What US governmental RFP sites are worth the time/money - or do you know of any free ones that are not impossible to search?
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posted by digitalprimate
on May 26, 2008 -
2 answers
Very old parking tickets/fines and US immigration... do I have to pay up when I come home?
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posted by xanthippe
on May 14, 2008 -
9 answers
I need to better understand the proposed tax systems. Mainly the fair tax or sales tax versus an income tax. I am writing a paper for school on the viewpoints of TTARA (The Texas Taxpayers and Research Ass.) and CTJ (citizens for tax justice) but cannot gain a clear idea of what each side is proposing. Obviously the republicans want the fair tax, and since TTARA is business minded, I assume they too seek the fair tax, or at least support it. But what is the Dem idea of fair taxation? Do they want an income tax? What is all this talk on CTJ about income tax cuts? I don’t have the patience to sift through all the material so I'm hoping someone can give me a basic idea of the differing positions on the matter. Mainly answer the question of who wants what and why, and who benefits most from each plan.... Also what about the working poor, do they benefit most from an income tax? Etc. Etc.
posted by madmamasmith
on May 4, 2008 -
17 answers
So I've been converted from civil service in the U.S. (WG/GS etc.) to NSPS and need help writing Supervisory/Managerial Performance Objectives. This is a shot in the dark as the system is relatively new.
Specifically, does anyone have examples other than the ones posted on the "official" websites? I actually love to write, but this is pretty formulated and it would be very helpful to see what others have done with it.
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posted by snsranch
on Apr 1, 2008 -
2 answers
Where can I find information about the legality of using public government data on my website?
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posted by lunchbox
on Mar 28, 2008 -
8 answers
Can anyone tell me the percentage of children of illegal immigrants who attend college? Specifically in Texas. We are arguing the HB 104 (in state tuition bill) in my government class and I need to know how many children of illegal immigrants who were not born in the US actually attend institutions of higher education....
posted by madmamasmith
on Mar 22, 2008 -
12 answers
Does the 'use tax' charged by states for purchases made outside their borders violate the commerce clause?
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posted by mullingitover
on Mar 12, 2008 -
3 answers
What do governments do with seized contraband that cannot legally be bought or sold, cannot be set free, but ought not be simply destroyed? I'm thinking elephant tusks and rain forest hard woods, that sort of thing.
posted by IndigoJones
on Mar 10, 2008 -
9 answers
Looking for tips on dealing with the defense department acquisitions system. Basically, I am preparing taxes for a new LLC that expects to land some government contracts, and they are asking me about how best to deal with DFARS. None of my accounting connections knows anything about this. Should I just refer them to a D.C. based CPA who has experience, or is it not a big deal?
posted by mrhappy
on Mar 9, 2008 -
2 answers
How should government change the way it provides services in response to the technological revolution happening around us?
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posted by baggymp
on Mar 7, 2008 -
15 answers
How do you verify a state seller's permit/resale certificate and/or tax ID for US businesses?
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posted by boygirlparty
on Jan 25, 2008 -
1 answer
I am considering going back to grad school. All I know is that when I get out I want to put myself in the position where I can do the most good for protecting the environment. What specific job should I shoot for (Government, Non profit, other?) and what degree do I need (MPA, MPP, JD other)?
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posted by DetonatedManiac
on Jan 19, 2008 -
21 answers
I'm trying to renew my passport, which expired about six years ago and is now lost, but the government doesn't seem to believe this situation is possible. Is this process the same as replacing/renewing a still-valid lost passport?
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posted by Meg_Murry
on Jan 19, 2008 -
16 answers
Is there a quote by a Founding Father about how the First Amendment really protects religion from the government, not the other way around? I know about Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists ... but I have this feeling that there's another famous quote. Maybe it's by a more modern judicial person rather than a Founding Father?
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posted by mccxxiii
on Jan 18, 2008 -
3 answers
How easy is it to get residential street parking permits in Toronto? What are the chances of being put on a waiting list?
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posted by mendel
on Dec 9, 2007 -
7 answers
What kinds of high-technology
things exist now but will only come to light 50 or 100 years from now? Speculative, but asking for concrete answers.
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posted by exlotuseater
on Nov 30, 2007 -
41 answers
Give me examples of government services in the USA that have been privatized, and tell me if the service improved or got worse.
posted by zenja72
on Nov 25, 2007 -
23 answers
Has any democracy, in a free, fair and open election, ever chosen a racial minority as a head of state or head of government?
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posted by thewittyname
on Nov 20, 2007 -
34 answers
My friend works as a federal contractor, and he is a permanent resident / legal alien / green card holder. The thing is, it seems more and more federal contracts are requiring US Citizenship, which I can understand for the FBI and NSA and stuff... How does the government decide that US Citizenship is required for a contract. Is there a book of regulations they follow that I can see?
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posted by joecacti
on Nov 8, 2007 -
0 answers
Besides the obvious collateral benefits to producers and consumers of news, what is the logic of using the time and resources of government officials during an emergency to calculate and report the death/injury toll of a natural or man-made disaster? Does this task aid rescue or recovery efforts in any way?
posted by Saucy Intruder
on Oct 19, 2007 -
11 answers
What can you tell me about the Monterey Institute of International Studies?
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posted by dead_
on Oct 3, 2007 -
4 answers
Trying to figure out if there is an "ism" or "acy" word for a governmental system of ruler worship (i.e. like the ancient Egyptian systems which considered their rulers Gods). Any specific terms for this?
posted by l33tpolicywonk
on Aug 29, 2007 -
15 answers
Are U.S. Government publications copyrighted or in the Public Domain? More specifically, are Federal Reserve publications copyrighted or in the Public Domain? I'd like to be able to monkey with
these comics, but am wary of violating copyright.
(I've sent e-mail to the Federal Reserve asking this same question, but am skeptical that I'll receive a timely response.)
posted by jdroth
on Aug 23, 2007 -
28 answers
Is it ever OK to change peoples posts on a web forum? Say theoretically a government department ran a consultation via web forum, with invited, non anonymous participants, and wasn't happy with what some of their own staff said. Would it be ok for them to order the staff to edit the posts? Are there any useful examples of the consequences?
posted by anonymous
on Aug 7, 2007 -
10 answers
Any Mefites know of headhunting/recruiting firms in the Chicago area that specialize in government relations/public affairs?
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posted by notjustfoxybrown
on Jul 30, 2007 -
1 answer
What's a good definitive source of quotations on the net? I've been trying to track down the source of a quote, but get differing answers.
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posted by jpburns
on Jul 25, 2007 -
15 answers
Why is the presidential administration working so persistently to bequeath extra powers to their likely Democrat successors?
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posted by jimmyjimjim
on Jul 5, 2007 -
31 answers
I visited a public middle school, and it was filled with roaches, is there anything positive I could do for those kids?
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posted by ceberon
on Jun 12, 2007 -
14 answers
Julie Amero. Are there ANY concrete actions a non-expert stranger could take to decrease the chance she'll do jail time?
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posted by lorimer
on Jun 1, 2007 -
13 answers
I once read a claim that the Chinese government had funded "research" whose aim was to prove that Han Chinese are a different species to other humans. It was a physical book, not online. What might it have been? And incidentally, is the claim true?
posted by hoverboards don't work on water
on May 18, 2007 -
14 answers
I currently work for the government and recently applied for another job in a different location (still with the government). The new job description sounds like it was written for me. I am currently doing the exact same job and more at the same pay grade. I am extremely well qualified and went to one of the best schools in the country for this field. The problem is – I didn’t even get past the first hurdle to be considered for an interview.
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posted by anonymous
on May 17, 2007 -
12 answers
This travel advisory from the State Department website, dated 1998, states that the use of GPS units is highly regulated in Russia and that it is risky to bring one unless it is fully documented. Now, GPS units are a lot more common today than they were in 1998. Do I really have to worry about this? I am planning a multi-country trip and I could mail myself the GPS ahead of time to my post-Russia destination if I had to. I am an amateur photographer and I use the unit to tag the location of photos I have taken.
posted by matildaben
on May 11, 2007 -
9 answers
A few years ago I saw on TV that the General Services Administration and congress sell off their furniture and other stuff at low prices at a store of some kind in Virginia or Maryland? Is this for real? Where does a person find the store, is it online, and can I go there with a truck? My google-fu fails me.
posted by parmanparman
on Apr 12, 2007 -
7 answers
The US government does not consider IRA money or 401K money (or stock market investment of any kind) to count as "savings" when they calculate US savings rates. Thus our perennially lousy savings rates vs. other countries. Or so I read. If true, what is our government's reasoning?
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posted by IndigoJones
on Apr 10, 2007 -
24 answers
So when the gov't pulls its diplomat from Syria as the US did in 2005, what happens to that gov't employee?
Is he/she laid off? If she/he stays on the state dept. payroll, what is he/she doing to earn their salary in the meantime?
posted by Fupped Duck
on Apr 4, 2007 -
7 answers
What law would be really good for a state legislature to pass or repeal? This is a practical question, seeking practical answers: I have a friend who is a good-government, reform-minded state legislator who is looking for suggestions, but the deadline for filing in this part-time legislature is one week away for the biennium (two-year period).
posted by Mr. Justice
on Feb 25, 2007 -
33 answers
I live in chicago and got my car towed last night (on Division bet. western and california). The reason is because there is no parking on the street when snow is two inches or more (from 3am to 7am). It has not snowed since wednesday and there was no snow in the street when I parked there, nor did it snow during the evening. I paid the fee to get my car out and I have scheduled a hearing for 2/23/07.
Has anyone successfully gotten their money back? Am I in the wrong? I would appreciate any advice I can get going into this hearing.
posted by danb1
on Feb 16, 2007 -
18 answers
