Which other countries (if any) have a specific, famous office for their heads of government, comparable to the Oval Office for the President of the United States?
[more inside]
posted by aurelian
on May 2, 2012 -
8 answers
How do investment banks, specifically initial public offerings, affect government policy and vice versa?
posted by espada0
on Apr 16, 2012 -
4 answers
What are the main foreign policy problems facing Obama and his administration right now?
posted by espada0
on Mar 6, 2012 -
24 answers
How did the U.S. House of Representatives pass the payroll tax cut extension yesterday when hardly any members were present?
[more inside]
posted by Tin Man
on Dec 24, 2011 -
11 answers
Do externalities (political or economic) necessarily constitute a market failure and thereby justify government intervention?
posted by espada0
on Dec 12, 2011 -
12 answers
I'm looking for research or advocacy groups that are critical of governments that hire consulting firms such as KPMG for budgetary advice or auditing purposes. Other than The Yes Men, please ;)
[more inside]
posted by copystar
on Jul 28, 2011 -
2 answers
Can anyone point me toward some writing by a smart person in support of the GOP's budget? I'm not being snarky—I am sure that wealthy, anti-intellectual people looking out for their own interests is
a motivation on the part of
some congresspeople, but I am not ready to believe in a world where it is the only one.
[more inside]
posted by zadermatermorts
on Mar 7, 2011 -
11 answers
Where did the "America is a republic, not a democracy" argument come from, and how much truth is there to it?
[more inside]
posted by Rhaomi
on Jan 17, 2011 -
30 answers
Are meetings for members of Congress and other elected and appointed officials part of the public record?
[more inside]
posted by pallen123
on Dec 11, 2010 -
7 answers
Is there a way I can get Seattle TV channels from DirecTV even though I live in the Portland, OR market?
[more inside]
posted by jorlando
on May 4, 2010 -
5 answers
What just happened on C-Span? There was some health care related vote. What exactly did that vote decide?
[more inside]
posted by stuart_s
on Mar 21, 2010 -
10 answers
What are the best arguments (links to articles/sites appreciated) that government regulation and tax code distortions are not the primary causes of the American healthcare crisis? Why wouldn't a more free-market approach (i.e. remove the obstacles to far more vigorous competition between insurers for individual premiums) be the solution? If
adverse selection is a reason, how is that any worse for health care than for other insurance markets (e.g. life insurance)?
posted by shivohum
on Mar 1, 2010 -
16 answers
What are some good articles on the impact the American socialist movement had on U.S. law and policy making?
[more inside]
posted by iconjack
on Feb 14, 2010 -
2 answers
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?
posted by Lolie
on Jun 27, 2009 -
18 answers
Who were these "celebrated authors" James Madison was referring to in The Federalist Paper No. 14?
[more inside]
posted by Myles
on Jun 15, 2009 -
8 answers
What country or countries have the longest continuously functioning government? Please specify the type/form of government, such as US/ democratic republic.
posted by woman
on May 31, 2009 -
14 answers
I'm looking for recommendations on readings about what is the purpose of government - preferably from all areas of the spectrum: reactionary, conservative, libertarian, socialist, communist, liberal, radical. Ideally I'm looking for the fundamental/foundational documents for each doctrine as opposed to filtered, watered down versions. Thanks!
posted by Leezie
on May 10, 2009 -
13 answers
Tips for a newbie delegate to a political convention? I agreed to act not only as a Democrat delegate but as a vice-chair for my precinct. Our county organizing convention is coming up this weekend. I've read a tiny bit about what to expect on the agenda (but not a lot), but am more worried about just seeming out of place. I'm young, don't have a lot of political experience, and also had to change my affiliation from unaffiliated to do this. Part of me says that in a state where Democrats are a minority no one will be judging me for wanting to serve, but what can you tell me (or links can you give me...) to better prepare me? I'm looking for both what I should know about how it'll run and the more nuanced aspects of interaction/networking/flow.
posted by anonymous
on Apr 15, 2009 -
5 answers
PoliticsLawFilter: Dick Cheney's lawyer, David Addington, wrote a series of papers/statements/memos that ostensibly change an existing law. How can one lawyer, or even a team of lawyers, change a law by simply writing a memo? Is this even possible?
[more inside]
posted by zardoz
on Dec 21, 2008 -
16 answers
I'm looking for a listing, preferably something with citations of the actual state laws, of when each state changed it's laws to allow for the direct election of electors in the electoral college.
posted by phrontist
on Oct 22, 2008 -
1 answer
What are the specific tax loopholes that Obama intends to close, and how much money does each of those 'loopholes' account for?
This article by FactCheck.org indicates that the Obama campaign estimates the revenue from tax reform at $80 billion - so where did that figure come from?
posted by mattholomew
on Sep 4, 2008 -
3 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
How should government change the way it provides services in response to the technological revolution happening around us?
[more inside]
posted by baggymp
on Mar 7, 2008 -
15 answers
Why is the presidential administration working so persistently to bequeath extra powers to their likely Democrat successors?
[more inside]
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?
[more inside]
posted by ceberon
on Jun 12, 2007 -
14 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 have seen a couple trucks owned by the city (public works trucks) with magnetic signs advertising to "Vote No" on an upcoming proposed charter amendment. I have also seen a flashing sign owned by City Hall with the same message to "Vote No on Prop. 7". Isn't this illegal?
posted by LoriFLA
on Oct 20, 2006 -
13 answers
Can you think of examples of a U.S. state government revoking a charter or other governance document for a local government body, such as a city or county?
[more inside]
posted by gimonca
on Jun 7, 2006 -
11 answers
Say that a (US) presidential administration was doing something it wasn't supposed to be doing. Could a future presidential administration find this out and prosecute the former administration's officials?
[more inside]
posted by ontic
on Mar 27, 2006 -
15 answers
I am looking for reasonably well-known websites that deal with government corruption. I live in the United States, so I have a particular interest in any US corruption, but I'm interested in other countries as well. Logically, it is easy to find information on corruption of countries we don't like, so I'm mainly looking for websites dealing with the US and its allies.
(more info inside)
if you know of any respected political websites that issue indepth reports on various things like human rights (Human Rights Watch for example) or that release declassified documents and memos not necessarily from the us, but the US is great too ( http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv for example) then tell me
[more inside]
posted by VillainousJester
on Dec 23, 2005 -
10 answers
The other day a few college - aged people came to my door (and everyone's in the nieghborhood) lobbying something political. I didnt talk to them but by dad said they made pretty good money doing that. Anyways, I am personally kind of obsessed with politics, and would be thrilled to have a job in the field of politics. My question is does anyone have suggestions on where to look or who to ask for a job? I am looking for a job that I can start right away, without any schooling etc. Something that doesnt take any special qualifications.
[more inside]
posted by JokingClown
on Dec 21, 2005 -
19 answers
With last nights government defeat in the House of Commons and the resultant hand-wringing on both sides of the 'civil-liberties vs security' debate, the quote that has been trotted out repeatedly is "Well if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear". Could anyone shed any light on the origin of this phrase?
[more inside]
posted by mr_benn
on Nov 9, 2005 -
15 answers
With the Dem's threatening to fillibuster Bush's new nomination for the Supreme Court, can Bush just wait until Christmas time when Congress takes a recess and install Alito with no confirmation vote?
I have heard of similar things as an option in past political situations, and I'm assuming that somewhere in our 200+ year history something like this has been done. Unfortunately, I never really paid attention to the actual workings of the whole thing.
What are the actual rules/laws as to what the President can do when Congress isn't in session. Specifically for the things Congress would 'normally' vote on or approve had they been in session.
posted by whoda
on Nov 1, 2005 -
20 answers
I plan on running for a city council seat in a college town of 81,000 people. The election isn't until Spring, 2007. What can I do now to increase my chances of getting elected?
[more inside]
posted by viewofdelft
on Oct 17, 2005 -
17 answers
Today The Guardian published the group photograph of delegates to the World Summit at the UN. There is a key to who all these smiling faces are which is useful, except two gentlemen are listed simply as 'unidentified'. Would anybody like to take a guess as to who they are? [images inside]
[more inside]
posted by feelinglistless
on Sep 16, 2005 -
7 answers
I'm over 30 and probably know as much or less about history, politics/ gov, and current events as my 7 year old niece. Now, I want to be aware and don't know where to begin. I've tried just "merging in" but the references, terms, and names are lost on me. I need a starting point that will give me a framework or bird's eye view to start from and build on.
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Jul 24, 2005 -
27 answers
