| Subject | Date Asked |
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| Washington most important founding father? | 9/22/2009 |
Q: Why do you think Washington was such an important founding father? Other then fact like he was the ...
A: Ok, I have to admit that I'm a bit suspicious that this is really a school assignment -- but I'll ...
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| Your answer at http://en.allexperts.com/q/Legislation-Presidential-Congressional-337/2009/7/Senate-vote-concealed-weapon-1.htm | 9/15/2009 |
Q: A voice from the past! It seems your answer to my follow-up was filtered out, and I have seen it ...
A: The official Senate definition is at ...
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| Health Care Reform: What's The Rush? | 9/10/2009 |
Q: I just learned that whatever form the health care bill takes, it will not be in force until 2013. If ...
A: You really need a health care expert for this one, which I am not. I'll just make a couple of ...
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| Health Care Reform: What's The Rush? | 9/10/2009 |
Q: I just learned that whatever form the health care bill takes, it will not be in force until 2013. If ...
A: Frank-- Several parts to your answer: 1. The bill has been going through the usual procedures; ...
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| war chest | 8/9/2009 |
Q: What happens to a politician's war chest when they retire? Are they allowed to keep it? ANSWER: ...
A: No, that's not what I said. That was true before the 1980s -- but for anyone still serving, the ...
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| The Healthcare Reform Bill | 8/5/2009 |
Q: Neither the President or our Congressmen seem to know exactly what provsions are in the Healthcare ...
A: Ah, I get it -- you want to know who writes the actual language. You are right, the members don't do ...
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| The Healthcare Reform Bill | 8/5/2009 |
Q: Neither the President or our Congressmen seem to know exactly what provsions are in the Healthcare ...
A: Actually, at this point it is not even clear what "the bill" is -- there are three different House ...
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| Senate vote on the concealed weapon amendment | 7/23/2009 |
Q: Can you explain why the amendment failed although garnering a majority? I've seen no mention that ...
A: Sorry about that, I sent my earlier reply as soon as I saw your question, and had not yet read my ...
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| Senate vote on the concealed weapon amendment | 7/23/2009 |
Q: Can you explain why the amendment failed although garnering a majority? I've seen no mention that ...
A: I don't actually know the answer to this, as I have not been following the issue. If you could send ...
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| Human Rights NGOs in Washington | 5/4/2009 |
Q: I was wondering what NGO that deals with human rights in Washington has the most influence in ...
A: Hmm, that's tough to answer with any degree of certainty. Generally speaking, I'd say Human Rights ...
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| Political fundraiser response cards | 3/4/2009 |
Q: I am doing an invitation for a customer. She wants an enclosure card to accompany her invitations ...
A: The card should have options: --I plan to attend --Sorry, I cannot be there, but I would like to ...
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| social security | 2/16/2009 |
Q: Which President enacted a law allowing congress to borrow from the social security fund?
A: I'm not sure what you mean by "allowing Congress to borrow." The way that the social security fund ...
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| stimulus bill | 2/7/2009 |
Q: Regarding the stimulus bill now before the senate; If this bill is passed what will we use to ...
A: Are you really asking a question, or are you trying to start a debate? If the former, the answer is ...
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| Political Contributions | 2/2/2009 |
Q: How can a public company make political contributions? Given our current economic situation why ...
A: Corporations cannot make contributions in federal elections. However, their employees (including top ...
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| Influence Congress | 1/18/2009 |
Q: Berg, I am in the beginning stages of a fight to have the local Veterans hospital improved. I have ...
A: There is no magic bullet here, unfortunately -- it IS tough for one person to influence Congress. ...
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| protocol question | 12/24/2008 |
Q: On an event agenda with speakers being Cabinet Secretaries and Congressmen, what is the protocol of ...
A: There is a protocol order of precedence -- see ...
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| Incumbency | 12/3/2008 |
Q: I am trying to prove that imcumbents get reelected due to their political experience. How would I be ...
A: Unfortunately, that may be untestable -- since all incumbents have experience, by definition, there ...
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| Order of the Presidential Cabinet | 11/23/2008 |
Q: Is there an order of the Presidential Cabinet? If so, what is the order?
A: There is an order for protocol purposes (i.e., who gets a better seat at a state dinner) -- cabinet ...
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| running for office | 11/14/2008 |
Q: Berg. My Name is Matt and i'm 18 years old. I live in massachusetts in the Second Worcester ...
A: I can give you a start, but this is far too much information to expect for free from a service like ...
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| spouses of congressmen | 11/12/2008 |
Q: Is it TRUE that when a member of Congress dies, his or her SPOUSE (with NO political background ...
A: A spouse can replace a dead member of Congress under two circumstances: --The spouse runs for the ...
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| If Marshal Law | 11/12/2008 |
Q: According to this expert, if obama dies before the electoral college votes, neither the Constitution ...
A: There is no constitutional provision for the President to declare martial law at all, so there is no ...
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| RI General Assembly | 11/9/2008 |
Q: In Rhode Island,the 2008 election resulted in the number of Republicans in the 113-member General ...
A: Massachusetts has no party lever, but we still don't elect Republicans here -- in this election the ...
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| passing opposing legislations | 11/8/2008 |
Q: This is a 100% theoretical questions. Can a legislation be passed allowing "X" and at the same time ...
A: Your question cannot be answered -- since it would be silly to do, no one has ever done it, and ...
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| state legislation | 11/7/2008 |
Q: Why does some proposed state legislation get put to the voting public and some gets voted on and ...
A: Every state has a different constitution, and I do not know the details about Maryland. However, in ...
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| curiosity killed the cat! | 11/6/2008 |
Q: I would like to know if th enew elected president was to resign or something before he was sworn in ...
A: President Bush will serve until January 20th; so if Barack Obama became unavailable to replace him, ...
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| about our president | 10/11/2008 |
Q: What are the qualifications for president and vice-president in the year 2004, also what were the ...
A: You have to be a natural-born citizen of the United States, and you have to be 35 years old by the ...
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| congress | 10/10/2008 |
Q: What is the process the 111th Congress will organize itself next January. This wasn't a homework ...
A: Ah, well, an exam question and a homework question are pretty much the same! It did seem like you ...
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| Presidential legislation | 9/12/2008 |
Q: Quite sure that in school I was taught that things like the budget that Congress and the President ...
A: That four year figure was probably a simplification -- for example, Congress passed the tax rebate ...
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| Lawyers in Senate & House by party | 9/11/2008 |
Q: John, Could you possibly tell me how many lawyers serve in the house and senate by party?
A: That's not a bit of data I carry around in my head, but you could easily count them up yourself -- ...
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| Definition of an Executive Order | 8/4/2008 |
Q: What is the definition of an Executive Order and can a Mayor over-ride a City Councils rules on a ...
A: An executive order is an order issued by an executive; it takes effect without further approval, but ...
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| political capital | 4/23/2008 |
Q: What is political capital and how does it work? I understand it vaguely, but are they actual points ...
A: The reason it is confusing is that "political capital" is just a metaphor. It's a way of talking ...
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| horse trading | 4/12/2008 |
Q: what is horse trading? if i understand it correctly can it be done after something is passed? for ...
A: Apologies for the delayed response -- I was away, and had thought I had set vacation dates, but ...
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| Elected Officials/Governor | 3/15/2008 |
Q: NJ- If a state resident is a victim of crime, their homes are being stolen as well as property ...
A: If you are trying to speak personally to the governor, the odds are that you will not succeed. It is ...
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| State Democratic Delegates | 2/12/2008 |
Q: Which states are win all delegates, when it comes to the democratic primary? I was interested in ...
A: To the best of my knowledge, Democratic National Committee rules prohibit the unit rule, or ...
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| presidental sucession | 1/15/2008 |
Q: If Mrs Clinton were to choose former president Bill Clinton as vice president and she were to die in ...
A: On the one hand, the question would not arise -- because of the rule that electors cannot vote for ...
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| Transcontinetal RR | 12/10/2007 |
Q: I'm not sure if you know much about the Transcontinental RR but if you do I would like to know the ...
A: This is a far cry from congressional politics, etc., as you note -- but let me just suggest the ...
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| congress | 12/1/2007 |
Q: I looked up the word ratify and have a few questions about its meaning. Does it just mean to ...
A: I guess it depends on the context. In US national government, "ratify" applies to consideration of a ...
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| Congressional Funding | 9/24/2007 |
Q: If the president sends a request for additional money for the Iraq war and the congress refuses, ...
A: The president would draft a bill, called a "supplemental appropriation," and send it to Congress; it ...
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| President - Vice President restriction | 6/23/2007 |
Q: Is it legal for the President and Vice Presidential candidates to be from the same state? A friend ...
A: The rule is in the US Constitution. It does not say that the President and Vice President have to be ...
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| history | 6/9/2007 |
Q: how does a bill survives in senate? How does senate pass a bill? what are the powers of senate? ...
A: I'm not sure I understand your question completely -- but basically, the Senate is one of the two ...
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| tribunal | 5/4/2007 |
Q: What is a brief list of some tribunals? My main question is why would someone he tried in a ...
A: President Bush created the definition of "enemy combatant" and ordered those so defined to be tried ...
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| congressional succession | 4/22/2007 |
Q: when a congressman dies in office is there a special election or, like in Senate wife can takeover? ...
A: First of all, you are not quite right about the situatio when a senator dies (or resigns mid-term). ...
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| Campaign Help | 4/17/2007 |
Q: What do you think is the catchiest way of getting a student boby's attention? I'm running for Sudent ...
A: Short of appearing nude in the cafeteria, you are probably not going to find a catchy enough ...
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| congress | 12/8/2006 |
Q: If the supreme court were to determine that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional, What can ...
A: First, just to be clear -- the Supreme Court is not going to make it illegal to recite the Pledge of ...
|
| National Holidays | 9/13/2006 |
Q: John, A friend and I had a discussion on whether or not 9/11 should be recognized as a "National ...
A: Actually, there are not any criteria for national holidays. Congress just has to pass a law ...
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| Imperialism | 8/8/2006 |
Q: I was wondering if you could enlighten me to the concept of cultural imperialism. And why we (The ...
A: Enlightenment is a lot to answer -- I recommend 10 years of meditation in a temple someplace -- but ...
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| Congressional Ethics | 5/27/2006 |
Q: Is there a publication showing how Senate and House members "enter" office relatively poor and a few ...
A: I don't know of such a study -- and if there is one, I am not sure that the results would be what ...
|
| How Does Congress Work? | 5/3/2006 |
Q: Two recent news items have raised in my mind a question about how congress works. First, one senator ...
A: The basic explanation is the Senate's rule of "unlimited" debate. Debate is not really unlimited -- ...
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| US Politics | 4/19/2006 |
Q: I have no idea how to answer this question and I have to write a paper. THe question is based on ...
A: I can't do your homework for you, but here are a couple of suggestions to get you started: 1. Look ...
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| CA State Legislature | 3/25/2006 |
Q: If you don't mind, I have a few other questions. How many levels of government are there? I ...
A: I admire your interest, but this is getting to be more than I can easily answer in this format. Very ...
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| CA State Legislature | 3/25/2006 |
Q: I am starting to study American History and Politics. I was comparing the the House of ...
A: There is no relation between the two numbers, they are set in different ways. The total number of US ...
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| Between a state's 2 senators,... | 2/16/2006 |
Q: Between a state's 2 senators, does one have to be a Republican and the other Democrat? Could you ...
A: No, they do not have to be different parties -- usually they are the same. they are elected, ...
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| Federal Campaign Laws | 1/25/2006 |
Q: What are the laws on corporations funding/contributing to federal campaigns versus an individual?
A: Any contribution by a corporation to a candidate is against the law. However, the individual ...
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| Congressional Spending | 11/2/2005 |
Q: Why does Congress persist in spending our tax dollars in ways that many Americans would classify as ...
A: The first part of your question is unanwerable, since it is based on a disputable claim. You would ...
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| Bills | 9/30/2005 |
Q: How many signitures (on a pettion) does it take for a Representative or a Senator to introduce a ...
A: None -- members of Congress can introduce bills whenever they want. They can think of the bills ...
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| April 25, 2005 OMB Letter | 6/2/2005 |
Q: I am interested in acquiring a copy of the April 25th letter from Joshua Bolten at the OMB to key ...
A: Most likely the letter is not available. The Times article you cite is no longer accessible without ...
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| State govs | 4/20/2005 |
Q: I was just wondering how much the average state senator or state congressperson makes in a typical ...
A: You can't really speak of an average. A few states regard their legislators as full-time ...
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| Information on the electorial college | 4/1/2005 |
Q: Can you tell me anything about the electorial college? With specifics as to electing the president ...
A: It's called a college because it is a collective body -- the two words have the same Latin root; in ...
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| Campaign Finance | 2/24/2005 |
Q: I'm Ashlee Picard, a Washington correspondant for the Lawrence-Eagle Tribune. I'm writing a story on ...
A: Just quickly, and I may be wrong, my understanding is that he can spend it on a federal campaign, or ...
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| Election 2004 | 11/8/2004 |
Q: I understand the concept of the Electroal College and its relationship to the popular vote. But I ...
A: If the provisional votes in Ohio are counted, and they give John Kerry a plurality in the state, he ...
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| conceding the election | 11/7/2004 |
Q: Now, that John Kerry has conceeded the election, does this mean that no matter what is found out ...
A: As your question implies, "conceding" an election has no legal effect. The winner is whoever gets ...
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| Can you help me to understand | 11/4/2004 |
Q: I am sorry to bother you again but I do not understand why some states have more electors. Followup ...
A: Each state has a number of electors equal to the number of senators and the number of ...
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| Can you help me to understand | 11/4/2004 |
Q: I am a bit embarrassed to admit I don't understand how our country works. I have been watching the ...
A: Each state gets a certain number of presidential Electors -- one for each senator from that state ...
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| Electoral College | 11/3/2004 |
Q: Sad to say, I'm not sure if I've spelled it right, but my question concerns the Electoral College. ...
A: The Electoral College is not a standing body; it is elected every four years in November, casts its ...
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| General question | 10/20/2004 |
Q: in my country we are not following the presidential form of government. we have the prime minister, ...
A: The difference is that the president is elected by the voters (more or less, we have an electoral ...
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| politics - electoral college | 10/18/2004 |
Q: Do the number of electoral college votes assigned to a particular state increase every four years ...
A: The number of electoral college votes assigned to a particular state is equal to the number of ...
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| Presidential Election Hypathetical | 10/15/2004 |
Q: I was thinking the other day, what would happen if during this time of the race either John Kerry or ...
A: What we actually elect on election day are the Electors from our state. The Electors are then ...
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| Vorys Amendment | 10/11/2004 |
Q: How are you? My question is this;Regarding the Vorys Amendment; I CAN'T FIND ANY...ANY...ANY ...
A: J.-- If you don't know anything about it, why do you want to find out? This sounds suspiciously ...
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| Presidential Election | 9/15/2004 |
Q: My name is Pol Sorquist, and I am a senior Mass Communication student at Bemidji State University in ...
A: Nice to hear from someone in Bemidji! I've passed through there a couple of times -- I grew up in ...
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| nixon | 8/19/2004 |
Q: During the presidency of Richard Nixon, can you tell me about the stir he made with outfitting the ...
A: I am not sure exactly what you want to know. There was a new design proposed for the uniforms of ...
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| Congress | 7/16/2004 |
Q: I found the following sentence in a book which brings me to ask a"The Senate isn't alone in writing ...
A: The Senate and the House of Representatives have pretty much the same functions. A bill can be ...
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| Electoral College | 7/11/2004 |
Q: I agree with you that the electoral system is unfair. I was wondering, why do people say that ...
A: A state's electoral votes are equal to the number of representatives plus the number of senators ...
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| electoral college | 7/9/2004 |
Q: I've heard that the state of Texas has a "winner-take-all" electoral college; that is, whatever ...
A: I am sorry to have to tell you that 48 of the 50 states use the "winner-take-all" system of choosing ...
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| 108th Congress | 5/20/2004 |
Q: I'm a translator based in Venezuela. I'm working on a translation on the U.S. Congress. The heading ...
A: I think you have the right idea. A "Congress" is elected every two years. The 108th Congress was ...
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| The Constitution, the Court, and Race Relations | 4/4/2004 |
Q: I am trying to understand a debate my coworkers are having at work. Two questions for you if you can ...
A: I don't understand -- what are they arguing about? Please clarify. As for what the Constitution ...
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| The Deficit | 2/28/2004 |
Q: Can you please explain the deficit to me? I cannot understand who owes what and to whom it is owed ...
A: Well, let me try! Every year, the federal government takes in a certain amount of money -- revenue ...
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| GSA transfer of land | 1/28/2004 |
Q: I am currently chairman of a committee evaluating the reuse of a Nike missile site in my town. The ...
A: This is a complicated legal question, and I don't have a clue. However, I do have a suggestion: get ...
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| party defs? | 11/8/2003 |
Q: Are there quick and general definitions of "Republican" and "Democrat"? I would really appreciate ...
A: Not really -- party identification is usually defined as the answer to the question, "Generally ...
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