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1500 questions
41
votes
14 answers
Why should the state not provide for basic necessities?
What are the major arguments for why the state should not provide for the basic necessities of its people? I am thinking of things like water, food, and housing as "basic necessities".
I think some people prefer a state not to provide these things,…
hunter 2050
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41
votes
4 answers
Why is Jeff Sessions eligible to become Attorney General?
No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such…
Stephen
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41
votes
4 answers
In which timezone's "noon" does the US presidency turn over?
I did a quick Google search of the US Constitution's 20th amendment, and it seems to me like section 1 doesn't specify a timezone.
The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators…
Aloha
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41
votes
7 answers
Why is Japan more revisionist about its World War II era actions than Germany?
Germany and Japan both committed horrific crimes against humanity in the lead up to, and during World War II. Both countries are now more or less democracies. Yet the two countries seem to have dealt with its past very differently.
Germany is very…
Golden Cuy
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41
votes
6 answers
Must the UK leave the EU?
The BBC has projected that a majority voted for the UK to leave the EU.
To what extent is the referendum binding?
Colin
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40
votes
19 answers
How can democracy not be the rule of the poor?
Democracies are based on political equality. All individuals have equal weight in electing representatives. Parallel to the process of bringing individuals into the political arena of equal footing, we find growing economic inequalities. A small…
Vaibhav Vishal Singh
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40
votes
5 answers
Why are arrest records public in the United States?
As I understand, arrest records (records showing that someone was arrested by police) are public in the United States, at least in many states (see e.g. Are Arrest Records Public?).
However, it seems to me knowing about an arrest objectively…
sleske
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40
votes
12 answers
What is a successful policy against lobbying in a democratic country?
The US government is drowning in lobbyist that undermine the democratic power of the people in favor of wealthy corporations/oligarchs. My question is: are there any significantly successful policies that any democratic country has enacted to curb…
chausies
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40
votes
7 answers
Why is Biden's "(Putin) ...cannot remain in power" widely considered a gaffe to be walked back while previous US presidents have said similar?
Together, answers to How often a post WWII US president said publicly that the leader of another country must go? (e.g. "For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power") have listed perhaps a half-dozen times when postwar US presidents have made…
uhoh
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40
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4 answers
How often a post WWII US president said publicly that the leader of another country must go? (e.g. "For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power")
US President Biden concluded his March 27, 2022 speech in Poland with the words
For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.
(e.g. CBS News's video Biden says Putin "cannot remain in power" at 26:37)
Question: How often has a post WWII US…
uhoh
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40
votes
6 answers
How do the Republicans' recent laws make it harder for Democratic voters to vote?
I read this BBC article, but it's not totally clear for me why the recent voting rights laws passed in more than a dozen Republican-controlled state legislatures affect the Democratic base, but not their own constituents.
Are Republicans better at…
Sergey Zolotarev
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40
votes
6 answers
How did the mail become such a sacred right in the US?
Larry Lawton is a favourite YouTuber of mine. He tells the story of while he was in prison he asked his father why he stopped writing him letters. His father told him that he never stopped sending him letters, he then said to his father he thinks…
Neil Meyer
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40
votes
3 answers
Does the Taliban government of Afghanistan have a written legal code?
Since the Taliban took effective control of Afghanistan in 2021, I've been reading various sources claiming that they are restricting the movements of women and girls in public, but it is unclear if this is via general religio-socio-political…
Robert Columbia
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40
votes
2 answers
What are the differences among ISIS, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban?
Seeing as how Afghanistan is being taken over by the Taliban and remembering how easy it was for ISIS to just roll over the Iraqi Army, plus the role of Al-Qaeda in starting these two wars, it got me wondering just what exactly are the differences…
JMERICKS
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40
votes
1 answer
What's the red, white and blue (with stars) banner that Trump was using on the stage in his election campaign?
During election campaign rallys, Trump was always on stages decorated with a red-white-blue-white-red banner with white stars on the blue part. I of course know that's the US colors and the stars are a reference to the national flag - but, is there…
Florian
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