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Questions tagged [government]

Use this tag for questions regarding "government" as a concept. DO NOT USE in lieu of "United States".

Government is the system by which a nation, state, or community is governed. Use this for question discussing how to govern a country or a community, not for any particular government.

In particular use the country name as a tag if the question applies to the government of a particular country.

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Entire GOP voted against letting senators read the new tax bill?

Following the passing of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in the U.S. Senate on December 2nd 2017, this photo has been making the rounds on social media (facebook in my case). The tweet by Jesse Lehrich claims literally all 52Rs voted against letting Senators…
KareemElashmawy
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Is it possible to fly 4 helicopters anywhere in a country without official knowledge?

According to reports, there were 4 helicopters used in the raid on Osama Bin Laden. Is it conceivable that even one helicopter could be flown so close to the capital of another country without raising alarm bells? Considering these were military…
going
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Is the US federal government still paying Civil War survivor benefits?

I read an article claiming that the US federal government is still paying out a Civil War survivor pension today, over 150 years after the Civil War ended. Is this accurate? In 1924, Mose Triplett, who had served in both the Union and the…
HopelessN00b
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Is this pie graph describing US government spending accurate?

This graphic is doing the circuit on Facebook. Is the pie chart an accurate depiction of US government spending? Look closely at this chart of federal spending. Military 57% Education 6% Government 6% Veteran's Benefits 6% Housing &…
dsollen
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Does Shell get $2 billion a year in subsidies from the US government?

While browsing reddit, I saw the following graphic from the Late Stage Capitalism subreddit: (Two stick figures are shown, the second one with Shell's logo for a head) This is Bob. Bob gets $1,500/year in food stamps so his family doesn't…
Mark Rogers
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Has Trump's administration been making more human trafficking arrests than the Obama administration?

I come across this image below circulation on the internet. The image is comparing the human trafficking arrests during Trump's and Obama's administrations. Are these figures true?
Grasper
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Did Scotland spend $250,000 for the slogan "Welcome to Scotland"?

A 2007 Digital Journal article claims Scotland spent six months of research and $250,000 to create a new slogan to boost tourism. What did they come up with? “Welcome to Scotland” is the new slogan, as the country has abandoned the previous “the…
Maxim
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Are US workers legally required to pay income taxes?

In the 2006 film America: Freedom to Fascism, several interviews are shown which claim that American workers do not need to pay income tax. Specifically, this clip claims that There is no law which requires the average American worker (in the …
Reubend
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Does the U.S. President have a red phone?

From a 2010 news article: Obama noted that Medvedev had opened a Twitter account while visiting the company's headquarters in California. "I have one, as well, so we may be able to finally throw away those red phones that have been sitting…
Oliver_C
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Did the French government print posters explaining COVID-19 vaccination passport policy already in January 2020?

We see this poster, for example from the official site of the city of Toulon: (Explaining that citizens now either need to show a certificate for having 1. covid-vaccination 2. covid-test negative younger than 48 hours or 3. covid convalescent for…
LangLаngС
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Is the Japanese government encouraging the young to consume more alcohol?

In many western countries governments have been issuing advice on how much alcohol should be consumed as medical opinion about safe consumption levels has become more stringent (see NHS advice here). The specific recommended levels are controversial…
matt_black
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Was the wild west less violent than the current west?

Matt Ridley's The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge has a chapter on the evolution of government, in which he starts by making the startling statement: The truth is that the [American] Wild West was without much government, but it was…
matt_black
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Did the Mexican Government publish a manual for how to illegally enter the US?

On donaldjtrump.com, Trump writes For many years, Mexico’s leaders have been taking advantage of the United States by using illegal immigration to export the crime and poverty in their own country (as well as in other Latin American countries).…
DJMcMayhem
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Have communist governments killed more than 80 million people?

It's May Day, while Communist regimes celebrated this day, others mourn. Specifically there are claims that communist governments have killed 80 to 100 million people in the last 100 years. Are communist governments directly responsible for over…
Russell Steen
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Did 60% of polled South Africans say the country was better run during apartheid?

I have found several sites claiming that a study shows that over 60% of polled South Africans said the country was better run under apartheid - most notably, a 2002 Guardian article: In a rebuke to the African National Congress government, more…
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