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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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Are people with a high IQ not allowed to become police officers in New London?

This 2000 ABC News report says: A man whose bid to become a police officer was rejected after he scored too high on an intelligence test has lost an appeal in his federal lawsuit against the city. [...] Jordan, a 49-year-old college graduate, took…
SAH
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Does addressing the issues focused on by the Broken Windows theory have a measurable impact on crime?

These are excerpts from what could be considered the source for the Broken Windows theory (emphasis added): [A]t the community level, disorder and crime are usually inextricably linked, in a kind of developmental sequence. Social psychologists…
MrHen
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Does the fossil fuel industry benefit from trillions of dollars of subsidy from governments every year?

This IMF working paper claims that the fossil fuel industry benefits from trillions of dollars of government subsidies every year. It is a working paper intended to "promote discussion" and not the official view of the IMF. The paper has been widely…
matt_black
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Did witchcraft testing inevitably result in death by either drowning or execution?

From a speech by Australian politician David Leyonhjelm, but I've heard it elsewhere many times: The senator borrowed other stories from history in the speech, opening with details of the old practice of using ducking stools to detect …
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Was fluoride grandfathered in by the FDA because it was sold as rat poison prior to 1938?

This site makes the claim that the reason the FDA never tested fluoride for human consumption was because it was on the market prior to 1938, when the FDA was formed. This claim is pretty well referenced with a letter I will presume to be accurate,…
Flimzy
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Is the Chinese government responsible for hacking U.S businesses and government?

Over the past 18 months there have been several news articles pointing the finger at the Chinese government over hacks on U.S government and businesses. Most recently: China Suspected of Hacking US Defense Firms, Others — Largest Theft 'In…
going
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Are there around S$800 billion unaccounted for in Singapore's public finances?

Christopher Balding, an associate professor at Peking University, claims in this note that Given publicly available economic data on Singaporean finances, there is an expected asset gap of more than $800 billion SGD unaccounted for from historical…
user17967
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Were these 'Communist Rules for Revolution' written in 1919?

Please disregard the website on which this is found. Were these "rules" actually found in 1919? From: http://www.fromthetrenchesworldreport.com/newspaper-clipping-from-oct-13-1975/104739 A reader who has kept a copy since we first published it in…
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Is the Chinese “Sesame Credit” system a government propaganda tool?

The Sesame Credit system recently announced in China is making the rounds on social media, being touted as a tool of gamified government thought control. For example, this privateinternetaccess.com's article begins with the bold statement: China…
Anko - inactive in protest
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Is asking about U.S. citizenship an illegal interview question?

From About.com, Are you a U.S. citizen? Every interview I have had has asked this. Even pre-interview screening includes this question. Is it really illegal for them to ask this? Note: Not really permissible on this site, but what would a good…
picakhu
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How many people have lost their health insurance as a result of the ACA (Obamacare)?

The ACA changed health insurance regulations, placing new requirements on most or all health insurance plans in the United States. These changes have resulted in the obsolescence of many existing plans, and the creation of many new plans. As a…
Stephen Collings
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Did Obama tell people to ignore those warning against tyranny?

Did Barack Obama say the following? "They'll warn that tyranny is always lurking just around the corner. You should reject those voices." This is contrasted to Jefferson saying "When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the…
Andrew Grimm
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Is Congress's pay protected even if the US defaults?

Today around the watercooler, us active duty military, and civil service employees were discussing the possible effects of the US defaulting. Since we are all paid by the government, this is a very intensely personal issue to all of us. During the…
JasonR
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Does the USDA burn food every week?

In this recent Big Think video, The colossal problem with universal basic income, the presenter, Douglas Rushkoff, made a claim, at about the 40 second mark, that the U.S. Department of Agriculture burns food every week. The US Department of…
David G.
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Are there any secret scientific researches?

Many times in movies we see a people doing scientific research secretly and have achieved some amazing technologies. Is there any evidence of any such scientific work done very secretly anytime (might get caught red handed).
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