And Various Other Things

Who Are We Right Now?

Last week, I talked about how the paper should be a reflection of our past, present, and future. I’ve been thinking about how much things have changed here just in the last 15 years. As I was looking up population facts, it occurred to me that I still hadn’t filled out my census.

Not only do we need to take the time to fill out the census so we can track our population, but Montana also relies on an accurate Census to provide critical funding for schools, health care, and highways, and it determines the state’s share of funding for the next decade.

According to http://www.census.mt.gov, the state did not fund a Census promotion effort in 2000. They estimate that 14,390 Montanans were missed and we missed out on between $22 to $49 million in federal funding. I don’t know about you, but I get pretty irked with myself when I lose ten bucks. Imagine what we could have done with that amount of money, and how different our healthcare system could be? Think about what kind of highways and roads we could have! That alone should make every resident of Phillips County run to fill it out.

As of early August, more than 525,000 Montanans had not been counted. They say for each resident not counted, a community misses $20,000 of its fair share of federal funding. The deadline this year is September 30, so time is of the essence.

It’s important to remember how much we depend on those numbers to be able to plan for the future and make an accurate business, community, and governing decisions. It’s the data that determines how many seats we have in Congress and our representation at all levels of government.

And it is also vital for historical reasons. When we look back on who we were as a county 100 years ago, it is census information that we go to get a picture of what our lives were like back then.

It’s a quick and easy process, and you can get it done in just a few minutes by going to http://www.my2020census.gov, by calling 1-844-330-2020, or by mail. It’s safe and confidential and your information and privacy are Cprotected.

So, stand up and be counted, Phillips County! Let’s take stock of who we are today so we can plan and grow into the community that we will be in ten years.