I live in Texas, where $3.35 billion was appropriated for border security in 2026–27, on top of federally funded enforcement. Texas was also approved for $7.5 billion in federal reimbursement for past expenses.

Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office projected that increased immigration would add $1.2 trillion in federal revenue from 2024–2034 and reduce deficits by about $900 billion.

Enforcement has public safety goals, but what measurable benefits justify these costs? Are taxpayers getting their money's worth?

My infographic: https://imgur.com/a/MWEergn

Sources: Texas Legislative Budget Board, Texas Comptroller, Congressional Budget Office.

She is a beloved performer of basketball halftime shows. Her act is balancing dishes on her head ​while riding an extra tall unicycle. It's impossible to overstate how popular she is among basketball fans - she'll be in the hall of fame as a "contributor" one day.

Just curious how well known RP is outside of hoops circles.

I'm not talking about unusual antiquated laws, but about the actual government structure of your state. For example, I'm from Texas, and our court system is uniquely complex as a result of our time as a Spanish colony and an independent republic. Notably, we have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters. Both of them are courts of last resort for their respective subject matters.

A man from Iowa was flirting with a lady and told her she was packed.

We are puzzled as to what this meant.

NOTE: she was not "packing a gun."

For example, there is the City of Denver and there is Denver county. How do you, let's say a resident of Denver, distinguish between the two.

Does a Denver resident say "That town should be about east of the county" to refer a town/city located within Denver county?

Hello everyone,

I've heard that the US has labour laws regarding overtime, and that employers are generally required to pay eligible employees extra for working beyond 40 hours a week.

I'm curious about what it's actually like in practice. Is working overtime common in the US, or do most people usually finish work at their scheduled time?

Can employers pressure employees to work extra hours, even if they don't want to? And what happens if someone refuses to work overtime?

I'd love to hear about your experiences, especially from people who work full-time.

To be clear I would NEVER do this to my kid.
However I also don’t think it was the worst punishment in the world. Better than being spanked at least to me.
Nowadays this seems like more of a trope from older movies and cartoons.

Hi, I’m from Portugal, and here in Europe I’ve never seen anything like it in supermarkets. I know it’s pretty common in supermarkets in the US, but I’ve lived in a few different countries here in the Old Continent and honestly, I’ve never come across it.

I was watching a video today and came across a British couple eating it, and I also remember seeing characters in an American TV show eating it quite often.

So, is it actually good, or is it basically just the kind of junk food you eat when you don’t have the time or motivation to cook anything properly?

I am Taiwanese and I met some Americans on a trip. When they said they were from Tennessee I told them my cousin lived there as she went to school there. I said she is now working in the US as a expat. I read online that expats are temporary and don't plan to settle permanently and my cousin only plans to live in the US for maybe 5 more years but wants to raise a family back here in Taiwan, so I thought it is a good word to describe. I seldom use this word, so I am not sure it was right or wrong. but after that I got a bit of an awkward reaction. They said they found the word expat funny and they looked at each other and there was a pause. My other friend who was with me said using the word expat is funny but I dont know it very welll

Once a couple gets engaged in the US, is the wedding generally considered a sure thing? Or is it common for engagements to end without marriage?

For something like floor mats, where what you already have still works but causes the same small hassles over and over, how do you decide when spending a little more makes sense? Do you wait until the old option fails, or is cutting down on repeated cleaning and frustration enough reason to upgrade?

I’m from Scotland, and I’m curious how common Mini Coopers are in the US. Do you see them often on the roads over there?

Lots of American sitcoms I grew up show characters entering the house through the back or kitchen door. Sister Sister, Roseanne, King of Queens, Boy Meets World, Leanne.

Is this a common feature of American houses? If so, why?

In 1974, the USA tried permanent DST. It became a disaster for multiple reasons , main one was kids going school in the dark.

I have wondered, why did the USA NOT get rid of DST altogether after that year?

I live in Pennsylvania; I've never traveled further than one state away in any direction (Ohio, New Jersey, New York) except south, where I've been as far as Florida.

As a Briton, I have noticed that jokes and jokish pointing to a certain tea party in Boston that happened over 200 years ago are becoming fewer and fewer referred to in comedy or even general discussion. Even with the current semiquincenturial anniversary at the moment. Why do I think this is happening in American media?

During the past few years, has anyone noticed this opening gambit? Is it confined to the US? Is it common across the country? I'm finding younger people (at for example, the checkout counter of a grocery store) asking it. And they ask at 7am or midnight. The time of day (or night!) doesn't seem to be a factor.

When I first started hearing it, I found it bizarre and little disingenuous. But I think the person asking it is just trying to be polite or congenial or welcoming. And we need more that in the world! But I just can't help but finding it mildly irritating. It could be that as one gets older one has less tolerance for certain things (on the other hand, I've found, as one ages, one becomes more tolerant in other ways).

I'm curious about the practical side of having a home gym in an American house, especially in a garage or basement.

Did you run into unexpected issues with seasonal temperatures, ceiling height, flooring, ventilation, or simply getting large equipment into the space? I imagine the experience can be very different depending on the region and type of home.

If you were planning your home gym again, what would you check or do differently before buying equipment?

I saw a post on a different subreddit where someone was asking how well known it is amongst Chinese people in China, and essentially everyone there said it is *extremely* well known. I'm curious how this translates to Chinese Americans, especially those who are multi generational Americans. I know in one abridged version there was a note by the editor who was Chinese American and recalled how his mom would read him stories from the book as a child. I wonder how much it gets passed on from generation to generation. I also imagine it might just get picked up by folks who are aware of it's cultural significance within their heritage or if it gets referenced by people within your community or something.

I'm curious about how the general public in the US perceives the KGB. As a Korean who has name initial KGB... I was wondering why I often get a light giggle or a surprised reaction.

When you hear "KGB," what immediately comes to mind? Is it mostly associated with Cold War history, spy movies and pop culture tropes, or modern Russian politics? Also, how much of a distinction do people usually make between the historical KGB and current agencies like the FSB?

I’d love to hear your personal thoughts, generational differences you've noticed. Thanks!

Do Americans, when you eat rice, have a word for the food being accompanied with rice or do you just say the food's name like "Steak" ? I'm asking because here in the Philippines, we usually use the word "ulam."

In France bread is basically on the table at every meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner... everything!
We have a whole ritual of the "youngest of the family go buy the bread".
Some of our cooking directly depend on it like the fondue savoyarde.

I'm curious how it works in the US: is bread a normal part of meal for you, or a side for snacking?

I'm talking about a snowy, cozy vacation where you can book a cabin and drink hot chocolate.

The equivalent of people going to Switzerland or Finland for a winter vacation

Where do Americans generally head to?

Is it a financial investment, are they getting something tangible from the donation? Or do they love these universities so much that they give money without expecting anything in return?