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The 2010 Census forms have begun arriving in the mailboxes of 120 million Americans homes. If history is any indication, tens of millions of Americans will throw the census in the trash bin.

The federal government uses the census when determining how $400 billion dollars will be allocated to each state and how many congressional seats each state will gain or lose. It is as important to our democracy as elections and the judicial system.

Why do so many of us shrug our shoulders with indifference? It is only ten questions that take just a few minutes to fill out. In fact it is required by the constitution that the federal government take a census every decade. This is the shortest questionnaire since 1790, and includes questions about race, gender, and how many people live in your household.

The deadline is April 1st and also happens to be National Census Day. From April to July, census takers visit the households that did not return a form, which seems more like a hassle than quickly filling out the form and mailing it.

This year the Census Bureau has spent a record amount of money -- $133 million -- on a wide-reaching media campaign to underscore the importance and relevance of the 2010 Census Form. The Bureau has placed advertisements in major cities and, to reach the broadest possible audience, an ad during the Super Bowl. Smartly using the new 3.0 tools that we all have come to rely on, the government is also writing blogs, Tweeting, Facebook -- even teaming up with the popular cartoon character Dora the Explorer.

Many Americans have a mistrustful attitude towards the Census. In 2000, the national participation rate was 72%. Contrary to belief, the Census Bureau cannot share records with anyone including other federal and law agencies.

Point of story: What’s the big deal? Fill it out!