Sok Khemara, VOA KhmerWashington, D.C Friday, 07 May 2010
“That’s why we are working hard to make all our brothers and sisters understand the importance, especially those elderly who have received money [like welfare and social security] since they came to the US.”As the US completes a new national census, one group in California is working to have more Cambodian-Americans participate and gain the benefits of better representation.
Sara Pol-Lim, executive director of the United Cambodian Community, a group based in Long Beach, told “Hello VOA” on Thursday Cambodians can benefit politically, economically and socially by taking part in the census.
An estimated 300,000 Cambodians live in the US, but only about 100,000 show up on the census, she said. That means they lose a voice within their communities and government.
For instance, the US government looks at the numbers of immigrants from different countries when it determines budgets, and having more people on a census can also mean better representation in the House of Representatives, she said.
A more accurate census can lead to more jobs and attract businesses and investment targeted to specific communities. In California, that can mean benefits for a high percentage of Asians, from China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam, as well as Cambodia.
“That’s why we are working hard to make all our brothers and sisters understand the importance, especially those elderly who have received money [like welfare and social security] since they came to the US,” she said.
The United Cambodian Community has been operating since 1977, when it was formed to help Cambodians adjust to life in the US.
The US Census Bureau says 72 percent of households participated in the 2010 census, but census-takers are now going door-to-door to retrieve responses from households.
Sara Pol-Lim said now is the time to return forms to the census-takers if they have not been sent in already. She also said the census-takers are not to be feared, as they will not ask for confidential information. People should remember to have an ID ready, she said.
9 comments:
The state of California is financially broke because there are too many rum-buncheous Cambodians are living there.
7:07 AM,
It is a big surprise you attempted at making fun of a big word. If it wasn't from an idiot like you, this would require a check into your state of bigoted mind and soul.
7:07 am, you are as dumb as a dead tree stump.
7:07 am is very smart like a dead squirrel on the road.
There are about 300,000 Cambodians in the whole US, even if every single one of them is living off the government handouts on $900 per month for the rest of their lives, it would not have any financial dent on the multi-billion California economy. But now, when 7:07 AM insulted the 40,000 or 50,000 Cambodians in california and made them mad, they could make make a HUGE dent in his/her a... hole for making irresponsible racist joke.
7:07am's domain name and IP address can be traced and his locality can be approximated. Soon or later this idiot is going to make a bigot remark again, then he will be clobbered by those 40000 to 50000 Cambodians.
That's USA, the real free world, as long as you do nothing illegal you're good, you've right to say that refugee Khmers in California make the state finance in trouble, yo have right to say that the person who said that, bad, I could say because of Ben Laden or may be Arnold..freedom brothers..
idiots...mixing up freedom and stupidity...
The word is "rambunctious" for that idiot who couldn't spell!
Post a Comment