The census as "stimulus"?

The census is hugely political.

Political power and financial receipts largely depend upon population.

That's why the in group always wants to count "their" people and not count "your" people.

That's why it's a big advantage to control the federal government whenever a census will be held.

That's why it's perfectly predictable (and acceptable) for a Democratic administration to attempt to count every resident of "mostly dense urban areas such as Los Angeles and New York at high risk of being missed due to language problems and a deepening economic crisis", as well as "immigrants, non-English speaking residents and displaced homeowners who make up roughly 14 percent of the U.S. population".

Both parties do it.

"The stakes are high since census results are used to allocate billions of dollars in government funds for schools, roads, hospitals and other vital programs. States also risk losing political clout, since the population count determines apportionment of House seats and electoral college votes."

All understood. But, why did the 2010 census receive "$1 billion in stimulus money for outreach"? How is money spent in 2010 on "outreach" to count the "high risk" for admittedly political purposes going to help fight a recession in 2009?

Every day, you find out about another unnecessary and unrelated item snuck into that stimulus bill.

For full article:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/963523.html