The Political Bridge

Counting Immigrants Key for Communities, says The New Republic

With a little over six months until the 2010 Census, outreach has already begun to ensure as complete a count as possible. A lot’s at stake.

Every ten years, the Census Bureau has the daunting task of counting everyone--no matter their legal status--living in the United States and its territories, as mandated by the Constitution. 2010 is one of those years.

Although the Census Bureau protects respondents’ privacy and does not inquire about residency status, many unauthorized immigrants are fearful that information they provide may be used by law enforcement or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) against them. It’s well known that the census undercounts minorities and low-income people disproportionately, and great pains are taken to reach out to these communities to gain trust and minimize the undercount. Nevertheless, immigrants with legal status are more likely to fill out Census questionnaires than those who are living here illegally and fear of government recriminations.

Read more: The New Republic

No Deadline Set for Decision on Troops, Obama to Reassess Afghanistan War, reports The Washington Post

By Bob Woodward

President Obama has not set a deadline for determining a new strategy or for committing more troops to the war in Afghanistan, despite an urgent request from his top commander, his national security adviser said Saturday.

In a lengthy telephone interview, retired Gen. James L. Jones outlined Obama's plans for reassessing the war effort. Jones noted that although the administration has seen some progress in Afghanistan and Pakistan, it remains uncertain about the outcome of President Hamid Karzai's contentious bid for reelection.

Read more: The Washington Post

Poverty Task Force Begins Work In Frankfort, reports 89.3 WFPL

From Kentucky Public Radio’s Tony McVeigh

At almost 17%, Kentucky has one of the highest poverty rates in the nation. A 25-member legislative task force charged with developing strategies for combating the problem held its initial meeting this week in Frankfort.

The U.S. Census Bureau now ranks Kentucky fifth among states, and the District of Columbia, when measuring poverty. That’s up from sixth last year. House Speaker Greg Stumbo says the commonwealth’s heading in the wrong direction, and that’s why House and Senate leaders have formed a task force to find answers to the state’s poverty problem.

“The Bible tells us that the poor will always be with us, but that we have a duty to reach out to them,” said Stumbo. “And I think, if you look at what we’ve done in Kentucky, we haven’t been reaching out enough.”

Stumbo co-chairs the legislature’s Poverty Task Force. The panel, with 19 representatives and six senators, is co-chaired by Sen. Brandon Smith of Hazard.

Read more: 89.3 WFPL

Kentucky insures greater share of children, reports The Courier-Journal

Kentucky has provided health insurance for a greater share of its children than Indiana or the nation as a whole, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday.

Ninety-three percent of the children in Kentucky had health insurance, greater than Indiana’s 82 percent and higher than the national average of 90 percent, the Census figures showed.

“The good news is it sounds like the state of Kentucky is showing some results as far as covering kids,” said Ron Crouch, a retired sociologist from the University of Louisville and an expert on the U.S. census.

Kentucky in recent years has sought to enroll more lower income children in government-sponsored Medicaid and the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Read more: The Courier-Journal 

Census: 150,000 gay couples report they're married, reports AP via The Lexington Herald-Leader

WASHINGTON -- Nearly 150,000 same-sex couples reported being in marriage relationships last year, many more than the number of actual weddings and civil unions, according to the first U.S. census figures released on same-sex marriages.

About 27 percent of the estimated 564,743 total gay couples in the United States said they were in a relationship akin to "husband" and "wife," according to the Census Bureau tally provided to The Associated Press. That's compared with 91 percent of the 61.3 million total opposite-sex couples who reported being married.

A consultant to the Census Bureau estimated there were roughly 100,000 official same-sex weddings, civil unions and domestic partnerships in 2008.

Read more: The Lexington Herald-Leader

Census Jobs To Provide Slight Economic Boost for Louisville area, reports 89.3 WFPL

Metro Louisville officials are hoping for a slight economic boost as a southern Indiana Census office prepares to hire hundreds of area residents.

The census office in Jeffersonville is bringing on temporary workers for the 2010 census. The hiring comes after Kentucky’s unemployment rate reached a record high of 11.1 percent in August.

The high jobless numbers have taken a toll on city revenue, but mayor’s spokesperson Chris Poynter says the city will indirectly benefit from the census jobs.

Read more: 89.3 WFPL