Tom Carper

Today's hearing will examine the lessons learned from the 2010 Census while identifying initiatives that show promise for producing an even more accurate and more cost effective census in 2020.

All right. Good. Maybe one more, if I could, for you, Mr. Castro.

There was less. For example, California in 2000 spent $24 million to promote the census within California.

I would look to using technologies, specifically the Internet and mobile devices, for the communications side.

The Bureau needs to have a dual strategy of reaching both English-language-dominant and Spanish-dominant Latinos.

I do not know that we have a Center for Best Practices for nations like ours that want to learn how to do a census.

Good. Well, we are pretty good at talking about things. We will certainly talk about that, too.

So roughly we heard from 95 percent of the people in the country, households or residents.

It is not uncommon, whether the President is George W. Bush or Barack Obama, to have something that looks like administrative Swiss cheese.

Despite these achievements, the 2010 Census was the most expensive in our Nation's history by far, even taking inflation into account.

We need to look in every nook and cranny of our Federal Government in order to find ways to do a lot of the traditional things that we have done better.

If I were Dr. Groves, I would immerse myself in this planning process and make it the number one priority for the next several years.

We commend the Census Bureau for seeking the input of stakeholders such as ourselves and acting on several of our recommendations with regard to its media plan.

All right. Well, that is good to hear. That is good to hear.

That 22-percent figure should be compared in 2000 to 17 percent, so that is a move in the wrong direction.

I do not want the folks in this Committee to go through that. I do not want the Senate to go through that.

We want to ensure that we do the best job that we can.

We are having what I call a skirmish now in terms of what are we going to pass for a spending plan.

I like to say if it is not perfect, make it better. We have room for improvement.

It turns out that the folks in the Department of Defense at the senior level in charge of overseeing acquisition... have huge turnover.

Senator Brown, 10 years from today, I suspect you will still be here, but I am not sure that I will be.

I wish to say to the Senator from Massachusetts, I saw no smirks on the face of this Presiding Officer.

I focus more on a third and a fourth idea; and the third idea is how do we promote economic growth to help us in our efforts and what kind of smart investments can we make in the workforce, infrastructure, and research and development…

Just about every day we see more violence along our border with Mexico. I think we are partly to blame for that.

From your lips to God's ears.