This year, I got to meet a live census-taker. The form I was promised never showed up in the mail, and evantually a nice lady arrived at my door. It seems entire blocks in our neighborhood had been passed over. I gave her answers and offered a glass of iced tea, but she said they’d been told not to accept such offerings in case some anti-government sort decided to take it out on the census taker.

A blogger now living in Panama reported on their process recently. On the day (!) of the census, everyone stays home, under penalty of law. They do the entire country in that one day. Once the census-taker has been at your home, you get a sticker affixed to the front door. At 7 p.m. or so, the census is over and you’re free to go outdoors.

Can you just imagine?!?