Questions tagged [united-states]
Use this tag for questions about claims based in the United States, or limited to the United States.
1,518
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Is alcohol for consumption tested for carbon-14 radioactivity to be considered legal?
I just viewed this interesting video about radioactive ethanol from plants as opposed to non-radioactive ethanol from crude oil. In it, the professor says he's heard it's illegal in the USA to sell ...
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Do small businesses create the majority of the jobs in America?
Do small businesses create the majority of the jobs in the United States?
I guess it would depend on one's definition of small business, but stipulating that the definition is the one used by ...
6
votes
1
answer
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Do upper-income people in the US think they aren't upper income?
Andrew Gelman claims on his blog:
Upper-income people still don't realize they're upper-income
If people are directly asked whether they consider themselves to be upper income, do they underrate ...
15
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1
answer
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Internet Gambling Linked to Terrorist Financing?
Currently there is a debate in the United States over the legal status of Internet Gambling; specifically, playing Poker for "real money" over the Internet.
Many of those who are opposed to Internet ...
12
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1
answer
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Did Bill Ayers ghost-write for Obama?
According to Conservapedia's article on William Ayers:
In an October 2008 article in American
Thinker, Jack Cashill presented
evidence that Ayers ghostwrote Obama's
first book, "Dreams From ...
54
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2
answers
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Did the CIA sell drugs in the US?
According to Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Gary Webb in his controversial article series The Dark Alliance
For the better part of a decade, a San
Francisco Bay Area drug ring sold tons
of ...
48
votes
2
answers
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You have the right to one phone call when arrested - A Hollywood myth?
(Image Source)
According to Cracked.com the "one phone call" rule is a Hollywood invention. They base this on the information this attorney gives:
The one phone call is another one of
the urban ...
20
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4
answers
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Has anyone noteworthy given up their US citizenship to escape taxation?
I've heard it said that a US citizen can escape paying US income taxes by giving up their citizenship and living in a foreign country (presumably, somewhere that has lower taxes or perhaps where a ...
17
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Is there evidence to support that Area 51 was just a cover-up for a much larger operation?
Area 51 is frequently mystified in popular movies, stories, alien investigations, and sometimes, even the media. If the US really wanted to keep this a secret, why would they allow the media to ...
16
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1
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Did the U.S. government have prior knowledge of 9/11?
This has been said a lot of times in lots of places. Did the US government know about the attacks prior to the attacks, and were they involved with the attacks?
52
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Do rich companies pay little/no corporate income taxes in the United States?
It's a fairly common "fact" that if you make enough money, that you can hire lawyers who can hide all of your money, so that you end up paying little to no tax. Is this true?
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Is the Amityville Horror real?
No one disputes the atrocity of the 1974 murders committed by Ronald DeFeo Jr which occurred at the house. However, was there any truth to the 1977 book by Jay Anson which chronicled various claims ...
36
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Is there a gold stockpile at "Fort Knox"?
I heard an interesting conspiracy theory recently with the basic idea that there isn't a gold stockpile at "Fort Knox" (anymore or ever). With the level of security so great there and reportedly few ...
52
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3
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Is Barack Obama a natural born US citizen?
In this Politico Article dated 8/5/10 the results of a poll taken on President Obama are discussed:
The poll of 1,018 adults shows 27
percent of Americans believe the
president was “probably” ...
25
votes
3
answers
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Why do we not have vehicles that meet or exceed the MPG ratings of vehicles that were available in the 1990s
I'm seeing some conspiracy theories making the rounds which claim that car-manufacturers are intentionally making cars that aren't as fuel efficient as they used to be. They often point to the Geo ...
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Was McCarthy directly involved with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)?
There are often claims that Joe McCarthy started, led, or was responsible for the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).
Examples:
BBC reports "Many of those forced to appear before ...
33
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1
answer
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Is a kill switch being considered to shut down the internet?
One of my friends has been particularly upset about this. I will try to track down a serious citation of someone making this claim but have been unable to do so.
I believe there is a commission or ...
33
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How dangerous is thiomersal (thimerosal)?
Some people blame the preservative thiomersal in vaccines for all kinds of illnesses, but mainly for autism. As thiomersal is a mercury compound, there is some plausibility in suspecting it may cause ...