Isn't it a little late to be asking this? I thought these were supposed to be sent in by April 1.
I think this was the first time I felt okay about filling out the census form. I got the short form.
They tried hard to let everyone know that this isn't a Big Brother thing. The purpose is to allocate Federal funds and whatnot to the correct areas, also to get a sense of demographics. They say they will not be sharing this information with any other government agencies. (Okay, I only believe that to a point, but they do make that claim.)
The advance notices aren't a waste of money. People who know the census form will be coming are more likely to recognize it for what it is when it does arrive and less likely to automatically throw it out with the junk mail. I'm sure they've done studies and found this to be cost effective. (I hear some of you hooting at me!)
Rather than taking offense at the race/ethnicity question, you're better off answering it accurately. Race and ethnicity still count in our society, so it does help to know what groups live where.