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Stupid (but sincere) Questions about the USA

seela

seela

Quark Thief
Joined
May 14, 2010
Posts
9,814
Like I mentioned elsewhere, I've been thinking about starting a thread for stupid questions about the USA that I'm either too lazy to google or that I haven't found an answer to. And maybe there are other people like me, who read some discussions here and go huh but don't want to derail the threads with offtopic questions. This thread is the place for such questions.

I've never been to the States, so pretty much all I at least think I know about America(ns) is from TV and movies, and even I realize that Hollywood probably isn't a very reliable source of information. Hence the stupid questions.

While the thread title specifically says USA, people from other countries are welcome to tell about their country as well. I also know things vary a lot from state to state, so maybe mentioning which state you're talking about is sometimes a good idea?

Here comes the first question:

I believe the driver's license there includes a lot more information than the European version, such as weight, height and address. So my question is, do you have to get a new driver's license every time you move? What about if you gain or lose weight? Is there a limit, like if you gain or lose 50 pounds you have to update the info but with only 20 lbs you don't have to?
 
seela said:
Here comes the first question:

I believe the driver's license there includes a lot more information than the European version, such as weight, height and address. So my question is, do you have to get a new driver's license every time you move? What about if you gain or lose weight? Is there a limit, like if you gain or lose 50 pounds you have to update the info but with only 20 lbs you don't have to?
Click to expand...

You have to get a new license every time you move, and renew the license before it's expiration date (I think the last time I renewed my license, it was good for 7-10 years?), but there aren't any requirements for changing it if your appearance changes.

Example - the picture on my license is probably 6-7 years old, when my hair was about 14" longer than it is now, I didn't have a white streak growing in, and I was about 40# lighter than I am right now. And they no longer allow people who wear glasses, to wear glasses in their ID picture, so I don't look much like my image when I show the ID, because I'm usually wearing glasses. lol
 
There are loads of things that I don't know about the States and yet actual questions elude me right now. :rolleyes:

Will watch this thread and see what sparks in my brain cell (yes that is singular)
 
CutieMouse said:
You have to get a new license every time you move, and renew the license before it's expiration date (I think the last time I renewed my license, it was good for 7-10 years?), but there aren't any requirements for changing it if your appearance changes.

Example - the picture on my license is probably 6-7 years old, when my hair was about 14" longer than it is now, I didn't have a white streak growing in, and I was about 40# lighter than I am right now. And they no longer allow people who wear glasses, to wear glasses in their ID picture, so I don't look much like my image when I show the ID, because I'm usually wearing glasses. lol
Click to expand...

Interesting. I wonder why they insist on having weight printed on the driver's license. Height I understand, because it changes less than weight, but weight seems a bit random. Do you have address, height and weight on your passports, too?

Moving must be a royal pain in the ass and expensive if you have to renew all your documents on top of all the other things.

Here you have to renew the license every 15 years, I think. I'm not completely sure, because I don't have one. You can't wear glasses for the official pictures, but if you have to wear them in day to day life, it'll be noted in the driver's license. I guess you can get fined if you drive without them them. My friend had lasic and no longer wears glasses, so she had to get a new license to have the glasses thing removed.

shy slave said:
There are loads of things that I don't know about the States and yet actual questions elude me right now. :rolleyes:

Will watch this thread and see what sparks in my brain cell (yes that is singular)
Click to expand...

Yes, ask away when you come up with a question! :)
 
Ok - here's mine :D

What do the NSA, FBI and CIA do and how do the different agencies fit together?
 
LallyH said:
Ok - here's mine :D

What do the NSA, FBI and CIA do and how do the different agencies fit together?
Click to expand...

NSA is the national security agency, FBI is the federal bureau of investigations and CIA is Central Intelligence Agency.

For a long while, the FBI and CIA had very little communication between the two of them, that changed with the PATRIOT Act of 2001, I believe. FBI deals with more internal criminal issues (money laundering, murder, etc). I'm a little fuzzy about what the CIA does exactly, but it's more of a monitoring agency I believe. NSA deals a lot with national security and perceived threats to the United States.

Sorry if that's a little vague...


Also, re: driver's license, renewal times change from state to state. Where I live I don't have to change mine until 2053...when I'm 67 it's a bit ridiculous!
 
Miss_raptor said:
NSA is the national security agency, FBI is the federal bureau of investigations and CIA is Central Intelligence Agency.

For a long while, the FBI and CIA had very little communication between the two of them, that changed with the PATRIOT Act of 2001, I believe. FBI deals with more internal criminal issues (money laundering, murder, etc). I'm a little fuzzy about what the CIA does exactly, but it's more of a monitoring agency I believe. NSA deals a lot with national security and perceived threats to the United States.

Sorry if that's a little vague...


Also, re: driver's license, renewal times change from state to state. Where I live I don't have to change mine until 2053...when I'm 67 it's a bit ridiculous!
Click to expand...

Traditionally FBI was inside the USA. CIA dealt with things outside the USA.
 
seela said:
I've never been to the States, so pretty much all I at least think I know about America(ns) is from TV and movies, and even I realize that Hollywood probably isn't a very reliable source of information. Hence the stupid questions.

?
Click to expand...

Yea... Hollywood isn't exactly a credible source of information. (Except for Arnold movies. Those are 100% accurate.)



Like any other country, the US has good points and bad points.

But for overall quality of life and opportunities, for me, its the best option out there.
 
seela said:
Interesting. I wonder why they insist on having weight printed on the driver's license. Height I understand, because it changes less than weight, but weight seems a bit random. Do you have address, height and weight on your passports, too?

Moving must be a royal pain in the ass and expensive if you have to renew all your documents on top of all the other things.

...
You can't wear glasses for the official pictures, but if you have to wear them in day to day life, it'll be noted in the driver's license. I guess you can get fined if you drive without them them. My friend had lasic and no longer wears glasses, so she had to get a new license to have the glasses thing removed.
Click to expand...

A possible answer as to why weight is listed on a US driver license is probably, and sadly, because that's the way it has always been done :eek: "Back in the day" when these things were set up, I am willing to bet that people's weight was not so... dynamic :)

The price to renew the licence is not so steep - $25 every 6 years. Not sure what a passport might be... Also cannot recall if weight is on the passport, and not sure which box mine is in at the moment!

As to wearing glasses, the penalties can be very severe depending on the situation. There was a man here locally who was not wearing his glasses, and he struck and killed s pedestrian. Because his license stated he needed to wear glass he was brought up on manslaughter charges, whereas he might have been let off a bit easier had he been wearing them, possibly even dismissed as accidental, no charges.

Edited to note that those renewal times and costs are for Texas. Also to say, glad you started this thread :)
 
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LallyH said:
Ok - here's mine :D

What do the NSA, FBI and CIA do and how do the different agencies fit together?
Click to expand...

These are security and intelligence agencies. Sometimes they work together for a common purpose, but mostly they have independent turf. The CIA, for instance, is not supposed to do what the FBI does. That would be illegal.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) focuses on domestic intelligence and law enforcement. They investigate internal crimes. The National Security Agency (NSA) has a few jobs. They focus on foreign signals intelligence, counter-intelligence, and domestic information assurance, mostly meaning that they hack foreign communications while trying to prevent our own from getting infiltrated. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a foreign intelligence agency. They basically do in person person what the NSA does on the computer--gather foreign intelligence and ensure security of American "interests" and personnel abroad.
 
LallyH said:
Ok - here's mine :D

What do the NSA, FBI and CIA do and how do the different agencies fit together?
Click to expand...


As the US consists of states, you need a police force which has executive power in all states, so you can prosecute cross-state crimes without state police forces arguing who is responsible for it. That's the FBI.

The CIA is an intelligence agency, like your James Bond MI6 over there. Their purpose is to eliminate real and perceived threats with methods that totally have nothing in common with the police force.

The NSA provides, you could say, Google support for government agencies. If the CIA wants to know what Kim-Jong-un had for dinner, they ask the NSA (if they didn't already tap the waiter).
 
Last edited:
seela said:
Interesting. I wonder why they insist on having weight printed on the driver's license. Height I understand, because it changes less than weight, but weight seems a bit random. Do you have address, height and weight on your passports, too?

Moving must be a royal pain in the ass and expensive if you have to renew all your documents on top of all the other things.

Here you have to renew the license every 15 years, I think. I'm not completely sure, because I don't have one. You can't wear glasses for the official pictures, but if you have to wear them in day to day life, it'll be noted in the driver's license. I guess you can get fined if you drive without them them. My friend had lasic and no longer wears glasses, so she had to get a new license to have the glasses thing removed.



Yes, ask away when you come up with a question! :)
Click to expand...

The documents you have to renew are not crazy expensive - it's mainly the driver's license state ID which runs about 17 bucks in my current state. Things like Passport, social security card, Birth Cert - those are fixed federal-level documents.

While weight fluctuates, its generalities give you some sense of what shape person you are looking at or for, so they put it on there I guess.

Passport renewal can be a bit of a pain, so you have to do it in advance of your travel, though I believe there are ways to expedite in case of emergency (though probably less so in the age of hysteria than before)
 
Last edited:
seela said:
Interesting. I wonder why they insist on having weight printed on the driver's license. Height I understand, because it changes less than weight, but weight seems a bit random. Do you have address, height and weight on your passports, too?

Moving must be a royal pain in the ass and expensive if you have to renew all your documents on top of all the other things.
Click to expand...
Most US citizens don't have a passport. You don't need a passport for day trips across the border of Canada (I don't know if Mexico is the same). Many people never leave the country at all. So there is no documentation other than the driver's license that most people need to renew regularly. It is indeed a pain in the ass though; depends where you live whether there are horrible waits at the DMV or not. (Department of Motor Vehicles, where driving tests are given and photos for licenses are taken.)

Oh, you do need to change your license plate on your car if you move to a different state.
 
Primalex said:
As the US consists of states, you need a police force which has executive power in all states, so you can prosecute cross-state crimes without state police forces arguing who is responsible for it. That's the FBI.

The CIA is an intelligence agency, like your James Bond MI5 over there. Their purpose is to eliminate real and perceived threats with methods that totally have nothing in common with the police force.

The NSA provides, you could say, Google support for government agencies. If the CIA wants to know what Kim-Jong-un had for dinner, they ask the NSA (if they didn't already tap the waiter).
Click to expand...
Does every crime that somehow "passes" a state line go to the FBI or is there some kind of in between police force or something like that? I mean for things like reckless driving on a road that crosses a state line or things like that?
 
IrisAlthea said:
Does every crime that somehow "passes" a state line go to the FBI or is there some kind of in between police force or something like that? I mean for things like reckless driving on a road that crosses a state line or things like that?
Click to expand...

In a case like that, generally you'll be charged with the charge in your state. If you are recklessly driving while transporting a 17 year old trafficking victim you happen to be pimping in the next state, then the FBI is involved.

A specific law classes the latter as "federal" and that's when the FBI may be involved.
 
Netzach said:
In a case like that, generally you'll be charged with the charge in your state. If you are recklessly driving while transporting a 17 year old trafficking victim you happen to be pimping in the next state, then the FBI is involved.

A specific law classes the latter as "federal" and that's when the FBI may be involved.
Click to expand...

So it would depend on how serious the offence is?
 
IrisAlthea said:
Does every crime that somehow "passes" a state line go to the FBI or is there some kind of in between police force or something like that?
Click to expand...

First of all, the local and state police force can investigate any case that violates their laws and arrest and sentence the offender. When a federal law is being violated, then the FBI will start to investigate it, too. If the offender flees to a different state, the FBI can issue a federal arrest warrant, so that other states can arrest the offender, although he didn't do anything in their state.
 
Primalex said:
First of all, the local and state police force can investigate any case that violates their laws and arrest and sentence the offender. When a federal law is being violated, then the FBI will start to investigate it, too. If the offender flees to a different state, the FBI can issue a federal arrest warrant, so that other states can arrest the offender, although he didn't do anything in their state.
Click to expand...

So ther could actually be three investigations running parallell for the same crime?
 
LallyH said:
Ok - here's mine :D

What do the NSA, FBI and CIA do and how do the different agencies fit together?
Click to expand...

This was on my list of questions, too! So thanks for asking it. :)

Amberchgo said:
Like any other country, the US has good points and bad points.

But for overall quality of life and opportunities, for me, its the best option out there.
Click to expand...

True, there are definitely plusses and minuses in every country. And as the USA is such a huge country and with such varied legislation and politics I'm sure there's some corner of it that'd be a good, or maybe the best, option for me, too.

Collar_N_Cuffs said:
The price to renew the licence is not so steep - $25 every 6 years. Not sure what a passport might be... Also cannot recall if weight is on the passport, and not sure which box mine is in at the moment!

---

Edited to note that those renewal times and costs are for Texas. Also to say, glad you started this thread :)
Click to expand...

That's not so bad. I checked the price here and renewing a driver's license is 42 euros. The first and second licenses, which are only valid for a year or so are 60 euros. And then you need to take the official photos too, which are usually around 25 euros, unless you take them in one of those booths yourself. But then you run the risk of them not being accepted, because your head's tilted half a degree to your right or something. (An interesting factoid: in Poland you need to show your ear in all official photos, so the pictures are taken on an angle. Wouldn't fly here.)

And I'm glad this thread has generated some interest!

Netzach said:
The documents you have to renew are not crazy expensive - it's mainly the driver's license state ID which runs about 17 bucks in my current state. Things like Passport, social security card, Birth Cert - those are fixed federal-level documents.

While weight fluctuates, its generalities give you some sense of what shape person you are looking at or for, so they put it on there I guess.

Passport renewal can be a bit of a pain, so you have to do it in advance of your travel, though I believe there are ways to expedite in case of emergency (though probably less so in the age of hysteria than before)
Click to expand...

Besides renewing the driver's license (42 euros) I checked the prices for passports and ID cards as well. ID card is 53 euros and passport's 48 euros, plus the photos which can't be older than six months, I think. The express version is 83 euros. The new passports are only valid for 5 years. It used to be 10.

sunandshadow said:
Most US citizens don't have a passport. You don't need a passport for day trips across the border of Canada (I don't know if Mexico is the same). Many people never leave the country at all. So there is no documentation other than the driver's license that most people need to renew regularly. It is indeed a pain in the ass though; depends where you live whether there are horrible waits at the DMV or not. (Department of Motor Vehicles, where driving tests are given and photos for licenses are taken.)

Oh, you do need to change your license plate on your car if you move to a different state.
Click to expand...

That bit about license plates is interesting! I think you have to do the same if you settle permanently to another country in Europe, too. If it's just a shorter stay, you can use the original plates.
 
seela said:
This was on my list of questions, too! So thanks for asking it. :)



True, there are definitely plusses and minuses in every country. And as the USA is such a huge country and with such varied legislation and politics I'm sure there's some corner of it that'd be a good, or maybe the best, option for me, too.



That's not so bad. I checked the price here and renewing a driver's license is 42 euros. The first and second licenses, which are only valid for a year or so are 60 euros. And then you need to take the official photos too, which are usually around 25 euros, unless you take them in one of those booths yourself. But then you run the risk of them not being accepted, because your head's tilted half a degree to your right or something. (An interesting factoid: in Poland you need to show your ear in all official photos, so the pictures are taken on an angle. Wouldn't fly here.)

And I'm glad this thread has generated some interest!



Besides renewing the driver's license (42 euros) I checked the prices for passports and ID cards as well. ID card is 53 euros and passport's 48 euros, plus the photos which can't be older than six months, I think. The express version is 83 euros. The new passports are only valid for 5 years. It used to be 10.



That bit about license plates is interesting! I think you have to do the same if you settle permanently to another country in Europe, too. If it's just a shorter stay, you can use the original plates.
Click to expand...

Ugh, that's expensive!
The drivers license is 15 euros here and you need to renew every ten years.

You have to register your car if you stay in another country in Europe for more than 6 months.
If it's not permanent, most people just make sure to cross the border every six months though. Reregistering is a nightmare in most countries.
 
IrisAlthea said:
So ther could actually be three investigations running parallell for the same crime?
Click to expand...


More.

If you take the terrorist, who steals bomb parts from a shop, injures the shop owner, brings the bomb parts to another state and who plans to kill the president, then you have 6 parallel investigations - yet they all focus on different aspects.
 
Primalex said:
More.

If you take the terrorist, who steals bomb parts from a shop, injures the shop owner, brings the bomb parts to another state and who plans to kill the president, then you have 6 parallel investigations - yet they all focus on different aspects.
Click to expand...

If I ever decide to write a police procedure story, I think I'll set it here and not in the US.
 
seela said:
Here comes the first question:

I believe the driver's license there includes a lot more information than the European version, such as weight, height and address. So my question is, do you have to get a new driver's license every time you move? What about if you gain or lose weight? Is there a limit, like if you gain or lose 50 pounds you have to update the info but with only 20 lbs you don't have to?
Click to expand...

Yay, I'm so glad you started this thread! :)

In Alabama, a driver's license is good for 4 years. The exact cost, I think, depends on which county you live in, but I think I paid $25 the last time I had mine done? It's not a ton, thank God.

I don't think we're required here to get a new license each time we move. Or if we are, it's not strictly monitored. You would want to get a new one if you moved to a different state, but if you stay in Alabama, it's not imperative that you change your address each time you move. I've had the "Is the address on your license your current one?" asked to me more times than I can count, so updating your address is clearly not something that's a priority for most people. :p (Of course, that could be because we have to renew them every 4 years either way.)

I still have the same weight listed on my license as I had listed on it when I first got it, at 16. It's quite obvious that I am nowhere near that small now, but nobody's ever said anything about it, and I'm damn sure not volunteering the information unless they ask me.

Also-also, I don't have (and have never had) a passport. The one time I ever went out of the country, it was still possible for me to do it without one. The last time I looked (out of curiosity, not because I thought I'd ever get to travel again), I think the website said that it costs about $140 to get one. Renewals, though, are probably not as much.
 
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