Daily Archives: March 1, 2015

Two Hundred and Twenty Five Years Ago Today

The first United States census was authorized. The census is important to the United States not just because it gives us a much more accurate count of how many residents and citizens there are (as opposed to interim projections) but because the resulting counts are used to set the number of members from each state in the House of Representatives and, by extension, in the Electoral College.

It also influences how more than $400 Billion per year in federal and state funding is allocated with respect to neighbourhood improvement projects, public health programs, education programs, and transportation. So, while it might be annoying to have to answer those questions every ten years and reaffirm your Pastafarianism or Jediism, it is necessary.