Random questions about America

[Frenegade42]

the thread on Special Ed students and homecoming sparked a few burning questions about America I have always wondered, hoping some guys can explain a few things;

1. I get that you have Police Departments. For the most part these people are public servants, employees of the state or federal. But what is with Sherrifs and Deputies? From what I pick up, Sherrifs are just voted in? So a baker could technically become a law enforcement officer with no degree or academy training? And then they can handpick other people off the street to become deputies?

2. If you have the LAPD, who does all the policing in all your smaller sallelite cities and townships throughout say, California? Do police just get posted around their home state to different major cities and swap their uniform and badges?

3. The same goes for your judges and District Attorneys? They get voted in? By who? What kind of oversight is there?

4. I hear that things like EFTPOS and ATMs are still not in widespread use, that people even still use (and accept) personal cheques for day to day purchases? Can you not swipe your card, put your PIN in and pay for a can of coke and a mars bar at the local store?

5. Do people really wear stuff like chino pants and lace up shoes around the house of an evening or on weekends?

6. Why do you have basements? Are these just old houses, or do you not build straight up houses on solid slabs?

7. Why have you taken so many steps to striate your society? Having jackets to define team/club membership in highschools, Prom kings/queens, Unversity Fraternities, Lodges, Country Clubs, Class rings. Seems to many you have taken great pains to create your own institutions of aristocracy. Or is this just a movie thing?

8. Why do your tradies (bricklayers, concreters, builders, plumbers, electricians) always seem to be firmly planted in the lower class? Most tradies around here would earn twice as much as the average retail or white collar worker. Geez, plumbers are rich!

Anyway, hope you can help someone whose knowledge of American comes only from second hand knowledge and mass media. lol

Thanks!

[Theinquisition]

1. I believe that sheriffs cover areas not covered by city or state police. I'm unfamiliar with them however so I may be wrong.

2. Each city typically have their own city police, or in some cases, county.

3. Depends on the state.

4. Most places you can swipe a card, with the exception of some REALLY rural areas. People can write checks at most major buisnesses, but its not typical. Usually its really old people.

5. News to me.

6. Because there is a market for them. They provide a lot of space, and generally don't cost a ton more to heat or cool.

7. We like to celebrate individuality, and reward success, that's why you see some of it...prom kings and queens....really hyped up for movies. No one but the person getting it really cares.

8. They aren't, most tradesman are solidly middle class. As the Vietnam generation retires those trade jobs will become better and better paid as well. Most of those jobs require certification that can be difficult to get.

[lockblock]

I never uses checks if I can avoid it.
What do you have against basements?

[Feral Camel]

What do you have against basements?

Having a basement seems odd to me as well. I guess its something you can't really have in Australia (prone to floods)

When building a new house, are basements still added?

[Mimic]

1. Depends on the state/county(the provinces inside states) on the rules for Sheriffs but no usually we have restrictions on that and "bakers" becoming sheriffs or the like doesn't happen except in small towns(we have a town where a cat is the mayor =D).
2. LAPD is Los Angelos police dept. so no they don't police the rest of CAL the people that do are called State troopers who work for the State not any particular city.
3. Same as #1 we usually have some sort of protection but again same as #1. higher courts aren't voted in by the people but rather other government offices ex. Govenor
4. We have card swipes at any store it's standard. We can cash our checks at an ATM nowadays as well without having to go into a bank but most people here dislike checks and avoid paying people with checks(paying a business is another matter).
5. Yes but those ppl are douchebags
6. For extra storage area the ground seems like a waste. Question for you why not build down if your going to build up? We don't have many floods/earthquakes in most parts of America that's why when we do have one it get a lot of news coverage.
7. Usually a movie thing in RL no one really cares it's mostly fuff and for kids to have fun no one really takes it too srs except in small towns(avoid those).
8. People get paid what people think they should get paid in America we have a mindset that those are lower class jobs and office jobs are middle to upper class.

[Bane Falcon]

1. I get that you have Police Departments. For the most part these people are public servants, employees of the state or federal. But what is with Sherrifs and Deputies? From what I pick up, Sherrifs are just voted in? So a baker could technically become a law enforcement officer with no degree or academy training? And then they can handpick other people off the street to become deputies?

It's just like any other election, where they campaign to be sheriff for a few months. If someone's completely incompetent at that role, their opponent will very likely make that fact known as quickly as possible, in order to get the position over them.

2. If you have the LAPD, who does all the policing in all your smaller sallelite cities and townships throughout say, California? Do police just get posted around their home state to different major cities and swap their uniform and badges?

Orange has the Orange Police Department. Santa Ana has the Santa Ana police department. Anaheim has the Anaheim Police Department. However, Orange County will have the Orange County Sheriffs Department, instead of just city- or town-based police. You can likely transfer, but it isn't the military, where you join up, get shipped somewhere else for training, then get shipped another random place for your station.

3. The same goes for your judges and District Attorneys? They get voted in? By who? What kind of oversight is there?

I'm not entirely sure, but I assume that you have to pass the bar exam and get voted in on your stances and how you've ruled on various issues, against your opponents.

4. I hear that things like EFTPOS and ATMs are still not in widespread use, that people even still use (and accept) personal cheques for day to day purchases? Can you not swipe your card, put your PIN in and pay for a can of coke and a mars bar at the local store?

Most places these days don't honor personal checks, since they bounce rather frequently. But if I head down to the local convenience store, I always just pay with my debit card. ATMs are EVERYWHERE over here.

5. Do people really wear stuff like chino pants and lace up shoes around the house of an evening or on weekends?

I'm not even gonna start in on fashion here. Just look at Miley Cyrus, and know there's someone out there dressing like her because they're her idol.

6. Why do you have basements? Are these just old houses, or do you not build straight up houses on solid slabs?

All houses need to have a solid foundation of some sort. A basement just allows for extra room or storage, without building up or out, in areas that the water table or moisture levels will allow you to build one without having it flood.

7. Why have you taken so many steps to striate your society? Having jackets to define team/club membership in highschools, Prom kings/queens, Unversity Fraternities, Lodges, Country Clubs, Class rings. Seems to many you have taken great pains to create your own institutions of aristocracy. Or is this just a movie thing?

There's class rings, frats, Letterman and Country Club jackets, etc, but those are more for pride in whatever organization you're in... similar to wearing a guild tabard instead of just a generic Alliance or Horde one. Just because everyone's American doesn't mean we can't have pride in whatever else we enjoy or take part in. That, and everyone likes to feel like they belong in a specific group. Human nature... that goes to other animals, too.

8. Why do your tradies (bricklayers, concreters, builders, plumbers, electricians) always seem to be firmly planted in the lower class? Most tradies around here would earn twice as much as the average retail or white collar worker. Geez, plumbers are rich!

That all depends on what the job is. That being said, construction jobs pay more than minimum wage in most places, and anything requiring training and certifications (contractors, plumbers, electricians) will make MUCH more than the person taking your order at McDonald's.

[Gemini Sunrise]

Having a basement seems odd to me as well. I guess its something you can't really have in Australia (prone to floods)

When building a new house, are basements still added?

If they have a buyer that wants one, yeah. They may throw it in anyways (might make it easier to sell later on (Could say it's almost expected around here when you buy a house with a 2 car garage, if that makes sense)).

[kaze950]

A lot of these have been answers well, but for #8 I can say that those trade workers may have the "image" of being in some kind of low class, but they make pretty good money, often more than those with college degrees.

[Michonne]

If you're thinking of moving here, don't. If you're generally curious about America, know that we used to be a lot better. The American dream is dead. It's all about corruption and zombies that buy slave made itoys and wonder where all their jobs went.

[Feral Camel]

If they have a buyer that wants one, yeah. They may throw it in anyways (might make it easier to sell later on (Could say it's almost expected around here when you buy a house with a 2 car garage, if that makes sense)).

Seems convenient to have the extra room. Along with the flood risks, excavating here is pretty pricey in Australia. As OP said, tradesman are on a pretty good wage here (some can be earning up to 100k a year, just as a sparky or chippy)

[Aitch]

The purpose of a basement is to mitigate the amount of stress placed on the frame of a house caused by the freezing and thawing of the top layer of soil in colder climates by pouring concrete underground where the soil never freezes.

[Kaleredar]

Not all American houses have basements. It's actually extremely UNcommon in places like California, which are Earthquake-prone... Basements don't make too much sense there. However, 1,500 miles away from California in a place like Kansas, where things like Tornadoes that can rip homes from their foundations are somewhat common, basements are a bit more prevalent... largely as hidey-holes from said Tornadoes.

[Crissi]

Basements make for good tornado shelters, which since America has a crapton of tornadoes, is a needed plus.

[Ferg]

the thread on Special Ed students and homecoming sparked a few burning questions about America I have always wondered, hoping some guys can explain a few things;

American here! I'll be glad to help enlighten you in any way that I can.

1. I get that you have Police Departments. For the most part these people are public servants, employees of the state or federal. But what is with Sherrifs and Deputies? From what I pick up, Sherrifs are just voted in? So a baker could technically become a law enforcement officer with no degree or academy training? And then they can handpick other people off the street to become deputies?

You are correct in that police are servants of the city / state. Hence the widespread "motto" of the police, "To protect and serve". However, sheriffs are indeed elected officials, but they represent the county. (Not to be read "country").

From wikipedia: "In the United States of America, the scope of a sheriff varies across states and counties. The sheriff is most often a county official, and serves as the arm of the county court; but some cities, such as those in the Commonwealth of Virginia, also have a sheriff's office that serves as the arm of the city court and jail. The sheriff performs court duties. These may include such functions as administering the county or city jail, providing courtroom security and prisoner transportation, serving warrants, and serving process. In urban areas a sheriff may be restricted to those duties. Many other sheriffs and their deputies may serve as the principal police force."

2. If you have the LAPD, who does all the policing in all your smaller sallelite cities and townships throughout say, California? Do police just get posted around their home state to different major cities and swap their uniform and badges?

Well, first off, LAPD is an acronym for Los Angeles Police Department. Generally a police department will only have authority within their specified city limits. There are exceptions to this rule, obviously, but generally an officer will join a certain department and remain there for their career. Of course, like any other career, they are free to transfer / move if so desired.

3. The same goes for your judges and District Attorneys? They get voted in? By who? What kind of oversight is there?

The judicial branch is a finicky one. Generally, DAs and Judges are actually appointed, but some (a lot, really) of counties have them elected by the voters. From wiki: "The District Attorney (DA), in many jurisdictions in the United States, is the elected or appointed official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the legal department of the jurisdiction – generally the county in the U.S. – and supervises a staff of assistant (ADA) or deputy district attorneys. Depending on the system in place, district attorneys may be appointed by the chief executive of the region or elected by the voters of the jurisdiction."

4. I hear that things like EFTPOS and ATMs are still not in widespread use, that people even still use (and accept) personal cheques for day to day purchases? Can you not swipe your card, put your PIN in and pay for a can of coke and a mars bar at the local store?

As one of the most technologically advanced countries on the planet, it comes as no surprise that that first clause in your sentence is incorrect. ATMs are everywhere in the United States, we have so many banks on so many street corners that it's almost irritating. Now, the second clause of that sentence is both true and untrue. Many places still do accept checks for purchases (generally places that you would spend quite a bit of money at, including high-dollar restaurants and nice retail stores) because they are convenient (for the customer, not the company) and because a high percentage of the American population is still Baby Boomers and that's just what they've done their entire lives.

And yes, we have debit cards and credit cards. You absolutely can pay with a card (with or without PIN) in perhaps 90% of establishments.

5. Do people really wear stuff like chino pants and lace up shoes around the house of an evening or on weekends?

I'm honestly unsure how to answer this question because in a country of 300,000,000+ people, no one is "normal". I would think that some people do wear chino pants and lace up shoes around the house, and some don't. There isn't much of a "national" sense of fashion here. People wear what they want, when they want, really.

6. Why do you have basements? Are these just old houses, or do you not build straight up houses on solid slabs?

Storage, mostly. We Americans do so love having things. We like having things so much that we'll make a whole 'nother level of our house to keep our things in! The perks of living in a capitalist nation, I suppose. Also, they make for bitchin' man caves.

7. Why have you taken so many steps to striate your society? Having jackets to define team/club membership in highschools, Prom kings/queens, Unversity Fraternities, Lodges, Country Clubs, Class rings. Seems to many you have taken great pains to create your own institutions of aristocracy. Or is this just a movie thing?

In school, the caste system is very much a thing in America. However, once school is over, no one really cares about that stuff anymore. The only people that hang on to that kind of separation are those who did not mature and move on with their lives.

8. Why do your tradies (bricklayers, concreters, builders, plumbers, electricians) always seem to be firmly planted in the lower class? Most tradies around here would earn twice as much as the average retail or white collar worker. Geez, plumbers are rich!

American business owners tend to have a "brains-over-brawn" mentality. If you're in a job that requires high amounts of manual labor, you are generally considered a "low-skill" worker and are paid thusly.

Anyway, hope you can help someone whose knowledge of American comes only from second hand knowledge and mass media. lol

Thanks!

No problem! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. It's great to actually be asked things about my country, instead of reading accusations and bashing for a change. Very refreshing.

[Rukentuts]

the thread on Special Ed students and homecoming sparked a few burning questions about America I have always wondered, hoping some guys can explain a few things;

1. I get that you have Police Departments. For the most part these people are public servants, employees of the state or federal. But what is with Sherrifs and Deputies? From what I pick up, Sherrifs are just voted in? So a baker could technically become a law enforcement officer with no degree or academy training? And then they can handpick other people off the street to become deputies?

Sheriffs here are generally county (a division of a state) and elected by the voters in that county. Deputies are basically hired police officers.

2. If you have the LAPD, who does all the policing in all your smaller sallelite cities and townships throughout say, California? Do police just get posted around their home state to different major cities and swap their uniform and badges?

The Sheriffs Office for the county they are in. See #1 for more.

3. The same goes for your judges and District Attorneys? They get voted in? By who? What kind of oversight is there?

Some judges, but some are also appointed by other elected officials. Short answer: it depends. DAs are elected, but their assistants are hired. See #1 for a similar analogy.

4. I hear that things like EFTPOS and ATMs are still not in widespread use, that people even still use (and accept) personal cheques for day to day purchases? Can you not swipe your card, put your PIN in and pay for a can of coke and a mars bar at the local store?

ATMs are all over, most checks are vanished. You can swipe and PIN at a local store, or if your card has a major CC company on it, just swipe.

5. Do people really wear stuff like chino pants and lace up shoes around the house of an evening or on weekends?

I don't wear shoes indoors.

6. Why do you have basements? Are these just old houses, or do you not build straight up houses on solid slabs?

Sturdier foundation, and in some places necessary for safety. see Tornadoes.

7. Why have you taken so many steps to striate your society? Having jackets to define team/club membership in highschools, Prom kings/queens, Unversity Fraternities, Lodges, Country Clubs, Class rings. Seems to many you have taken great pains to create your own institutions of aristocracy. Or is this just a movie thing?

These are all optional and exaggerated.

8. Why do your tradies (bricklayers, concreters, builders, plumbers, electricians) always seem to be firmly planted in the lower class? Most tradies around here would earn twice as much as the average retail or white collar worker. Geez, plumbers are rich!

Anyway, hope you can help someone whose knowledge of American comes only from second hand knowledge and mass media. lol

Thanks!

Many trade workers (see sheet metal) make a ton. Just depends.

[Chirri]

1. I'm pretty ignorant about exactly what Sheriffs and Deputies are responsible for, but I do know we vote in the Sheriff. And the options I had locally were both really shitty options.

2. There's the metropolitan area, and then there are the cities and townships that over time grow and get absorbed into the metropolitan area. Those cities and townships still have their own individual police departments, and as far as I know they're relatively independant of one another. I don't think a cop will get a notice that he's being transferred to a different city or township's precinct, but I could be wrong, though I wouldn't be surprised if there were transfers within their city's precincts based on the city's needs.

3. Voted in, in my state.

4. The only person I know who still uses checks is my mother. Everyone else tends to use Debit and Credit cards. Some people prefer to use cash. There's an ATM within 1 mile of nearly any location in the metropolitan area of my city, 2 miles at the most (and sometimes several ATMs in a single strip-mall plaza area). I suppose it might help that the city in this area was planned out on a 1 mile type grid.

5. I imagine only those who were too lazy to change out of what they'd chosen to wear earlier in the day. Shoes around the house in some families, socked or barefoot for others. My family does the comfy clothes thing, though.

6. There are virtually no basements (nor attics) in my area. The ground does not lend itself to hole digging, and no one's interested in paying to have anything more than pipes require dug up.

7. This I cannot speak to. It has never been a part of my life, though I believe one of my grandfathers may have been active in one or two elderly male clubs.

8. Eeeh, perhaps it depends on your area. I've never considered them to be firmly planted in the lower class, and I'd always been told they get decent pay because they do the jobs that most Americans consider themselves "above" doing. That said, they're certainly not considered particularly high earners, either. Certainly people complain about the cost of hiring them

[Novie]

1. Sheriffs and deputies carry out different duties than regular police officers in most places. Yes, sheriffs are generally elected officials, but there are usually eligibility requirements. Deputies also have to fulfill requirements in order to be hired.

2. Depends on how the jurisdiction lines are drawn up. Some very small towns receive their police/fire/medic services from a nearby larger town; some have their own departments.

3. Yes, they get voted in during local elections. Never really thought much about the process there, but I imagine that there are eligibility requirements, just like any other elected position.

4. I'm not sure what EFTPOS is....I assume the card readers at the register in stores? We have those pretty much everywhere. ATMs are all over the place as well. I don't know anyone that uses checks or even cash as their primary payment method; most people do indeed just swipe their card. I use checks for a few things here and there, but a standard box of checks will last me years.

5. Some people do, I'm sure. Some folks are comfortable like that. My family, we're more jeans and t-shirts and bare feet.

6. Depends on where you live. You won't often find basements in homes in coastal areas because of flooding potential, and you won't find a lot of attics in areas that are prone to tornadoes. Basements are great as a storage space; some people have their laundry area in the basement; some people will finish their basements (drywall, carpeting, the works) and use it as a living space. The house we owned when I was in high school had a basement and my stepfather built out different rooms down there - there was storage space under the stairs, a nice sized laundry room, a room for my mom's crafting stuff, and the rest was the "man cave".

7. Not just a movie thing, but I never got involved in any of that sort of stuff. Sure, some of it is done just as a popularity contest, or to show off or exclude people, but often times, things like that are meant to make people feel included and a part of something.

8. Depends. All of those types of folks can make quite a bit of money for themselves if they do good work and get their name out there.

[kjs131]

1. I get that you have Police Departments. For the most part these people are public servants, employees of the state or federal. But what is with Sherrifs and Deputies? From what I pick up, Sherrifs are just voted in? So a baker could technically become a law enforcement officer with no degree or academy training? And then they can handpick other people off the street to become deputies?

Not entirely sure our Sheriff does much of anything, every couple years you see signs up asking for your vote, head to the booth and just vote for the incumbent because hell you don't know what he does anyway, must have been doing a half decent job of it.


2. If you have the LAPD, who does all the policing in all your smaller sallelite cities and townships throughout say, California? Do police just get posted around their home state to different major cities and swap their uniform and badges?

Most towns have their own police forces. I live in a town of ~8k we have our own police station with our own officers. Recently though the smaller town adjacent to ours disbanded their police force. I'm sure the city councils had to come to some sort of agreement, but we police that town now too.


3. The same goes for your judges and District Attorneys? They get voted in? By who? What kind of oversight is there?

I live in Iowa, so I can't speak for everywhere. However, here our Attorney General is appointed by the Governor and I believe our District attorneys are appointed by him.
We had a huge hoopla with our Supreme Court Justices the last couple years when they ruled that prohibiting gay marriage was against our constitution. Tons of ads calling for them not to be reelected. I believe 4 of them were voted out. Usually they get the same treatment the sheriff does though, no one knows em so they figure they're doing a good job and vote to retain them.


4. I hear that things like EFTPOS and ATMs are still not in widespread use, that people even still use (and accept) personal cheques for day to day purchases? Can you not swipe your card, put your PIN in and pay for a can of coke and a mars bar at the local store?

There are ATMs all over the place. It's quite rare that you can't pay with a card. However, at least in small town Iowa personal checks are accepted just about everywhere still too


6. Why do you have basements? Are these just old houses, or do you not build straight up houses on solid slabs?

Here's one I can really answer. Not everywhere has basements, it's a geographic thing. In the south it's mostly optional, unless you're living in say New Orleans, where you couldn't have a basement if you wanted to, it's not high enough above sea level. Up north a basement is mandatory in most areas. You have to have your foundation below the level that the ground freezes at during the winter or the constant expanding and contracting is too much stress and it'll crack.


8. Why do your tradies (bricklayers, concreters, builders, plumbers, electricians) always seem to be firmly planted in the lower class? Most tradies around here would earn twice as much as the average retail or white collar worker. Geez, plumbers are rich!

I think that's a movie thing, most people in those professions, at least around here, are quite well off. Not super wealthy, but they certainly get by and then some

[Aitch]

8. Why do your tradies (bricklayers, concreters, builders, plumbers, electricians) always seem to be firmly planted in the lower class? Most tradies around here would earn twice as much as the average retail or white collar worker. Geez, plumbers are rich!

This is mostly due to construction codes being mandated by states in the US, whereas most other countries have federal legislation governing trades. In most states trades require little to no formal education, and apprenticeships are wholly administered within the company.

Here in Canada most trades have to complete a formal 4 year apprenticeship including in-class education. We also have to follow federal codes and province specific rules. Wages are accordingly much greater.

[Linkedblade]

1. Depends on the State. Most States have their own police department and then depeding on the locals, you may have a county police department or a city department that has oversight to that city and outlying villages.

2. Again with no. 1 it depends on the State. Normally there are state police, but cities/townships normally have their own department. LA for instance has its own department but those police probably oversee the past city limits.

3. Depends on the which judges your are talking about. But the city level (at least where I live) the judger is chosen by the city council. State Supreme Court Judges are picked by the Governer and Supreme Court of the US is chosen by the President. Not sure about DA's. Im gonna look into it.

4. I use my bank card all the time. A lot of small town shops only take cash, but anyone can accept a check and take it to get it cashed. I work at a particular superstore in the area and the process for Debit/Credit and Checks is pretty much the same.

5. No.

6. The slabs are below ground to accomodate for another floor. Where I live we have flooding issues, so a basement help mitigate that damage. But the central US gets hit by tornadoes often. Honestly, basements are commonplace.

7. Tradition.

8. Well, quite a few people aren't formally trained in any way, but are employed to help with such things. However, those who are formally trained and are parts of unions normally make the 2-3x more than a retail employee.