138
votes
What are Trump's incentives for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement?
Culture.
In the US denial of climate science has been turned into part of the 'culture wars'. As such it is part of identity of many on the political right to decry global warming as a left-wing ...
- 1,185
126
votes
Accepted
Why do US police use handcuffs in otherwise calm, non-violent circumstances?
Why do US police use handcuffs in otherwise calm, non-violent circumstances?
Because they have cause to fear escalation and because their training encourages it.
Since the question mentions UK ...
- 9,081
95
votes
Why are Democrats fighting so hard to vaccinate the reluctant?
Herd immunity* is one aspect.
Limiting mutations is another.
The Covid virus has shown so far a disturbing, and not totally expected, capacity to quickly evolve itself into more infectious variants (...
- 92.7k
85
votes
Why do constitutions not incorporate a clause on population control?
A vast majority of modern states don't have a explicit constitutional
clause on population control either (that I am aware of). It seems
fair to surmise that it is the consensus of the majority of
...
- 88.3k
79
votes
Accepted
Why do many countries ban the sale of one's own blood?
Many countries are seeking to move to a system of 100% voluntary (unpaid) blood donations, and many others already have; according to the World Health Organization's Global Status Report on Blood ...
CDJB♦
- 109k
76
votes
What are Trump's incentives for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement?
These are some of the reasons mentioned by Trump that support the withdrawal from the agreement.
1. It increases energy prices should the US follow through its goals.
The United States hopes to reduce ...
- 46.7k
75
votes
Why may Israel request a DNA test during immigration?
They don't decide what DNA is Jewish.
The article you link says (their bolding):
A DNA result that “proves” your Jewish origins does not grant the right to make aliyah according to the Law of Return.
...
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67
votes
Accepted
What is the rationale behind delaying the imposition of more radical Covid-19 countermeasures?
Specifically with reference to the UK, an article in the Guardian reports that
Experts have warned about the risk that if tough measures are taken too soon, “fatigue” may set in, prompting the ...
- 21.4k
66
votes
Accepted
When did the US start separating illegal immigrants from their children and what is this policy called?
This practice has been going on for decades - if a child's parents are criminally prosecuted and held in federal prison awaiting trial, then family separation must occur as a consequence as children ...
CDJB♦
- 109k
63
votes
Accepted
What are the downsides of being a debt-free country (no foreign national debt)?
Eliminating national debt is not necessarily a good thing because a country's economics are a lot less like personal finance and far more like business finance.
Businesses (and countries) take on ...
- 2,429
59
votes
Accepted
Why did political parties form in the United States?
A safeguard WAS put into place. We call it the Electoral College (although it is not named as such in the Constitution). It failed miserably at that goal.
The original vision when the Electoral ...
- 12.1k
59
votes
Why does the UK government write off student loan debt after 30 years?
Writing the debts off after 30 years is a way of linking repayments to earnings, as well as negating the risk of the loan to the student.
Loan repayments are usually made automatically as part of tax ...
CDJB♦
- 109k
58
votes
Is the proposal to create a US Space Force being taken seriously?
The administration is taking it seriously, but so far has had trouble getting the funds for it as well as fully convincing the Pentagon that a 6th force, separate from the Air Force, is really needed.
...
55
votes
Are there countries where the legislative body is not allowed to propose laws that touch upon unrelated subjects?
Depending on how one defines "one single topic", the rule applies in the UK.
Erskine May - the bible of parliamentary procedure in the UK - has this to say on the scope of a bill:
Any ...
- 13k
54
votes
Why are Democrats fighting so hard to vaccinate the reluctant?
Let's separate out two distinct issues...
First, the Biden administration is following epidemiological best practices. As more people get vaccinated, the disease spreads more slowly, the incidences of ...
- 76.4k
49
votes
Accepted
Why can one still buy newspapers during lockdown?
At least in Italy, this appears to be in part a response to pressure from newspapers and their readers. On March 11th, the director of la Repubblica newspaper Carlo Verdelli published (in Italian) an ...
CDJB♦
- 109k
48
votes
Why are Kinder Surprise Eggs illegal in the USA?
Note that the manufacturer has worked around this ban by introducing the Kinder Joy
It has plastic egg-shaped packaging that splits into two, one half contains layers of cocoa and milk cream and the ...
47
votes
Accepted
Why are Kinder Surprise Eggs illegal in the USA?
They have tiny pieces that are considered to be a choking hazard. There have been some high profile and tragic deaths among children due to choking on toys with small pieces. So the United States is ...
- 90.3k
45
votes
What is a successful policy against lobbying in a democratic country?
Define good lobbying and bad lobbying.
That's a major challenge. You don't want a paid lobbyist for big oil or the arms industry to visit representatives and grease their palms, but you you do want ...
- 116k
44
votes
How can one check whether tax money is being effectively used by the government for improving a nation?
One cannot, because using money effectively or using money wisely are normative statements, which reflects one's subjective judgement about what is good for the country and its people. Thus, one can ...
41
votes
Accepted
What political and social factors underlie Sweden's controversial response to COVID-19?
The reason for Sweden's rather hands-off approach compared to other European countries was summed up rather well by lead epidemiologist of the Public Health Agency of Sweden, Anders Tegnell, who said ...
CDJB♦
- 109k
40
votes
What are possible explanations for why Democratic states appear to have higher homeless rates per capita than Republican states?
This is just one thing, maybe not the most important. The homeless population is tough to estimate, and it's much easier to count in places with more and better shelters and less hostility.
That 2020 ...
- 3,810
40
votes
Why would the government invest in creating skilled labor, and then send them to work overseas?
India is among the leading recipients of remittances, that is money sent home from workers abroad.
A diaspora of highly-skilled, well-integrated emigrants might give India a good reputation in some of ...
- 116k
39
votes
How do unpopular policies arise in democracies?
The people are not required to have a consistent set of policies. Neither are the government and the parliament. But the government usually has to be more consistent than the people.
If you ask "...
- 116k
37
votes
Why is the West concerned about the enforcement of certain attire on women in Afghanistan but unconcerned about similar European policy?
According to western moral values, the two examples are not similar.
There is the belief in many western countries that certain clothing is degrading for people who have to wear it, specifically the ...
- 116k
36
votes
Accepted
Who determines when road center lines are solid or dashed?
Introduction
The beginning of traffic safety for rural highways was with civilians. Their work resulted in government action and led to standardization throughout the United States.
Wikipedia, History:...
- 36.6k
36
votes
What is the rationale behind delaying the imposition of more radical Covid-19 countermeasures?
Shutting down schools, banning large gatherings and pushing people to do home office has a massive economic cost. Of course you never get the exact numbers on either death or cost but essentially you ...
- 9,317
35
votes
Accepted
Why do constitutions not incorporate a clause on population control?
I guess one significant reason is that it is not deemed necessary. Two important statistics in population growth are
Total fertility rate, roughly the number of children a woman is expected to have ...
- 5,214
34
votes
Is Venezuela an example of socialism?
Venezuela's economy
Venezuela is a communist planned economy with an authoritarian government. It is, therefore, an example of Socialism. Under Chavez and Maduro, Venezuela's economy became a ...
- 4,909
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