Census alert

Political fundraisers and advocacy groups are exploiting the coming census for their own self-interests.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele solicited donations in a national mailing last month that gave the appearance it came from the Census Bureau with the envelopes marked "Do Not Destroy, Official Document."

The letter labeled "2010 Congressional District Census" also had a "Census Tracking Code."

Taking his lead from the party chairman, House Minority Leader John Boehner has sent his own "CENSUS DOCUMENT containing your 2010 Census of America's Republican Leadership."

In it, he seeks help electing Republicans to Congress to stop President Obama's "radical leftist agenda."

Idaho residents recently received a "2009 Census of Senior Citizens" from the "Council of Seniors, which is part of a larger lobbying group, the Civil Council.

The official-looking documents are misleading and can be confusing. However, they are not illegal as they seek to capitalize on the population count conducted by the Census Bureau every 10 years.

The direct mailings take advantage of the agency's national campaign to educate the public and raise awareness about the importance of the official April 1 census. The count will be used to apportion House seats, distribute more than $400 billion in federal aid and redraw state and local legislative district boundaries.

That is the census that counts, and the forms for it will not go out until next month. Americans should be cautious of anything else purporting to take a census.