The cost of counting Taxpayers may want to perk up and take an interest in the debate over how the 2000 census will be conducted. The Bureau of the Census has recommended the use of statistical sampling to remedy what was a significant undercount, mostly of minorities, in the 1990 headcount. Basically, the census would attempt to count at least 90 percent of the people in a given tract and then extrapolate from their statistics to describe the 10 percent who couldn't be reached. Congress has divided along party lines on the issue because each party believes it stands to benefit from how the count is conducted.
Taxpayers have a vested interest, so to speak, in standing up and being counted.
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