Associated Press Writer Hope Yen, Associated Press Writer – Fri Sep 11, 7:07 pm ET
WASHINGTON – The Census Bureau on Friday severed its ties with ACORN, a community organization that has been hit with Republican accusations of voter-registration fraud. "We do not come to this decision lightly," Census director Robert Groves wrote in a letter to ACORN, which was obtained by The Associated Press.

In splitting with ACORN, Groves sought to tamp down GOP concerns and negative publicity that the partnership will taint the 2010 head count.

"It is clear that ACORN's affiliation with the 2010 census promotion has caused sufficient concern in the general public, has indeed become a distraction from our mission, and may even become a discouragement to public cooperation, negatively impacting 2010 census efforts," Groves wrote.

Stephen Buckner, a census spokesman, confirmed the letter, but declined additional comment.

ACORN spokesman Scott Levenson did not immediately return a request for comment.

In recent months, Republicans have become increasingly critical of the census' ties with ACORN, which stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. The group, which advocates for poor people, conducted a massive voter registration effort last year and became a target of conservatives when some employees were accused of submitting false registration forms with names such as "Mickey Mouse."

ACORN has said only a handful of employees submitted false registration forms and did so in a bid to boost their pay.

Partly citing ACORN's role, Sens. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and David Vitter, R-La., earlier this year blocked a full confirmation vote of Groves for several weeks. Rep. Michelle Bachman, R-Minn., also has been calling for a census boycott because of her concerns about whether the group would tamper with the high-stakes population count.

Up to now, the Census Bureau had defended ACORN's involvement, explaining it was one of 80,000 unpaid volunteer groups that the bureau hoped would be able to raise local awareness. But in his letter, Groves said it no longer had confidence that ACORN was effectively managing its partnership.

ACORN fired two employees who were seen on hidden-camera video giving tax advice to a man posing as a pimp and a woman who pretended to be a prostitute. Fox News Channel broadcast excerpts from the video on Thursday. On the video, a man and woman visiting ACORN's Baltimore office asked about buying a house and how to account on tax forms for the woman's income. An ACORN employee advised the woman to list her occupation as "performance artist."

In a statement, ACORN Maryland board member Margaret Williams said the video was an attempt to smear ACORN, and that undercover teams attempted similar setups in at least three other ACORN offices. Williams said no tax returns were filed and no assistance was provided.

Finally someone is seeing ACORN for the crooks they are!

Great news for America, I say!

Did you see those videos, mom2? Wow, those Acorn workers were a couple of pieces of work! When the man and young lady told her they were bringing in 13 children from - was it Venezuela? - to work as prostitutes, they were told they shouldn't report their income since they are underage, AND he told the lady she should classify herself as "Performing Artist" on her tax returns because that is code for 'hooker'.

They're supposed to be helping people get loans for houses. That's what I'd want moving in next door to me... a brothel! So nice that ACORN was so willing to help them finance a house of ill repute.

And how about when the ACORN worker told them they could claim the underaged girls as dependents since they would be 'living' with them. Of course, this announcement by the Census Bureau was made on Friday so it would be forgotten about by Monday.

"Finally someone is seeing ACORN for the crooks they are! "

YES!!!

__________________
Cecilia

"We must love them both--those whose opinions we share and those whose opinions we reject. For both have labored in the search for truth, and both have helped us in the finding of it."
Saint Thomas Aquinas

Yippee!!! God bless the whistle-blowers!

When watching the 911 documentarys on tv last night I kept thinking of the famous Rev Wright remarks and how Obama claims he didn't know what he stood for, blah, blah, blah....I suppose it's the same with Acorn? lol

4th video now, California this time......

What amazes me is how quiet the media is about this. All because Obama was a 'community organizer' and is associated with ACORN and ACORN helped him get elected.

ACORN should immediately cease to receive our tax dollars and their doors should be closed!!

How much more will it take???

How much more will it take? Probably a lot since the major networks are pretty much ignoring it. Who said they have a liberal slant? lol

The issue isn't really a liberal or a conservative issue. It's a MORAL issue. These ACORN people were actually willing and able to help a prostitute and her pimp set up a 'business' and help them use young girls between the ages of 12 and 15 as the prostitutes. And it didn't happen in just one ACORN office -- so far it's been released that it's happened at four offices.

Senate votes to deny funds to ACORN

"WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate voted Monday to block the Housing and Urban Development Department from giving grants to ACORN, a community organization under fire in several voter-registration fraud cases.

The 83-7 vote would deny housing and community grant funding to ACORN, which stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now."

Another website of interest
Big Government

Rumored is more videos to come?

but the media won't comment on it (with the exception of fox) because they are all so liberal/pro-obama

Why did I hear about this on MSNBC and CNN then? I guess that the MSM is liberal when compared to the hate spewing, false fact spouting Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. Then again CNN has Lou Dobbs.

ACORN should not be judged by the actions of two woefully misinformed employees. They were fired, as they should be.

Well, I guess you aren't as informed as you think because there were other sites that gave out misinformation also.

Why shouldn't Acorn be judged? their employees are trained by them to think these FOUR cases in different locations are isolated and not a product of what acorn is about is like sticking your head in the sand

BTW Hannity and Beck are opinion shows, not news shows....they are entitled to their opinions and how lucky for them to get paid for it.

It's not just Hannity and Beck (yes they are opinion shows). It is on Fox News, as well, as other media sources as NEWS, which it should be. And there are more than the 2 'misinformed employees' as mentioned. Misinformed is a funny word to use for what has been shown in these four videos. More are to be released.

***Just heard that one of the heads of ACORN (Bertha Lewis) is ordering a halt into new intakes for service programs and ordering an investigation. In-service training for frontline staff has been ordered. She said she is "Deeply disturbed by what they've seen in these videos." Hopefully it will be an independent review and investigation. Different tone from ACORN now. I think ACORN is realizing the magnitude of what is happening.

5th video, California again. Senate votes to cut funding, House votes to cut funding, 20 states for sure launching investigations. LA governor cuts off all state funds and subpoena's all records in the New Orleans office. It really does sound like "isolated incidences", isolated to ACORN that is.

Did any of you see the expose' that Glen Beck (or was it O'Reilly?) did on them several months back? All of those federal checks were being sent to some shady-looking former funeral home in Louisiana. It was quite bizarre.

Glen Beck is not a journalist. What you have here are 2 youth who spent months going from office to office and finally found a few idiots in 3 offices willing to bend over backwards to help these youth break the law. The story one woman made up about killing her husband they swallowed hook, line and sinker. This was reported as "news" on Fox.

These two spent months before they were able to come up with any wrongdoing. ACORN has 1200 offices in this country. I have to believe that they have around 10,000 employees or so. What these 4 did was obviously not a pattern. They were fired. Any organization this big is bound to have some unethical employees.

ACORN was one of 80,000 unpaid volunteer organizations that were promoting cooperation with the census.

Crooks usually have something to gain.....

Oh, kvmj, I don't know what anyone can say to you to make you see that ACORN is a corrupt organization.

Beck doesn't claim to be a journalist. He claims, straight-up, to be a conservative/libertarian type who does not trust the likes of organizations like ACORN.

If there had been nothing to *find*, neither he nor those young undercovers could've found anything!

You say they spent MONTHS. I'd like a link for that.

They DO have something to gain, by the way.

ACORN has a nasty habit of only camping out to register voters in areas that largely vote for liberal candidates. Their efforts in the census were going to produce all sorts of lopsided data because of the areas they would have chosen to focus their attention. The more people they could find in their neighborhoods - legal or not - the more money they could request from the feds.

Did you catch Obama's latest backdoor statement? First he said illegals would not be eligible for healthcare. Now he is saying he wants to make the 12M illegals currently known to be residing here legals. Bingo bammo - then suddenly the ARE eligible for free health care!

If you don't think that the reason ACORN wanted to be involved in the census was so that they could have stats to support their agenda then I have some oceanfront property in South Dakota to sell you.

ETA: This interview with the 20 year old who thought up this sting operation makes me think there may be more videos to come. If in fact they did go around doing this over several months time, well... think about it. They are Florida college kids. They probably didn't have cash-at-the-ready to fly from DC to San Francisco and everywhere in between to hit every office up on the same day. They were SHARP and calm and collected. They didn't just get 'goods' at the first place they went to and run screaming to the media. Nope... they quietly went about their business and didn't let anything out until they had a nice, wide sampling. Had they come out with the first video the day it was taken, ACORN would've been on to them and claimed that was the ONLY ACORN office with problems. lol For a couple of kids, they did fabulous work!

http://politikditto.blogspot.com/200...te-hannah.html

Breitbart.tv » Shock Undercover Video Shows ACORN Workers Advising ‘Pimp’ & ‘Prostitute’ to Avoid Law

Very well-said. I think it's already been reported that there are more videos to come.

ACORN is finished -- and that's a good thing.

Given Obama's ties to this organization, I have to wonder if this would have impacted the election...

It is so hard for some to admit that what they believe in could be corrupt or be in the wrong.
When information comes to light proving corruption or wrong doing, it can rock a person to the core. I think a lot of people are experiencing that right now w/ ACORN.

__________________
Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

I think you are correct, marilyn. The first instinct is to blame the messenger. If there had been nothing to find, nothing would have been found.

I am sure it is a disappointment to many that they are corrupt.

I do not think that this organization is corrupt at all. It's a non profit. It's obvious that they have become a whipping boy for the crazies on the right but, I see no evidence that this organization is corrupt at all.

Your side has become extremely irrational. You follow an extremely irrational man, Beck, who along with others, espouses hate and violence. So be it. I can only hope that you come to your senses.

1) I don't follow anyone, frankly. Further, I did not know that "Beck, who along with others espouses hate and violence".
I have all my faculties and senses, thank you very much. I base my opinions on the objective findings that I get when I research subjects. It's frankly offensive that you label people who disagree with you as "crazies" and "extremely irrational".

2) You need to quit drinking the kool-aid, take off the rose colored glasses and try, just try, to look at things from an objective view point. Just because a group or organization is a "NON PROFIT" does not preclude them from corruption or bad behaviour. If there is money or power (even perceived power) involved there is a potential for corruption.
Is your judgment so clouded by hate that you are unwilling and unable to analyze things w/ any sort of objectivity???

__________________
Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

What is in it for them? Are you so deluded that you believe that every single person associated with this organization is engaged in criminal behavior? And what, pray tell, is their purpose? Is it to corrupt entire communities? Is it to teach entire communities to break the law? It's not me who is deluded.

There has been no Kool Aid served as far as ACORN is concerned. They have become an object of hatred for the right. Wipe the foam off your lips and try to be objective.

OMG ... so there are still people who are obviously chugging that kool-aid and closing their eyes and ears to what ACORN is doing. How blind some people are! Really, it's sad......

I think the real ACORN is finally coming to light. Like Jon Stewart said, 'Where was the media in all this?' He's actually upset that it took two young people to break the ACORN story.

There have been people who have been on the board of other non profits who have stolen their drugs, I believe that Cindy McCain was working with American Voluntary Medical Team and stolen their drugs. Does that mean that the entire Team of Medical Volunteers, who do a great deal of good, are drug abusers? ACORN I am sure, did good for the community, and had some idiot people, as has been evidenced lately. I don't believe that. I don't think everyone associated with ACORN is corrupt any more than I believe that everyone who is in Congress is corrupt. We know throughout the years that there has been corruption there and serious corruption as well as other abuses of power. I have not drank (drunk???) Kool Aid about this, just being realistic. We shouldn't judge an entire group of people and I would venture to say at least 75% - 98% were trying to make lives better. To judge ACORN by these people who are being videoed is wrong.........

The Red Cross must be a corrupt agency...
Red Cross CEO Pulled Down $651,957 Salary - Bush Strafes New Orleans - Share The Wealth

And the Catholic Church
The Corruption and Lies of the Roman Catholic Church

And the Republican Party
Republican corruption at the Federal level.

And of course the Democratic Party
Corruption in the Democratic Party

I do not for one minute believe that everyone who worked for ACORN giving minority people loans did so with the intent to cheat and lie and steal. I won't judge an entire non profit group with the actions of a few out of thousands.

There were obviously some mortgage brokers who were corrupt and wrong in giving loans to people they knew didn't qualify for them....so I guess all mortgage brokers and anyone associated with them is corrupt?

__________________
GO NAVY WRESTLING!!BEAT ARMY!!!
RJB 3/18/60 - 5/22/04
We miss you, sweet brother
God Bless the USA!!!!! Praying for my Youngster son at United States Naval Academy, class of 2014!!

look---there are obviously issues at some level in ACORN, or none of this would ever have come to light.

I do work comp all day long. I know the Drs. that treat by handing out narcotics like candy. I know the Drs. that will take a claimant off of work. I know the Drs. that are objective in their assessment of patients. I know the attorneys who will take on any claim simply because of who my client is....
But, I don't think all Drs. are "bad", I know quite a few that I would let treat my family. I've been begging my mother to come here for a specific physician for a long time. I work with attorneys I dearly love and think that they do the job because they want to make a difference.

It doesn't alter the fact that one, two or ten "bad" apples can muck it up for everyone.

I look at it like this: While ACORN may not have been advocating the bad behaviour, something went terribly wrong that they had so little control or oversight on what their people were doing. Just because they are a non-profit doesn't mean they aren't subject to misdeeds--as USNAMOM pointed out, other nonprofits have had issues.

If you screw up at work, you will suffer from it, but so may your co-workers and probably your boss (as in "why didn't you know Ms. Mgr. that employee xxx was taking 2 hour lunches and come back drunk....") Everyone has to answer to someone. And if the individuals involved didn't--then that's a problem. If the higher-ups knew and didn't stop it, then that is seen as implied consent, and is a legitimate defense in some cases.

Further, you're the one spewing names, venom and bile--so maybe you should take a look in the mirror and wipe off your own mouth.

__________________
Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

Geez, could you be any more insulting

ACORN needs a complete overhaul from the top down if it is to survive -- are you seriously saying that you don't see that?

For you to say that it is the "right" that is fed up with ACORN is simply ridiculous. Are you not watching the same news stations and reading the same newspapers that the rest of the country is watching and reading????

Along with what you are saying, Marilyn, in those ACORN videos what I saw was the 'prostitute' and the 'pimp' asking for help, and the person they initially asked (in the video) knowing exactly who to direct them to.

From what the girl said in her interviews, their presumption was that as white people, they would be discriminated against if they went in for assistance. She said that at one of the first offices they visited, they went to a room where there were approximately 40 individuals wanting to be seen for various issues, and they kept calling up the black individuals and would not ever acknowledge them. Thinking they had proved what they had come to prove - that it is not an organization to help just anybody, but that it has a racially-based agenda - they headed down the stairs to leave.

They thought they'd give it one more shot when they were walking through an area where there were some administrative offices. They saw someone there, said they wanted assistance figuring out how to get a home loan, and were dismissed with a, "You'll need to go see the people upstairs." Then they asserted, "Well, we are not sure if they will help us or not. See, I am a prostitute and that's what I want to use my house for, and I used to work for him but I am kind of going out on my own now and we need to figure out how to set things up so the IRS doesn't figure it out and so I can get a house to use for my business."

And at that point, the administrator said she knew just who could help, and went to get their tax assistant!

And then another gal came in and told the 'lady of the night' not to ever feel ashamed of what she did and that it was nobody's business if she was turning tricks!

This wasn't just ONE lady sneaking them off into a corner to have a quiet conversation. It was the ones in charge of that office, and they seemed to be working in tandem to help her figure out how to get a home loan AND how to file her taxes and shelter a dozen illegal, underage prostitutes in her home!

I assume that in the beginning there was a noble purpose. But do you remember what first sent our economy into the tanker? The banking industry had people defaulting on their home loans! And who were many of these people? People who did not really qualify for loans because they did not have income to support them. And what was ACORN doing? GETTING PEOPLE WITH NEXT TO NO INCOME INTO HOME LOANS!!

Sure, they register people to vote... but ONLY in neighborhoods that will support liberal candidates!

They are providing busses to take people to Obama's health care rallies!

Those are all POLITICAL activities, and I am not in favor of them using GOVERNMENT money to support things that are candidate-driven. Churches can't do it without losing their non-profit status if they are caught, but ACORN seems to have had a pass for a long, long, long time... and that's not okay.

What ACORN does more than anything else is register poor, mostly inner city blacks, to vote. These are people who traditionally vote Democratic and that's the only reason Republicans have tried to destroy them.

The banks, with a little encouragement from Alan Greenspan, chose to lend to poor blacks. They targeted blacks through their churches. They sent loan officers in to solicit applications after services. I had not heard about the banks soliciting ACORN offices as well. They mainly went to black churches, but that would make sense for them to also target blacks through ACORN. Sure are a lot of white people rendered homeless by the same type of mortgages.

They have received very little government money. Our government would work a whole lot better if everyone would vote. Their efforts are worthwhile.

But, keep blaming them and Clinton for all the stupid ideas and lies of the last 8 years. Keep on thinking that Beck is anything other than a raving lunatic or that Rush doesn't find it funny to see what kind of outrageous lies he can get you to swallow.

Busses means kisses. What's wrong with inner city people being bused (see just one s) to a rally? Townhalls are supposed to be a venue where issues are discussed. Dick Armey's lobbying group, Freedom Works, bused people to townhalls and also provided buses for the 9/12 hatefest in D.C. Should I put an exclamation point here? Maybe 2!!

At least ACORN isn't representing corporations.

Actually
busses/bussed is also correct--at least according to dictionary.com AND webster.com.

so, once again, trying to be a smart@$$ didn't work out so well for you, now did it?

__________________
Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

Thanks, marilyn. You are correct. I just googled to be sure, and came up with this:

Etymology

Bus is a derivation of Omnibus Vehicle meaning "vehicle for all", where omnibus means "for all" in Latin (omnes meaning "all"), reflecting its early use for public transport. When motorized transport replaced horse-drawn transport starting 1905, a motorized omnibus was called an autobus, a term still used. It is pronounced /ˈbʌs/, or in some dialects /ˈbuːs/, plural either "buses" or "busses", both pronounced /ˈbʌsɨz/.

You are still wrong about ACORN.

LOL

So, when you're wrong, you still can't admit it.

See, it goes to show a pattern: You consistently come here spewing your name calling, your hate and your opinion--but you can't or won't admit that you could be wrong.

I was like that at one time. At the time I was a bitter, angry and miserable person. Since I've made peace in my life, and became a happier person---I don't feel the need to spew venom.

Short and skinny: ACORN has a problem. Whether it's widespread has yet to be determined. But any company or organization who doesn't have enough control over their employees or volunteers, will have problems! If ACORN knowingly allowed it is even a bigger problem. If ACORN was not knowledgable about the things---it's not as bad, but still disconcerting.
You can't or won't address this "small" issue, because you are too busy yelling from the roof tops that you are right, and anyone who disagrees is "foaming" at the mouth, or just plain crazy.

__________________
Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

Take off your blinders, girl!!!

ACORN has finally been showed exactly for what it is --- and there's more to come!!

So if you're going to keep defending them, you'd better start making up some good arguments 'cause you're going to need them.

Remember, people, Obama was a 'community organizer' and ACORN's attorney just a few years ago.....

And that, my dear, is something of which I wish we had understood the full implications prior to the election.

Something tells me that Rev. Wright and ACORN are cut from the same cloth... and these people were all part of Obama's circle of cohorts. He surrounded himself with these people. It's insane.

Did ACORN violate the values of Barak Obama? Did he share their values? DOES he share their values? He WORKED for these folks not very long ago.

WHY? What about this organization did he find so attractive???

That last sentence-scary as all get out!!!!!

Fact: President Obama was a "community organizer" for Project Vote

Fact: President Obama while working for the firm of Miner, Barnhill and Galland represented ACORN in one federal civil lawsuit against the state of Illinois to enforce a federal law which allowed people to register to vote when they got their drivers' licenses. There were six named plaintiffs in the case, ACORN was the lead plaintiff among groups that sided with ACORN were the U.S. Department of Justice and the League of Women Voters.

It's obvious you don't look beyond what Fox, Rove, The Drugster and their ilk tell you.

There is always more than one side to a story. What we do know is that these conservative filmmakers set out to "get" ACORN. With film you can use the editing room to "prove" any point you choose. One of their claims has already been disproven I bet there will be more to come.
ANOTHER Falsehood in ACORN Attacks: Fox News, Andrew Breitbart face more questions about videos | Media Matters for America

Maybe she works for Acorn??? What else could it logically be?

dl

And it's obvious you and other liberals just put on your blinders and go along with whatever the liberal media tells you to do:

In a number of crucial cases, Obama was the Attorney for the Chicago ACORN chapter and he used them to assist him in his run for the Illinois State Senate in 1996
In 1992, prior to his working as ACORN’s attorney, Obama was Executive Director of ACORN subsidiary “Project Vote” Obama trained ACORN workers
While sitting on the board of the Woods Foundation, Obama and domestic terrorist William Ayers—who is also a major Obama fundraiser—arranged for grants for ACORN
While both on the board of Chicago’s Annenberg Challenge—Ayers and Obama with Obama as Chairman—funds were funneled to ACORN
In his November 2007 speech to ACORN, Obama stated: “I’ve been fighting alongside ACORN on issues you care about my entire career. Even before I was an elected official, when I ran Project Vote voter registration drive in Illinois, ACORN was smack dab in the middle of it, and we appreciate your work.”
In his run for the Democrat presidential nomination, Obama paid ACORN subsidiary “Citizen’s Services, Inc.” over $830,000 to engage in ACORN ‘get out the vote’ activities (these would later be called the Obama-ACORN Voter Fraud Alliance)
ACORN is falsely registered as “non-partisan,” as its leader Maude Hurd endorsed Obama for president
Tax dollars collected from US citizens are paying for this Obama and Democrat Party fraud voter fraud group.

Obama also told ACORN in a speech before he was elected and I don't have the quote in front of me right now -- he thanked ACORN for their work (he was speaking to a group of them) and that he would use ACORN to help shape his presidential agenda. If I find the exact quote, I'll post it. ACORN is supposed to be non-partisan.... there's a problem right there!

I found it. It's on YouTube but I just copied what he said to ACORN during an event:
"Yes, but let me say that even before I get inaugurated, during the transition we’re going to be calling all of you in to help us shape the agenda,” replied Obama. ”We’re gonna be having meetings all across the country with community organizations so that you have input into the agenda for the next presidency of the United States of America.”"

A more honest ending to that last sentence would have been: that's the only reason ACORN was interested in registering them

ACORN had no interest in simply registering voters: they were only interested in registering voters who would vote for Obama.

Not only that, it seems that ACORN is destroying themselves. Maybe if the liberal media had done their jobs and brought this to light first, more people would take the charges against them more seriously. But no...shoot the messenger, that's what their counting on.

__________________
Melissa