Obama Seeks More Census Power

"The decision was made last week after California Rep. Barbara Lee, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Hispanic groups complained to the White House that Judd Gregg, the Republican senator from New Hampshire slated to head Commerce, couldn't be trusted to conduct a complete Census. The National Association of Latino Officials said it had 'serious questions about his willingness to ensure that the 2010 Census produces the most accurate possible count.'"

"Anything that threatens the integrity of the Census has profound implications. Not only is it the basis for congressional redistricting, it provides the raw data by which government spending is allocated on everything from roads to schools. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also uses the Census to prepare the economic data that so much of business relies upon. 'If the original numbers aren't as hard as possible, the uses they're put to get fuzzier and fuzzier,' says Bruce Chapman, who was director of the Census in the 1980s."