If you really want to save money . . .

Everyone in the country has most likely received their 2010 Census form in the mail within the past week. There should have also been a letter sent to each home about a week before the form arrived. This letter was telling you that you would be getting a form in the mail within a week, and that you needed to fill it out when it arrived. Like most responsible citizens, I immediately filled out my form and sent it back in the same day that I received it, expecting to be done with anything having to do with the 2010 Census.

Yesterday, I got home and checked my mail like I always do. I was surprised to see a postcard in my box from none other than the US Census Bureau. This postcard was to remind me that I should have received my census form after receiving a letter telling me I would receive a census form, and that I needed to make sure to send this form in. After throwing the postcard in the trash I thought about how much it must cost to send one of those postcards to every residence in the nation. I know that the postal service is part of the government, so technically they don't have to pay the postage, but they do have to pay for the manpower and energy to get that postcard to my house.

If we are in a time of financial crisis, why is the government sending each residence a postcard within days of sending the census form? They have no idea whether or not I sent the form in, but if they waited a few days they would find that my form had arrived, and they would not need to waste the money to send me a reminder. I know that sending a letter is cheaper than going door to door, which is why I think sending reminders is a good idea in general. I'm just saying to wait and see who sends the forms back before wasting the postage. I am no financial guru, but I would think that if you calculated the amount of postage it would take to send everyone an unnecessary follow-up postcard, you would end up with a lot of money. We could use this money for other things, like fixing roads, funding education, or even writing me a check to pay for increased garbage pick-up for having to throw away all the crap they send me.