I received an invitation from the Government yesterday. The USDA to be specific.
The cover letter asks me to cooperate and help the government out by completing the enclosed survey. Now, the front page of the survey says that I have until Feb 15 to comply and failure to comply is a federal offense. So much for being invited.
The survey cover page insists that all of my information will be handled confidentially and shared with no other government agency. Now this I had to chuckle at, since I know all of this information that I am "invited" to provide, will be going into a computer file somewhere. A computer file which can be stolen, hacked, "accidently" sent to another person, etc.
Really though, it doesn't matter since it is a USDA survey and the USDA is the government agency which is promoting (pushing, ramming down our throats...) the NAIS (National Animal Identification System). Here is the USDA website on the project: http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/index.shtml . Be not mislead: here is the anti-NAIS website http://nonais.org/index.php/can-nais-affect-me/ .
So now my dilemma. Fill out the forms and risk being forced into the NAIS and premise identification/registration, or don't fill out the forms and risk going to prison...
Although there are days when prison sounds like a nice alternative to dealing with 5 girls, two of which are in a constant state of dramatic horomonal shifts, and a husband with all the relationship pitfalls therein.
2 comments:
I have the same survey and have filled it out several times over the years. What it did get me was Federal funds should there be a catastrophic happening and I loose my herds (Gee,thanks will I still be alive should that ever happen?). I think the theory of not volunteering all information is probably a good thing. I'm not one for conspiracy theories (hee hee hee)but the NAIS is something I personally don't support. My large and medium animals are all tagged in one way or another for my own tracking purposes but how in the heck could I tag (or why would I waste my time) the 400 birds that go through my gates a year. They are eaten. If someone wanted to track thier where abouts they would have to check underground if you catch my drift....
I could still tell you where all of them went anyway.
I think, also, well at least probably, Marthas old room has been rented to some other Federal Census neglector already. And face it, after about the first three weeks you would be rested and looking for those two legged critters that can be so pesky at times.
Mamaski
Fortunately it doesn't appear that the punishment is prison and according to someone at the USDA they don't even very often met out the $100 fine for not answering. See this post which then leads to two articles including one by Mary Zanoni, a lawyer who knows a fair bit on this issue.
Keep up the good life!
-WalterJ
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