Many of you may have heard of or read the article by KCCI in which several Marshalltown residents were quoted as objecting to the question on the census form asking about citizenship. The article had quotes by several members of the community including David Barajas Jr. who stated, “Questions like that provide an opportunity for some people to, whether they are here legally or not, to maybe want to step back in the shadows a little bit, and I think what [sic] would be a real harm for all of our communities.” Do you wonder what “harm” there could be in asking if you are a citizen of the country paying for and conducting the census? Mr. Barajas states that he fears the citizenship question will scare residents. Are any of you proud citizens of the United States scared to say that you are a citizen? When those who are answering the census form live in the United States, can you explain what the harm could be in answering if you are a citizen? Would you think our census should be counting those who are not citizens — like tourists, exchange students, businessmen from other countries, or those here from other countries for medical care? These numbers are used for a variety of programs including representation in our government. States who would count non-citizens could inflate their numbers and have more representation in congress. I have been told that the citizenship question was on the census form prior to being removed in 2010.

The “Welcome to Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce” website lists the Chamber’s mission as “To be a leader and partner for business and quality-of-life initiatives in the Marshalltown area.” This leads me to ask, why David Barajas, the CEO of the Marshalltown Regional Partnership, is speaking on this issue. Are tax dollars supporting this “mission” of complaining about the U.S. census form? Do businesses bear the brunt of the budget for the Chamber of Commerce? Are those in the county paying for the Chamber and its messages or just those in the city? Is this the official policy of the Chamber of Commerce or the personal view of Mr. Barajas? With the emphasis on “shop local” is the Chamber really supporting our businesses or pursuing another agenda? We need answers.