Questions tagged [united-states]
Questions relating to the government or the politics of the United States of America
2
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0answers
72 views
Did everyone named in the Mueller report get to read it in advance?
Attorney General Bill Barr said this in a press conference today, in regard to the Mueller Report:
In addition, earlier this week, the President’s personal counsel requested and were given the ...
3
votes
1answer
75 views
Do elected officials need to pass background checks to obtain security clearances?
I was in the Navy and during my time I needed a background check to get the required security clearance. How does this work with elected officials? Can the president of the United States, senator, or ...
1
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0answers
70 views
Why are Kinder Suprise Eggs illegal in the USA but not other potentially hazardeous consumer products as cars, cigarettes? [duplicate]
I suppose it has something to do with a perceived trade-off between danger and gain through consumption, but are there other, political reasons?
2
votes
1answer
82 views
Does the international community accept either nation’s claim in the US–Haitian Navassa Island dispute?
Navassa Island lies between Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti, and is claimed by both the United States and Haiti. Have any other countries recognised either claim, or is the status of the international ...
0
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0answers
84 views
Why are US gun laws so lax? [duplicate]
The gun politics in the USA are unusually lax compared to most other first world countries. Why are they like this?
2
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3answers
120 views
How can a citizen change an existing law — who can the bill be submitted to
its known that in order to make or change a law, a bill is needed which is introduced to congress and the senate etc....
The question: If a citizen is directly affected by a current "unfair" law and ...
4
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4answers
2k views
Why did the US and UK choose different solutions to the problem of an undemocratic upper house?
Both the US and the UK formerly had an upper legislative house which wielded considerable power despite being elected by government officials rather than the people (the Senate) or completely ...
-9
votes
0answers
219 views
How does President Obama's use of his office to punish his political foes compare to Bush and Clinton? [on hold]
According to Investors Business Daily, President Obama used the powers of his office to punish his political opponents.
The article states:
The Obama administration has turned the executive branch ...
1
vote
3answers
534 views
Is Trump the first president to seek to punish his opponents by district or region?
Political partisanship has never been pretty.
Preston Brooks, for example, beat Charles Sumner with his cane on the Senate floor because he objected to Sumner's speech but that was individual and ...
28
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4answers
10k views
Why are Kinder Surprise Eggs illegal in the USA?
In the USA, Kinder Surprise Eggs are banned by the government. What is the reason?
3
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1answer
162 views
What medium is the current U. S. constitution on?
If there is a more appropriate site for this question, feel free to migrate it.
When the first edition of the constitution was ratified, I imagine they must have used parchment.
When they made ...
11
votes
4answers
360 views
Do I correctly understand the math behind Bernie Sanders's medicare for all financing options?
This may be basic math, but I'd like to check my understanding of Bernie Sanders's medicare for all financing options document, which is found here.
$3.2 trillion is what the U.S. spends on health ...
4
votes
1answer
207 views
Is it realistic to think that enough Democrats can register as Republicans and nominate a non-Trump Republican in the 2020 primaries?
And what is the potential impact (other than many Democrats not having a say in their own candidate) of a legitimate campaign to try to convince Democrats to do so?
0
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2answers
79 views
Comparative Environmental Policy/ Executive Orders
For a paper, I am currently trying to compare Executive Orders by Trump within the first year of his presidency and Bush's first year of his first presidency concerning environmental issues.
My ...
7
votes
2answers
314 views
What reasons (if any) were given by Democrats when the Ways and Means chairman requested Trump's tax returns?
This is fundamentally the same question as another one recently asked here, but unlike that (quickly closed) formulation I won't try to [pre]provide any counter-arguments to the Democrats' recent ...
5
votes
1answer
366 views
Are there any programs in the US to increase male participation in female-dominated jobs?
As an example, only 20% of elementary & middle school teachers in the US are male, similar to the percentage of software engineers who are female. Are there any government programs in place to ...
2
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0answers
93 views
Did any intelligence official express concerns over Trump's “Russia, if you're listening..” comment?
On the 27th of July 2016, then presidential candidate Donald Trump made a comment while at a press conference where he said:
Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 ...
5
votes
1answer
110 views
Is the there a term for state (or local) officers not caring about enforcing federal law?
I think it's generally accepted that in the US:
state officers cannot be compelled to enforce federal law.
For more details as to why that is accepted:
In Printz v. United States, 521 U.S. 898, ...
3
votes
4answers
247 views
Failing to enforce immigration laws?
US Senator Rick Scott (R-Fl) this morning said that "we are not enforcing immigration laws". (for context, the discussion centered around the southwest border).
I've tried to find examples of this ...
27
votes
2answers
3k views
Is there a documented rationale why the House Ways and Means chairman can demand tax info?
The BBC says:
House Ways and Means chairman Richard Neal said failure to comply with the new deadline would be interpreted as a denial of request.
One of Mr Trump's top aides said last week ...
-2
votes
0answers
70 views
Should the US intervene in the Democratic Republic of Congo? [on hold]
I need to write a global politics paper on Congo for my college class. This is my first time taking a politics class so I am confused on what to do. the question is:
Which IR theory/approach ...
3
votes
1answer
164 views
What is the rationale for Democrats attempting to exempt African-Americans from this Ohio abortion ban?
According to USA Today the Democratic Party attempted to pass a slew of amendments to Ohio Senate Bill 23, which would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Most of them were pretty ...
2
votes
1answer
142 views
How does the public know that many large corporations paid zero Federal tax last year?
So the press is reporting that many large corporations paid zero Federal taxes see here for 2018 under the tax act passed under the Trump Administration.
Considering the concern that people have ...
3
votes
1answer
85 views
International precedent affected US law?
As I understand it quite a lot of US Federal law is based on 'common law'. This is also true for many states, although I think some jurisdictions have 'civil law' roots instead.
Since common & ...
4
votes
0answers
115 views
Are farmers in the Great Plains aware of the Dust Bowl? [closed]
I'm curious if farmers in the Great Plains are aware today of the history of the Dust Bowl, including its causes. Are there any surveys or polls on the matter among farmers, like there are (also among ...
10
votes
3answers
2k views
If climate change impact can be observed in nature, has that had any effect on rural, i.e. farming community, perception of the scientific consensus?
Simply put, rural US districts tend to be more conservative so tend to vote Republican. And the rejection of climate change theory has been a bedrock of Republican politics for years by now.
If one ...
-2
votes
1answer
68 views
Chances of Assange extradition? [closed]
Will the UK extradition decision be highly unlikely?
What are the chances?
1
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0answers
48 views
What is the priority of potential extraditions in Assange case? [migrated]
Julian Assange has been arrested by the Metropolitan police for jumping bail and also pertaining to an extradition request from the US.
Also the lawyer for one of the alleged victims of sexual ...
10
votes
4answers
569 views
Why do many countries not offer a fixed rate 30 year mortgage?
I recently moved from the US to the UK and was bewildered by the myriad subtle and not so subtle differences in mortgage products offered by banks.
It struck me that the variety of federal ...
10
votes
3answers
256 views
What is the legal basis for the Trump administration's decision to impose and then remove tariffs?
I'm no expert on the applicable law regarding tariffs and international trade, but I do know that the most famous tariff policy in US history was the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, named after two members ...
-2
votes
0answers
112 views
USA vs China Vs Russia [closed]
There is this question that keeps popping up in my head. China vs the U.S. vs Russia better allies than enemies; my question is who's system works better? are the long terms of Chinese Leaders helping ...
5
votes
1answer
114 views
Why isn't Claire Grady the Acting Secretary of DHS?
As I understand it, by law, Claire Grady (the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security) becomes the Acting Secretary of DHS in absence of Nielsen. But it appears that the President is circumventing that ...
19
votes
3answers
3k views
Why is Grand Jury testimony secret?
I’ve been following US news lately, and am quite confused about something that keeps coming up: why can’t grand jury testimony be released?
William Barr and others keep mentioning that a lot of the ...
7
votes
1answer
333 views
Why were there so few candidates for the 2016 Democratic Primary?
The common reason why the 2016 Democratic Primary had so few candidates seems to be because no one wanted to go up against Hillary. But I’m not totally sold on this. Polling I’ve seen shows she really ...
42
votes
10answers
8k views
Could a US political party gain complete control over the government by removing checks & balances?
I was talking to a friend some time ago about American politics, political parties, etc. During this conversation, I thought of something:
If a single party controlled both the house and senate, they ...
6
votes
1answer
374 views
Why are drinking laws so strict in the USA?
In the USA, alcohol laws are very strict and specific, while in most other parts of the world they are very lax. What's the reason?
2
votes
7answers
10k views
Why are 150k or 200k jobs considered good when there are 300k+ births a month?
It would seem that most people who are born will eventually enter the workforce. Maybe that entry is delayed due to college or enlistment or that very important backpacking trip through Europe, but it ...
3
votes
1answer
130 views
Did the IG’s office say its audit of the use of Confidential Human Sources was prompted by Trump?
The website of the Inspector General for the Department of Justice lists a number of investigations the Inspector General’s office is undertaking. In particular, it lists this one:
FBI’s ...
4
votes
3answers
250 views
Why is healthcare a federal issue and not a state issue
Why is healthcare in the US viewed by many as a federal issue, instead of a state issue?
It seems to me, it would make more sense to implement healthcare reform on a state level, like they did in ...
5
votes
0answers
100 views
Why is the Gravina Island bridge held up as an example of wasteful pork-barrel spending?
The as-yet-unbuilt Gravina Island bridge, which would connect the Alaskan city of Ketchikan to an island that holds the city’s airport (plus a few other residents besides); the two are, currently, ...
5
votes
0answers
40 views
Do Senate committees really ever interview low-level nominees?
Does the United States Senate actually take the time to interview low level nominees like nominees for low military general ranks (Brig. General) or really specific roles that require senate ...
12
votes
5answers
937 views
Why is the gender pay gap quoted at 20% even though it's lower when controlling for variables?
Roughly speaking, the average woman in the U.S. earns 80% as much per year as the average man. (I'm not sure if that's over all people or just those employed)
I was raised in a time where people ...
1
vote
1answer
82 views
Is there a runoff in the Chicago Mayoral elections when one candidate gets a majority in the first round?
In the recent mayoral election there were 15 or so candidates,
with the top 2 going to a runoff. What would have happened if one candidate had received a majority of 51% of the vote in that election, ...
11
votes
4answers
458 views
What is the motivation for a specifically $15 per hour minimum wage?
In the United States, various politicians and activists are advocating for a $15 per hour minimum wage.
However, I'm not sure how this value was chosen. One reason given for increasing the minimum ...
7
votes
1answer
1k views
Direct Implications Between USA and UK in Event of No-Deal Brexit
It is heavily discussed what sort of impacts could be expected in the United Kingdom and European Union in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Less noted are any impacts this could have on the United ...
-4
votes
1answer
119 views
Does a libertarian party make the US more or less libertarian? [closed]
Say 0 means libertarian, and 100 means statism.
Say we have a libertarian party. Let's presume there is no voting strategy. So everyone picks the one that makes the most sense to them.
And let's for ...
10
votes
4answers
577 views
Why is the focus so much on health care coverage in the US - as opposed to privatization?
Whenever I hear stories about how some poor American couldn't pay their medical bills due to how obscene the prices are, the subsequent political discussion is always about health care coverage (...
1
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0answers
17 views
Can a traditional nonconnected PAC spend money to support or oppose state ballot measures?
Assume a fully compliant FEC-registered nonconnected multicandidate PAC that already makes and reports direct contributions and also independent expenditures to influence the election of candidates in ...
3
votes
2answers
185 views
Why didn't Mueller have to submit a report to Congress?
Ken Starr had to submit a report directly to Congress, pursuant to 28 USC 595 (c)
Why didn't Mueller have to do this?
1
vote
2answers
120 views
What political barriers prevent the legalization of Marihuana on the federal level in the United States?
Multiple US states have legalized the recreational use of Marihuana. Why is US federal law still anti-marijuana? A Democratic president, Barack Obama, was in office for 8 years and could have started ...
