Census race questions are disturbing at the least

on February 23, 2010 at 1:01 AM

The Patriot-News article "Stand up and be counted," (Feb. 9) regarding the 2010 census asks: How are issues of ethnicity handled this time around?

At the U.S. Census Bureau's Web site, I found the two ethnicity/race questions on the 2010 census: Are you Latino, Hispanic or Spanish origin? What is your race?

Your article states, "Information on race is required for many federal programs and is critical in making policy decisions, particularly for civil rights." The U.S. Census Bureau's Web site justifies the race question in part with: "State governments use the data to determine congressional, state and local voting districts."

It disappoints me as an American that our government is still making policy decisions based on what ethnic origin or race I or my fellow citizens might be. How non-democratic and non-American is that? Why is such a policy/practice permitted to continue?

Will our citizens collectively be better served by such census questions that perpetuate divisive policies, or would we be a better society without even thinking to ask those questions?

Collecting data to feed a system that fragments our society abuses our great strength of diversity to weaken and divide us.