1850 Census Enumerees Are Assumed To Be Living?

[sarcasm alert] 

I experiment with the "trees" at Ancestry.com just to keep on top of things. Today I discovered that Ancestry.com expects that 1850 census enumerees are still alive.

Yes, alive. Today and in 1850. Modern science works wonders. 

Alive is the "status" that comes up by default at Ancestry.com when adding a "new" person to a tree from the 1850 census. Living. 

It would seem to me that the status for anyone enumerated in 1880 and before could be set to come as "deceased" by default.

screen shot from attempted merge from 1850 census at Ancestry.com obtained on 5 February 2013

Maybe the people at Ancestry.com attended the same meetings as employees for the Social Security Administration were it is assumed that everyone lives to be 120 years old (sarcasm intended).