03/21/10 - Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia

Counting all Pennsylvaniansby A. B. HillEvery election year thePennsylvania CatholicConference (PCC)encourages people toregister to vote and casttheir ballot. Every votematters and PCC remindsCatholics particularly that“the Church’s obligation toparticipate in shaping themoral character of societyis a requirement of ourfaith.” (Faithful Citizenship,No. 9, 2007)In addition to the election,in 2010 all Pennsylvanians(not just registered voters)will have a different kindof opportunity to shape thefuture of public policy inour state – the U.S.Census.The Census counts everyresident in the UnitedStates. It is required bythe U.S. Constitution totake place every 10 years.The Census shows statepopulation then thosecounts determinerepresentation in the U.S.House of Representatives.Pennsylvania has beenconsidered a key playerin several high profilelegislative issues recently.An accurate Censusmeans Pennsylvania willhave the correct numberof Representatives inCongress and they willrepresent districts thatreally reflect the characterof the people who livethere. This is important forMarch 21, 2010making sure our voice isheard.Furthermore, funding forcritical community servicesand the location ofschools, hospitals, seniorcenters and other facilitiesall depend on accurateCensus data. Each year,up to $400 billion infederal funding isdistributed to the statesbased on formulas derivedfrom Census numbers.These needs cannot bemet if Pennsylvania doesnot receive its fair share.In March of 2010, censusforms will be delivered toevery residence in theUnited States. Residentsare asked to answer thequestions and then mailthe form back in thepostage-paid envelopeprovided. If the form is notmailed back, a censustaker will visit the house toask the questions from theform in person.Every question providesvaluable information forshaping the future. But, itis important to note thatany personal data youprovide is protected underfederal law. Title 13 ofthe U.S. Code protects theconfidentiality of all theinformation. In addition,other federal laws,including the ConfidentialStatistical Efficiency Act andthe Privacy Act reinforcethese protections. It isagainst the law for theCensus to publish names,addresses or phonenumbers. Violating this lawis a crime with severepenalties.The 2010 Census form isjust 10 questions, such asname, gender, age, dateof birth, race, householdrelationship, if you own orrent your home, andwhether you are ofHispanic origin. TheCensus wants to know whois living in your house onApril 1, 2010.The Census does not askabout the legal status of19respondents or their SocialSecurity numbers. TheCensus does not share theinformation it collects withother federal agencies suchas the Internal RevenueService (IRS) or the U.S.Immigration and CustomsEnforcement agency.More information aboutthe 2010 Census isavailableatwww.2010Census.gov.UKRAINIANS CALLED TOFULL PARTICIPATION INCENSUSby Metropolitan Stefan SorokaApril 1 st is CENSUS DAY. The censuscounts the number of people living in the UnitedStates of America and gathers some statistics.Only a person’s status is asked. Social Securityor other identification is not asked. I urge youto write in “UKRAINIAN” in response to question#9, “race”. This directly impacts governmentfunds allocated for various services and effectsrepresentation in politics. Writing in “Ukrainian”will positively help in dedicating assistance forthe Ukrainian American community. Participateand be counted as a Ukrainian on Census Day2010! Thank you!