Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with government

Which US government programs are managed well and why?

shivohum — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:26:58 -0800

What are the best well-written and scholarly (read: thoughtful and well-researched, not partisan or propagandistic) books or reports on which US government programs are managed effectively and which poorly, and why?

Reading on the Campaign Trail

minicloud — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:54:16 -0800

What are some good campaign trail biographies? I'm looking for any interesting read, whether in book form or a series of articles, that follows a candidate for a period of time up to their election, preferably ones where the writer actually accompanied the candidate as they went through the process of running. I'm not only looking for presidential candidates, but any government post at all (senate, congress, local government etc). I know Hunter Thompson is a good place to start, but what else?

Government Voting Records

Mckoan1 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:03:56 -0800

Is there a simple way, on the Web, to research how each member in both the House of Representatives and Senate voted on a bill? Specifically, I am looking for how Nancy Bean (Illinois) voted on the recent Health Care Bill. Thanks in advance.

How does one get a job as a residential property appraiser for a county or local government?

st starseed — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:08:33 -0800

How does one get a job as a residential property appraiser for a county or local government?

Forgot to file tax returns. Now what?

doomtop — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:27:00 -0800

Forgot to file tax returns. Now what? I filed extensions back in April to get an extra six months to file. (I have to file in two states and one federal return.)

I guess I expected to receive something back, but never did. I got lazy and here I am, a little more than six months later and I haven't filed.

I did do the taxes and get an estimate on what I owed and sent that payment to avoid interest, etc. But there were some forms and things I needed at the time which is why I filed for extensions.

What's going to happen now? Should I just send them in late and hope for the best? Or is there something specific I should be doing?

I haven't heard anything from the IRS about it...

Should I cash this check?

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:56:31 -0800

I served on grand jury duty and received a check today for the standard $40 a day. However, I had told the court previously that my job did not dock my pay, so I should not receive a check for my service. Should I cash it? I called today and asked what I should do with this check since I was not supposed to receive it, and the court official told me to go ahead & cash it. Is this legal? She said I do not have to report it and that it is already mine. I do not want this to come back to hurt me, and I feel uneasy about cashing it.

family law question re: NJ

infostud — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:49:29 -0800

What happens when a baby is born in jail in New Jersey? What departments/agencies are automatically involved? We are looking to get legal guardianship of a sister's soon-to-be-born child while she is in jail and need to know what agencies we should be dealing with beforehand.

Where to find good state-by-state savings statistics?

ejfox — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:06:46 -0800

Where can I find solid nationwide savings statistics/data? I am trying to make a map illustrating income & savings in the united states. However, the only data I am finding related to savings is based on measuring the entire United States as one unit. Does anyone know if I could find a state-by-state breakdown?

I have been looking through the "Saving and Investment" section of the BEA website (BEA NIPA Tables) to no avail.

If this information is not available, any advice on how to show a geographic breakdown of income/savings would be appreciated.

Selective Service

glenngulia — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:46:49 -0800

how do I verify that I, indeed, registered for the Selective Service? Looking at government job postings, all seem to require certification of Selective Service registration. Is this done automatically (like, part of a background check), or is this something for which I have to provide documentation (like, showing a copy of my driver's license).

If it's the latter, what can I do? I vaguely remember registering when I turned 18, but that was about a decade and a half ago. Is there a way to obtain documentation?

What countries have laws or legislative rules requiring legislation to stay on-topic?

LightStruk — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:25:42 -0800

What countries have laws or legislative rules requiring legislation to stay on-topic? Like many American citizens, I'm frustrated with the tendency of our elected officials to attach unrelated earmarks and amendments to "must-pass" legislation. Almost invariably, such additions are not in the country's best interest, but they aren't removed from the legislation because either there's no time (it's MUST PASS LEGISLATION!), it's buried in a bill that's thousands of pages long, or no one will vote against the whole bill because of some silly earmark.

What democracies have rules in place requiring legislation to stay on-topic to prevent this kind of abuse? How well are those rules working?

I seem to recall that one of Australia's legislative bodies instituted just such a rule recently, but no amount of Google-fu is helping me find it.

Local politics that isn't really local

Weebot — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:41:24 -0800

Which municipal district has the largest constituency? I was looking through some of the City Council districts for Los Angeles and New York, and they're pretty large (about a quarter million and 150,000, respectively), and I was wondering if someone would know off the top of their heads which cities and/or counties have extremely large constituencies.

I know that LA County's Board of Supervisors have 2 million people districts which I think may be the biggest non-Senate legislative districts in the country, but I want to know if there are any other large ones.

Can't find it on Snopes!

ellighi — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:49:08 -0800

A group of men from the US Government, a van and some dirty/emaciated kids? Where did I read about this supposedly true story? A while back I was browsing through some websites on the US Government and mind control on children and I read a story that I'd like to find again. It was reports from several people that had come into contact with a strange group of people traveling and sleeping in a van; a few men claiming to be with the government had a group of kids with them. They said the group was acting very strange, and the kids were very dirty and possibly emaciated.

Any idea where I could find this story?

How to write to the government.

beautifulcheese — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:31:23 -0800

I'm a complete N00b when it comes to writing to my government/MLA. Recent events have made me want to voice my concern w/ the government's actions and encourage my MLA to stand up and voice his disapproval. How do I learn what is proper to include in a letter and what isn't? How do I not come off as a crazy ranter and appear as a concerned constituent? Tips? Examples?

Help with Health Care!

odayoday — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:07:15 -0800

How can I show support for the new health care reform bill? My mom is a cancer survivor who is currently without health insurance, so the health care reform bill that just came out of the House (America's Affordable Health Choices Act) gives me a lot of hope. I've written to my representatives and senators, and am looking for other ways I can support this bill.

I'm considering sending an email to friends/posting on facebook a short note giving background about my mom and why I think this is a good bill, and asking them to write their reps if they feel the same. Is that something that would be worthwhile? Is there something else I should be doing?

My mom's health and lack of insurance has been a huge source of stress for my family, and while I probably shouldn't be looking at this bill as a lifesaver, I feel I need to do what I can to help it pass.

Why Czars?

cavalier — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:16:32 -0800

Could folks smarter than me elucidate for me the whole current U.S. administration's "Czar" fetish? I'm looking for precedent or other historic rationale on the use of the term "czar" in U.S. politics. Could anybody more in the know help out? I've looked around and all I can find are anti-Govt or anti-Obama editorials going SQUEEEEE Czar bad! Czar bad! I appreciate it is likely a symbolic gesture, but in my short life span I've had no recollection from Reagan up until now of a president actually naming "czar" posts.

How do I form the First Church of [Insert Celebrity Name Here]

runcibleshaw — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:04:02 -0800

How do I start my own church in California? If L. Ron Hubbard can have a church, why can't I? I have tried searching for "how to start a church" on google and askmefi, but no luck. I think there's something about filing a 501c non-profit form, but there are a lot of forms for similar things (non-profit raffle? commercial coventurer?? what the crap?). This will not be a serious religious organization by any means, so any money I spend on this endeavor will be minimal. I may want to include the name of a celebrity in the name of my church (think Peter Griffin's Church of Arthur Fonzarelli). If I somehow am able to register a church, will that keep other people from using the name I pick for my church? Can I get out of paying income tax? Do priests pay tax?

It would be really nice if there was just one form I could fill out that a couple of my "congregants" could sign, get notarized and mail to the IRS or City Hall or something.

Where's my rebate, mon ami?

Decimask — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 08:45:39 -0800

Revenue Quebec Filter: I mailed my taxes to Revenue Quebec somewhere around the 3rd or 4th of May. That's slightly late, but it's OK because they owe me money. I even sent it express post so it wouldn't get lost. Two months later, I've received no cheque, no direct deposit, no notice of assessment--nothing. Any theories on WTF is going? Revenue Canada sent me their notice 3 weeks ago. Am I missing something? (Does Quebec do things in installments, and if so am I invalid becaause I've moved from Quebec?) Or is RQ just that slow?

Should I refile?

Any experience welcome. I'm at a loss here.

California elder care question... Is this legit??

jbenben — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:51:27 -0800

California: anyone know what government entity reimburses the elderly for home care? Is it local, state, or federal program? Or perhaps a charity?? Asking for a friend who has an elderly neighbor that offered her a "job." She can't ask neighbor questions directly at this time, so if anyone out there has insight - thanks!

The elderly neighbor offered her a small job doing errands and helping around the house, keeping alert when neighbor is in the bath (in case they fall and there is no one around to help) etc. Neighbor claims they get reimbursed by the government (or via some entity - this part was vague!) for the hours worked. All that is required is for the worker (my friend) to sign a paper/former confirming the hours worked and amount paid.

Is this legit? What entity facilitates this type of financial compensation?

My understanding of the sitch is that the elderly neighbor pays the worker (my friend), the worker signs something stipulating payment was received, and then payment is reimbursed to the elderly neighbor.

We think it sounds fishy. Or maybe care for the elderly really is subsidized to this extent and we've just never heard about it before?? For sure, my friend has no medical training or anything like, and we can not imagine some gov't entity just doles out money so easily without licenses or degrees.

Thoughts?

About US politics and former Presidents

Lolie — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:11:45 -0800

Can a former US President serve in a powerful capacity in a subsequent administration? They clearly wouldn't be able to serve as VP, but could they hold some other high office such as Secretary of State? If not, do those of you living in the US regard this as a desirable or undesirable attribute of your political system?

Health insurance for all? Is that a good thing? What can I do to help?

zeek321 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:59:45 -0800

So, I saw Howard Dean on the Colbert Report last night. Please help me with some specific action steps regarding health care and the future of the USA. How can I learn more about the options on the table (and the options not on the table) and how they might affect individuals (of all levels of income and varieties of occupation) as well as the general economic health of the country? Whether or not I arrive at any personal conclusions, what can I do to help the best option prevail?

I've been vaguely aware of the situation as it's been unfolding, and I've been selfishly hoping that things will work out in my personal favor. But I've never wanted it as bad as last night. And, if I'm actually going to educate myself and take action, then I want my actions to benefit the largest number of people possible, with a long view to the future of the country.

Clarification: Please don't argue for or against different things in your answers. How can I figure out the different options and do research on them myself? Is there anything besides "write my congresspeople" that I can do to help? (Especially if I, in the most likely case, side with some sort of government health insurance?)

Shareef Might Like It

AlbatrossJones — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:01:31 -0800

[Iran_Minutiae_Filter] I heard a few days ago that Former President Rafsanjani was going up to Qum to see if the Assembly of Experts had the votes to remove Ayatollah Khamanei from the position of Supreme Leader. How long would something like that take to happen? Would it have happened already if they had the votes? The Guardian Council and Assembly of Experts are very strange legislative/governmental bodies, so I am trying to get some sense of time frame here.

-The Assembly of Experts is 86 people and has to meet twice a year [which, I'm guessing, means they don't meet very often].

-Rafsanjani is the head of this assembly [he was elected as such].

-He went to try and count these votes maybe 2-3 days ago. How long would something like that take? Would it take effect immediately? Is it possible that he called the assembly together and is now just waiting for things to get worse with the protests [i.e. more state-sponsored brutality] before he calls the vote?

Sorry -- I am very genuinely curious about how removing a Supreme Leader works.

Who were these "celebrated authors" James Madison was referring to in The Federalist Paper No. 14?

Myles — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:51:38 -0800

Who were these "celebrated authors" James Madison was referring to in The Federalist Paper No. 14? Hello. Doing a short research paper on democracies vs. republics. I've seen the following passage bandied about regarding the subject. This one's from James Madison in the Federalist paper #14:

"The error which limits republican government to a narrow district has been unfolded and refuted in preceding papers. I remark here only that it seems to owe its rise and prevalence chiefly to the confounding of a republic with a democracy, applying to the former reasonings drawn from the nature of the latter. The true distinction between these forms was also adverted to on a former occasion. It is, that in a democracy, the people meet and exercise the government in person; in a republic, they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents. A democracy, consequently, will be confined to a small spot. A republic may be extended over a large region.

To this accidental source of the error may be added the artifice of some celebrated authors, whose writings have had a great share in forming the modern standard of political opinions. Being subjects either of an absolute or limited monarchy, they have endeavored to heighten the advantages, or palliate the evils of those forms, by placing in comparison the vices and defects of the republican, and by citing as specimens of the latter the turbulent democracies of ancient Greece and modern Italy. Under the confusion of names, it has been an easy task to transfer to a republic observations applicable to a democracy only; and among others, the observation that it can never be established but among a small number of people, living within a small compass of territory."

I'm having trouble tracing down these "celebrated authors" that Madison alludes to in this passage. Google coughs up nothing. If someone can help, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Flat-out asking for a government contract during a cold call: feasible or terrible?

cranberrymonger — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:50:01 -0800

Flat-out asking for a government contract during a cold call: feasible or terrible? I have a BA and I'm considering taking a college course in Public Administration. (In Canada, college is one level down from university and tends to be more applicable to getting a job.) I spoke with a girl who took the program and now works as a policy analyst.

She told me that she got a placement with the Gov't of Ontario (required by the program) by cold-calling managers and asking them for a 5.5 month contract. She seemed to think I could do the same: just cold-calling them, conducting informational interviews and then.... ??????

Well, this is where I'm confused. How do you parlay a cold-call or an information interview into "Will you consider me for a 5.5 month contract?"

I'm worried that it will seem rude but she was quite confident and it worked for her.

Shouldn't there be a lengthy interview process? Is that just for permanent positions? Can this approach actually work? Had anyone had success or failure doing this?

Government longevity, who wins?

woman — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:20:23 -0800

What country or countries have the longest continuously functioning government? Please specify the type/form of government, such as US/ democratic republic.

Permission needed to film in NYC government housing?

curiositykilledthelemur — Sat, 30 May 2009 09:20:45 -0800

Filming sports doc in/around Harlem government housing - permission/payoffs needed? There are some amazing kids that a friend of mine who just moved to NYC wants to film for a documentary about sports. They live and practice in government housing (aka projects) in Harlem.

If he has their permission and the permission of their guardians, it legal to occasionally film them in and around their government housing, or does he need to get permission from/pay the owners/managers, etc.?

If, in a stroke of luck, my friend sells the rights to this documentary, will he be able to pay the kids/guardians without getting them kicked out of their low-income housing because of this one-time bump in yearly income?