Things I want to know about the US (but was afraid to ask!)

Rightly or wrongly, most Britons would find the concept of Proms, Kings & Queens etc too tacky to bother with.

Are there any particular 'rights' associated with either birth or residency in a particular state? Aside from the differences in laws regarding things like age of consent etc.

Well, you can only vote where you're a resident, and I believe that also decides where you can get social services and/or unemployment.

There are rights under state level Constitutions that all residents of the state may have but I can't think of any that are based on the location of your birth.

There are a few minor rights that are added by the state constitutions but for the most part the state level constitutions mirror the federal constitution.

Also some state benefits, like lower tuition for in-state residents at State Colleges.

Bookmarking for future reading!

There are no 'rights' per se, but moving from one state to live in another can present different economic challenges. Some states have an income tax (this is in addition to the federal income tax), property taxes range widely from state to state, gas prices vary greatly, transferring a car costs money (10% of the car's value, but no more than $600 in Florida, other states ?), the ease of starting a business vary wildly, etc.

Other differences between states come into play: educational quality, pay ranges per occupation, lifestyle choices, demographics, climate, crime...you name it.

Occasionally, there is snobbery levied from residents of one state to another. More often than not, it is based on the quality of education received in one's state of residence.

The U.S. is an extremely mobile society. If the state you live in doesn't suit you, move.

Roboida - pleased to hear it.

I love NYC in exactly the same way - the two cities are very alike in many ways. You have more tall buildings - we have more old buildings but either way you are still in a "World" city, in terms of scale, cultural mix, financial power and (for those who don't like the pace) stress!

My friends and I love using the phrase "bridge & tunnel", which we've imported to central London, even if it's not strictly accurate.

I'm still a Londoner at heart and would find it very difficult to leave.

Hi KP, how's it going with you, mate?

Why does it look like there are only 2 political parties in the US? Were there ever any others, or has it always been a two-horse race? In Britain we have 2 big ones, 1 smaller one, and loads of little ones, not to mention the nationalist parties as well.

We have the Green Party, Libertarian, Socialist, Communist, Reform Party, Pansexual Peace Party, Natural Law Party, etc.. There are several dozen if you go through the entire list. There are some elected officials from some of these smaller parties in lower level offices but since we don't operate under a system where parties can agree to co-operate and form a coalition type governmnet there isn't much incentive (and a few disincentives) in handing many seats to the minor parties at the Congressional level or as the head of the State level governments. (Those are the two "breeding grounds" for most of our Presidential Candidates.)

I personally support the two party system.


One party a week is not enough!

I see. So the members of these "minor" parties are not likely to wield much political power? I suppose having only one "proper" opponent suits both Democrats & Republicans?

Cjhsa - that's why I love Britain's multi-party system!

A two-party system works best in a presidentialist democracy.

A multi-party system works best in a semi-presidentialist parlamentarist democracy.

I hope, GD doesn't mind me asking a question, too:

what's the reason behind the idea that voters have to registrate specially?

Don't you have registration offices in the USA?

(Here, in Germany, everyone, who is 18 [or 16 on local elctions] gets her/his registration paper[s] from the electoral office, which got the infos from the registration office/registration of address office. If they missed your name, you just ask for the papers.)

No problem Walter. It was something that had puzzled me as well. In the UK, you have to register with the local council every year, so they can charge the "Council Tax" to the address correctly, and the local gov't passes this on to the national gov't who issue the voting cards.

[I'm slowly catching up on old bits of this thread, so forgive me if I've been beaten to my comments]

Grand Duke - still exists on Radio 4. At 7pm, tune to 93.5FM (or near that - regional variations) and you will hear the famous themetune wafting over the airwaves!

In fact: BBC Archers Website

What's the deal with gambling in the US? I've heard all sorts of conflicting stories about this - that gambling on sports is only legal in Las Vegas? And some states don't allow any gambling? I'm probably wrong, so please correct me! In the UK, there are betting shops everywhere, they open on Sundays, betting tax was abolished a few years ago, and most large towns have at least one casino.

Gambling laws vary from state to state, city to city. Most states have a ban on all organized gambling, not including the many lotteries that don't count as gambling. Some locations within states have exceptions made to the gambling laws. For example, Atlantic City does not ban gambling, but other parts of New Jersey do. Some states, New York being one of them, have legalized gambling establishments. In NY, the system is called Off Track Betting (OTB). It's run by the state and permits legal bets on horse racing. Without this, the only legal place to make a bet on a horse race is at the race track.

A number of Native tribes have established gambling facilities on their property. Native reservations are not parts of states, but are considered federal land. Hence, the state laws covering gambling don't apply to them.

Why is gambling illegal? Beats the hell out of me. Must be our Puritan settlers.

PS: Despite the fact that gambling is illegal, most sports tv shows and even newspapers provide the odds and the spread for gambling. There's plenty of gambling going on.

Thanks, Roberta. So casinos have become a 'boom' industry for the Native Americans? Good for them. They've been screwed over by the white man for so long, I'm glad they can now take his money off him at their casinos. Do you gamble yourself at all?

Having a chunk of money on a game makes it loads more exciting, if you ask me. It means you can watch a match as a neutral, but you actually care about who wins. I know some people develope gambling addictions, but some people become alcoholics and they've not banned that (yet). Perhaps in this age of internet bookmaking, betting shops will die out here as well. They are used mainly by older men who bet on the horses or greyhounds. Some punters will get a coupon for the weekend football, but you can get better odds on the 'net. My housemate has accounts with 23 different online bookies!