| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| Votes counting | 11/5/2009 | John C. Berg |
Q: Why in the presidential elections different states are given different "weights" (I forgot how it's ...
A: It would certainly be more democratic to count the total number of votes for each candidate for ...
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| American government 101 | 10/26/2009 | John C. Berg |
Q: Berg, I am not from the US but I have being leaving in the US for the last fifteen years. I am very ...
A: That's a tough one, actually. I can't think of a specific title -- so what I'd suggest is that you ...
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| I want to pass a law | 7/31/2009 | John C. Berg |
Q: How does a citizen of the United States begin to suggest something that our government votes on to ...
A: The short answer is to suggest it to one of your representatives in Congress -- your Representative ...
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| PACs and 527s | 7/21/2009 | John C. Berg |
Q: What is the difference between a PAC and a 527? Also, regarding the $5,000 limit contribution to ...
A: 1. PACs raise funds which they donate directly to the campaign funds of candidates. 527s are not ...
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| Who can run? | 4/24/2009 | John C. Berg |
Q: I am valedictorian at my high school and I have decided to go pre-med. I am also really interested ...
A: There have been a number of medical doctors in politics, including Dr. Howard Dean, who was Governor ...
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| Political Corporations | 4/14/2009 | John C. Berg |
Q: Berg, I have a friend running for office and we are trying to figure out what is the best ...
A: Dominic, First of all, you can't run a campaign through an ordinary corporation -- since in most ...
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| Civics question? | 2/7/2009 | John C. Berg |
Q: Who does one go to when seeking assistance in a matter regarding a borderline incompetent state ...
A: Basically, you have two choices: 1. Try to get one of your elected representatives to take up your ...
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| getting the other person to sign over his rights to a child | 1/21/2009 | John C. Berg |
Q: i have a little girl she is almost 7 years old. Her biological father has been part of her life ...
A: I have great sympathy for your situation, but unfortunately getting a bill passed is not the ...
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| Consttutional convention | 12/17/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: I have just received an e-mail that says that 32 state legislatures have approved the convening of a ...
A: Well, it's sort of true, but if the email is the same as the story by Tom DeWeese posted all over ...
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| House and Senate ? | 12/9/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: regarding advocacy, usually the advice is to write your congressman... how about writing the ...
A: I'm not a lawyer, and can't give legal advice -- and for more details, you may need that. The ...
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| Mayor passed away | 11/16/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: I am fairly new at the job of clerk/treasurer in my city, and certainly never expected to be dealing ...
A: This is a tough one, and I can't offer any very specific help. My main suggestion is that, rather ...
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| Marshal Law | 11/12/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: Here is the reference you requested. It was an Executive Order, not a statute. Appearently, Congress ...
A: That does not say anything about martial law, it is about how to keep the government going in the ...
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| advocating... | 11/7/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: why/how do lobbyists have access with congressmen ? is it because of personal relation ? or ...
A: This is a tough one, in that most informed public opinion is against you -- so somehow you have to ...
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| us house | 11/6/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: I was wondering if you have any advice on how to win. p.s. I live in NJ's 5th district and I am a ...
A: That's a very broad question, so I will only make a few suggestions. First, you already know what ...
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| lobbying... advocating... | 10/24/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: why/how do lobbyists have access with congressmen ? is it because of personal relation ? or ...
A: There is no one answer to your question. Many lobbyists are personal friends with members of ...
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| switching political parties | 10/21/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: How many in todays Congress and Senate have switch parties, and remains these parties todate? What ...
A: I don't know the exact number -- it is not very large, no more than 3 at any one time. I also don't ...
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| Parties | 10/18/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: It seems like the mud slinging between parties has always been pretty tough and very costly. I've ...
A: Your last question asks for my opinion about what would be better; that is not the function of the ...
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| Election postion | 10/12/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: I'm not sure if this is a stupid question or not but lets say a person runs for a different ...
A: Not stupid at all, but kind of complicated. It depends on the offices in question, and on which ...
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| lobbyists and campaigning | 10/8/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: Can professional, paid lobbyists participate in, and actually run political campaigns for a certain ...
A: The short answer is "yes," but it would make more sense with a little explanation. First of all, ...
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| Congress Pension Plan | 10/4/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: I feel the U.S. Government needs to be ran more like a business, balanced budget and all. We, the ...
A: Under the US Constitution, there is no provision for passing a law just by the voters -- all laws ...
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| Political Parties | 10/3/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: When running for a United States delegate seat, why is it important to run under a party flag, ...
A: Ah, that's a very different question! Personally, I don't think there would be any disadvantage in ...
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| campaigns | 9/22/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: Could the presidential candidates present their viewpoints to the public via TV advertising, instead ...
A: Certainly they could do that -- I'm not so sure it would be effective, though. Voters tend to resent ...
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| Lawyer political party affiliations | 9/9/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: Greetings, Where can I get a breakdown of political party affiliations of ALL attorneys. A friend ...
A: No one keeps track, of course. The closest I could find was a survey of lawyers in Chicago, taken in ...
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| electoral college | 9/8/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: Just wondering here, since Washington DC is a district but not part of any state, is it technically ...
A: Yes, the District of Columbia is part of the United States. Its territory was originally part of ...
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| Number of parties | 7/19/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: I think some people think a 2 party system is the best possible way for things to be. And all ...
A: Much of what you ask is a matter of opinion, not expertise, so I will not answer all your questions. ...
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| Al Sharpton | 7/15/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: Al Sharpton said to someone else when the camera was "thought" to not be running something about ...
A: Jackson had just been interviewed on Fox News. The interview was over, he was not on camera, but the ...
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| Al Sharpton | 7/14/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: Al Sharpton said to someone else when the camera was "thought" to not be running something about ...
A: Are you sure it was Al Sharpton? There has been a lot of news about a similar statement by Jesse ...
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| Can politicians in office switch political parties? | 5/5/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: Can an in-office politician (including the President) switch their political party affiliation while ...
A: The short answer is "yes." For example, early in 2001 Senator Jim Jeffords, a Republican from ...
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| Funding for Bills | 3/29/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: I live in New Mexico and I am appalled that a second language isn't required for College. In our ...
A: I'm not sure I understand the subject line -- where does "funding" come in? But to get a bill ...
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| Calling winners with 15% of vote in | 2/6/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: How were the pundits able to "call" the election result in CA last night with only 15% of precincts ...
A: As we know, sometimes this "calling" of states turns out to be wrong! However, there are ways to ...
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| VOTING RULES | 1/30/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: Actually, several connect5ed questions, John. First, I've been registered for years in IL as a ...
A: I'm not familiar with the specifics of Illinois election law, so I don't know who can vote in ...
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| Voter History | 1/29/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: How and what information if any, is kept about a voter's history? Can it be accessed by anyone, ...
A: Your ballot is secret -- you don't put your name on it -- so there is no record of whom you voted ...
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| what is a caucus? | 1/20/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: What is the difference between a caucus and a primary? Jo
A: A primary is an election, where voters go to a polling place and cast ballots at any time during the ...
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| Requirements vote IL Republican Primary | 1/17/2008 | John C. Berg |
Q: I am a registered voter in Illinois. Can I vote in the Feb 5, 2008 republican primary or must I ...
A: Much to my chagrin, I do not know the voting rules of all 50 states! However, I believe that ...
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| Bill Clinton | 10/14/2007 | John C. Berg |
Q: After Bill left office I remember reading that several political experts believed that he could have ...
A: Well, here's one reference: http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/1/22/203903.shtml Although ...
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| politics | 10/9/2007 | John C. Berg |
Q: Where can i get a sample letter asking for union endorsement
A: I don't know of any printed source for such letters -- what I would suggest is that you speak to ...
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| Professional Politics Degrees | 9/21/2007 | Austin C. Moore |
Q: Mr. Moore, I am a recent graduate with a B.A. in Political Science, all of my class mates seem to ...
A: James: I am familiar with the programs you suggested. George Washington University has numerous ...
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| Party registration | 7/23/2007 | John C. Berg |
Q: In filling out my new registration card I checked other and wrote in independent. Can you tell me ...
A: Not a dumb question, this confuses everyone! I don't know what state you live in, but "American ...
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| Political Question | 5/24/2007 | Austin C. Moore |
Q: I was curious if you knew of a web-site where you could find a comprehensive listing of every member ...
A: There are some internet sources that provide detailed demographic information about members of ...
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| Poltics | 5/21/2007 | John C. Berg |
Q: Mr. Berger, I am interested in someday pursuing a career in politics. I am currently sixteen, and ...
A: Pages are usually high school students, so you are about the right age. Prior experience is not ...
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