involvement in the
2010 Census?
After the Census Bureau responded to a Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) request,
Judicial Watch reported that
In its official statement responding to the ACORN controversy,
the Obama Commerce Department downplayed ACORN's participation
in the Census, and labeled "baseless" the notion that ACORN
would be involved in any Census count. However, the Census
Bureau offered ACORN the opportunity to "recruit Census
workers" who would participate in the count. Moreover, as an
"executive level" partner, ACORN has the ability to "organize
and/or serve as a member on a Complete Count Committee," which,
according to Census documents, helps "develop and implement
locally based outreach and recruitment campaigns."
According to its application ACORN also signed up to:
"Encourage employees and constituents to complete and mail
their questionnaire; identify job candidates and/or distribute
and display recruiting materials; appoint a liaison to work
with the Census Bureau; provide space for Be Counted sites
and/or Questionnaire Assistance Centers; sponsor community
events to promote participation in the 2010 Census," among 18
requested areas of responsibility. The documents also show the
decision to add ACORN as a partner occurred in February, long
after the January 15th Census partnership application deadline.
(One Census official had bet "it was under Bush.")
Now today the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
that the layoff of Census workers comprised the bulk of the jobs
just lost in the federal government. The July 2 Employment
Situation Summary states: "Employment in federal government fell
by 49,000 in June, largely due to the layoff of workers
temporarily hired to prepare for Census 2010."
What's wrong with this picture? The federal government isn't
exactly on an austerity binge right now.
Given that the Obama administration lied about ACORN's
involvement in the Census, it might be lying now about the laid
off workers being temporary employees. Is the way being cleared
for ACORN workers to be hired?
If the administration hadn't tried a few months ago to
move oversight of the Census into the White House and
then lied about ACORN and the Census, the news of the
layoffs would not have caught my attention.
However, the Obama administration did attempt the Census power
play and it did lie about ACORN's involvement in the Census,
so reasonable observers have every reason to be suspicious.
And former ACORN organizer Gregory Hall recently warned in a
Washington Examiner op-ed about the dangers of letting
ACORN participate in the Census:
There is no reason to believe the problems of staff
mistreatment or systematic fraud will be any different if and
when the federal government asks ACORN to take its show on the
road to households across the country.
