It sure sounds that way.
Via Hot Air, New Majority reports: (emphasis mine)
A Senate Subcommittee hearing today revealed that nearly 36,000 Census Bureau employees were hired despite the fact that the fingerprint component of their criminal record checks was botched. Despite additional name checks recommended by the FBI, the GAO said that it was possible that more than 200 employees hired by the Census Bureau had criminal records, and were in contact with the public while canvassing for the ongoing 2010 census.
Robert Goldenkoff, the Government Accountability Office’s Director for Strategic Issues, said that the criminal record checks were bungled because of poor staff training. Bureau staff with less than 2 hours of training in fingerprinting ruined about a fifth of the 162,000 necessary criminal record checks.
If the properly processed criminal record checks are any indication, the Bureau may have let a large number of violent criminals slip through the cracks. Of the prints that were properly checked, about one percent, or 1,800 workers, had criminal records that name checks failed to identify.
Of these 1,800 workers with criminal records, about 750 had their employment terminated or further reviewed due to criminal records that included crimes like rape, manslaughter and child abuse. Projecting these numbers to the employees with spoilt prints, the GAO came up with the figure of 200 census workers that may have had serious criminal records.
How would you like one of those felons knocking at your door?
This is the same incompetent government that wants to take over our health care system. They argue that taking profits out of the equation is the answer. But this is the sort of thing profit protects us from. If the Census Bureau was a private firm hired by the federal government they would be motivated to do the job right the first time or risk losing money and the contract. Government bureaucracies have no competitors, they have no bottom line because politicians will simply throw more money their way. In fact, the worse their performance, the more likely they are to receive increased funding.
I work for the Census and this is just not true. Each employee must pass a background check and fingerprint check prior to beginning work. If the prints are unclassifiable, they must be redone. Illegals do not get hired and Veterans have first preference. The Census is ramping up hiring and providing employment to tens of thousands of Veterans…many disabled. A disabled Vet floats to the top of the list. A Vet may not be passed over for a non-vet. Please check your facts and be happy that at least one organization is providing employment to our treasured Veterans.
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Just to let you know, all felons are not equal. About 5 years ago i was convicted of having a fake prescription, no one hurt but me, and I am looked out of the job market forever.
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I applied for the Enumerator position with the 2010 Census. I am a convicted 1x felon for Larceny in a building, in short I took petty cash from work. That was 10 years ago. I got my rejection notice in the mail. That’s been the case for 10 years now, and I AM EDUCATED. I was told by a census worker, as well as other employers/employed persons at the testing site or interview that having a criminal record does not bar a person from employment, but they just say that to adhere to the law. Felons, no matter what the charge, are not going to be helped by anyone in this country or any other. And they have the audacity to wonder why some people choose to live as repeat offenders. It’s up to us to re-establish or re-structure the very laws that seek to destroy people for the mistakes that they make.
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What I know is that convicted felons live all around us. For me to worry over one knocking at my door is the beginnings of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It’s a worthless exercise in futilty. We have felons and felonious actors in Congress. The fact is America locks up more people per capita than any other developed nation, so chances are that we live in close proximity to felons. Factually speaking, I’d rather live in a society where felons have jobs than not. By the way, I am a radio talk show host and former non-profit Executive Director…and federally convicted felon. I passed the Census test with a perfect score on November 19th; they called me 3 times to bring my DD-214 and such. My letter of FBI fingerprinting came but I’ve yet to hear from them. The Census just did a testing–with felons welcomed–this past Saturday in a suburb outside of Washington, DC (see Washington Post, 1/30/10). I believe, with the evidence that you’ve got the game all wrong. Many of the mass shooters over the past 4 years I’ve been floowing, have been “law-abiding” citizens–and have killed and maimed people and lives. Circumstances dictate actions. Rethink your position.
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Hi Perry,
I, too, passed the Census test with a perfect score on March 1st (yesterday). Most of the people testing were not able to finish the test in the 30 minutes provided and there was even one person that came to the testing center in her pajamas and slippers.
5 years ago, I was convicted of OWI/Per Se, meaning that my ability to operate a motor vehicle was not SUBSTANTIALLY reduced due by ingesting alcohol, but my breathalyzer reading was over .08 (just barely over) making me “legally”/”technically” intoxicated according to the court.
I will be greatly disappointed if the Census Bureau finds that someone that is too lazy to get dressed before applying for a job, and, that could not complete the test, is more qualified than me because of a glitch in my past.
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Im 26 years old and a one time convicted felon. When i was younger in my late teens i screwed up and one time was caught with a “controlled substance” i did everthing the court asked and completed my probation without a hitch. No dirty urines. I looked for a job for the next year and could not find one anyware. I then chose to go threw treatment on my own hopeing that i could use it to say look i messed up years ago when i was a dumb teen, i did my time(probation)and evan went further with treatment on my own.No help that was.I still cant find a job and im older and have a hudge gap of time between now and when i got in trouble and it means nothing. I dont want to be rich i dont want a gun i dont want to be a school bus driver or anything that would be understandable why a fekon couldnt do it. I just want to be able to get on my feet and live a normal life but the way the laws are its close to imposible. I could just do it the easy way and start living a life of crime to pay my bills cuz its easy for a ex-felon to do that but i wont because that why i should be able to find work and lead a normal life because evan know a piece of paper says im a felon i have no intrest or want to ever break the law again.So i ask who ever read this to ask your self a question. Just imagine that one time when you were young and tried pot or drank and drove or stole a candy bar or somthing that was in that legal grey area. you know there was somthing over the years be truthful with your self. now imagine that you got caught, just that one time and were marked a felon. would you want a job. would you want people to know you wernt a criminal. would you want to live the rest of your days knowing that one little word on a piece of paper could come back and bite you. I be not. well thats how it is for alot of people out there. good people that made a mistake. my point with all this is that there should be somkind of law or rule or somthing that forced employers to look deeper into what happened or have your first felony exponged by the court after a couple years. im not talking about rape, murder or any violence just personal mistakes. i just want someone to give me a chance
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I agree with all of you. The problem is that people that have not experienced our criminal justice system do not realize that many of the crimes classified as felonies have NO victim. (In these cases, they try to say that the victim is society, which is an abstract entity, not a living and breathing human being, or animal) Actually, we need to take a look at our laws. Crimes that have no direct, living victim should NOT be classified as felonies.
The results of these draconian penalties are enormous and life-long sentences. These people may not be in prison, but they are denied any opportunity to be productive citizens.
I also agree that a non-violent felony with NO living victim should be expunged after a certain period of time has passed(or at least the criminal record should not be accessible to those outside of law enforcement).
In addition, felons whose crimes did directly impact a lving, breathing creature should also be given an opportunity to rehabilite themselves and a method of proving their rehabilitation. Think how productive our society would be if we allowed felons to actually get a job and provide for themselves?
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I’am now 25 years old and i commeted a drug affence when i was 19 i have went back to collage. I have finished and now looking for a job i did my time was let off eraly for following the law and it is like the usa just says f@#$% you to felons we are here and we all have done bad things just some of us where caught i have 2 kids a wife but with this on my back i have to live in a crapy house hope that my car don’t break down. i know that im ranting but this has gone on long enough there needs to be something done about this some of us are very good people. i will go on parole again just to make this monky on my back dissipear..
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