Rep. Bishop Frustrated with Census Decision
08.20.2009 by Jeff Robinson
Congressman Rob Bishop
(KCPW News) If Utah’s elected officials were frustrated that missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints weren’t counted in the 2000 Census, they were probably far more frustrated to learn that they won’t be counted in the 2010 Census, either. Politically, it doesn’t mean as much for the state this time around, since Utah will likely pick up a fourth congressional seat after the census either way. But Republican Utah Congressman Rob Bishop tells KCPW’s Jeff Robinson he’s still trying to remedy the situation.
Bishop is holding town hall meetings in Utah during the August recess. Learn more on his website.
If Utah’s elected officials were frustrated that missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints weren’t counted in the 2000 Census, they were probably far more frustrated to learn from the Census Bureau that they won’t be in the 2010 Census, either. Politically, it doesn’t mean as much for the state this time around, since Utah will likely pick up a fourth congressional seat after the census either way. But Republican Utah Congressman Rob Bishop tells KCPW’s Jeff Robinson he’s still trying to remedy the situation.
Americans abroad can vote so why don’t they count for the census? Shouldn’t we be able to count voters, since that is the main point of the census anyway?
Members of the military abroad are counted.
Utah does have a disproportionate number of non-military residents temporarily living abroad at any one time ( 30,000 or so).
The Federal government owns 28.8% of the land in the whole US but 57.5% of Utah. That means Utah cannot build on, develop, or ever collect property taxes on most of its land. Without fair representation in Congress, those Utahns living abroad come home a year or two later to find the Federal government has grabbed even more Utah land or resources. If another state proposed this, it would get a fair deal but Utah (and most of the West) are considered unimportant by the Federal government.