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1500 questions
87
votes
11 answers
Do politicians use bug trackers or version control etc.?
As a programmer I'm comfortable with using version control and bug trackers, but how do politicians keep track of "issues"? Do they have any digital tools which allow them to work together on the same problem? There are giant software projects which…
kungfooman
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86
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11 answers
If "more guns less crime", how do gun advocates explain that the EU has less crime than the US?
As a naive European, I thought that the self-defense argument for guns in the US was mostly based on the high number of guns already in the country. In other words, I thought that the argument takes into account the fact that many people have guns…
Erwan
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86
votes
9 answers
Why do UK politicians seemingly ignore opinion polls on Brexit?
Looking at the Brexit opinion polls it seems that the public is consistently in favor of staying in the EU ever since July 2017, with the gap between 'leave' and 'remain' slowly widening over time. So why do British politicians seem to ignore their…
JonathanReez
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86
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9 answers
Why is the British government so determined to arrest Julian Assange?
The UK government has put the Ecuadorian embassy in London on surveillance for years now. AFAIK, Wikileaks has not released any documents damaging to the UK government. Nor has it released any documents that hurt the current US president. Why, then,…
nk379
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86
votes
9 answers
You have the right to remain silent, but why?
Many countries have laws that protect a suspect (or anyone else) from being forced to self-incrimination. For example USA have that codified in the fifth amendment and it's mentioned in the Miranda rights (before questioning a suspect). Perhaps it's…
skyking
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86
votes
4 answers
Is there a way to block an elected President from entering office?
Given the recent results on the national election at the US, I have seen several protests here at Berkeley and the Oakland area. I am wondering whether there exists any legal option to prevent him from becoming president? I am asking this, because…
urpi
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85
votes
8 answers
Why is vote counting made so laborious in the US?
At the UK General Election in 2015, the constituency of Houghton & Sunderland South, declared its result in under 49 minutes, from close of polling.
Polling stations at UK parliamentary elections always operate from 7.00am to 10.00pm. This proud…
WS2
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85
votes
3 answers
What does it actually mean for the Republicans to have lost the House of Representatives?
As a non-US person, (German) radio told me the Democrats would now be able to force Trump to publish his tax return and prevent him from funding his wall.
That's probably a nice little "haha" for us non-involved outsiders, but as an analysis of…
DonQuiKong
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84
votes
10 answers
Why are masks a political topic in the US?
Why has coronavirus become such a political topic?
What I mean by this - why are things such as mask wearing so political? Shouldn't we know whether or not wearing masks work? Why does the answer to that depend on if you are Republican or Democrat?
Burt
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84
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10 answers
Has negative voting ever been officially implemented in elections, or seriously proposed, or even studied?
I struggled to name what I'm asking about here. I'm talking about the kind of voting that happens on many websites, including stackexchange: you can upvote something (a question), or you can downvote it. In other words, you can cast a positive vote…
Ne Mo
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84
votes
11 answers
Why is the US ranked as #45 in Press Freedom ratings, despite its extremely permissive free speech laws?
According to the Press Freedom Index, the US is ranked at a meager 45th position in the global ranking of countries. In comparison, New Zealand is currently at the 8th spot despite having an official "Chief Censor" position and routinely banning the…
JonathanReez
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84
votes
6 answers
Why do Indian reservations still exist in North America?
Both Canada and the US still have weird quasi-states on their territory for citizens of Native American/First Nation origins. However in the 21st century this appears to be quite an archaic concept, since in theory there shouldn't be any more areas…
JonathanReez
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84
votes
16 answers
What ethical (if any) or economical arguments are offered in defense of the inheritance tax?
Although I am normally quite supportive of higher taxation, I've never really felt comfortable with the inheritance tax. I see no reason why the government should tax the money a parent wishes to endow upon their children. That seems to be entirely…
Man
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84
votes
8 answers
What are the benefits for the US in declaring Jerusalem as Israel's capital?
According to CNN, Trump has just recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital:
President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital on
Wednesday and announced plans to relocate the US Embassy there, a move
expected to inflame tensions in…
Alexei
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84
votes
4 answers
Is there any record of Trickle Down Economics improving the economy?
Since the senate passed the tax bill this month that's left me confused. I try to look at both sides of partisan politics rather than joining one team and hating everything about the other. Now to understand whether this tax bill (which largely cut…
john doe
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