The U.S. Home Census is probably the most simple task the government asks of us as residents of the United States, and it is an extremely important one that affects all of our lives directly. Yet over 48 million people have yet to submit their census forms, and unfortunately, New York owns one of the highest unreturned rates in the country. Frankly, this appalls me.

The census takes less than the 10 minutes to fill out than is advertised and asks no incriminating questions. The results of the census are then used to determine how many congressmen a state is allocated to represent it, which reflects directly on our community by deciding how much funding is delegated to services such as hospitals, schools, senior centers, job training centers, bridges, tunnels, other public works projects and emergency services.

I’ve asked my friends and people in the community, like my local banker, who all have said they have not returned their census forms. When I asked why, they all merely shrugged their shoulders and moved onto the next topic. I was appalled because when it comes time for elections and tax season, all I hear is people complaining that they don’t see any results from their taxes or federal spending. The government can only help those who it knows exist and deposit funds relevant to the numbers they have reported.

Now, my knowledge of how the census works is very loose, but I do know it helps in other ways that may not help you or your family until years later. After watching the TV show Who Do You Think You Are?, I started revisiting my family genealogy, and as on the show, many clues were helped along through the census. I confirmed that my great, great grandfather on my mother’s side was born in Manhattan in the early-mid-1800s, and that helped me trace my NY roots back even further! So if you don’t want to fill out the census for the government, then do it for you and your family!

— Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher