Inside Government: Facts, Politics & Behind the Scenes
Other Useful U.S. Government Agencies
Administration On Aging
This site has a political info and facts, but also helpful tips for
individuals. With information from what's going on in congress to how the elderly can deal with the flu, sexuality, or home repair, or obtain services locally. Well maintained and up to date.
Centers for Disease Prevention
Whether you have a fascination for the morbid or just want to stay healthy, go to this site to find out about diseases, health risks, and guidelines and strategies to stay healthy.
Consumer Information Center
Dozens of useful government publications are now on-line. Click on cars, children, health, food & nutrition, employment, housing, federal programs, money, travel & hobby, small business or environment, lots of useful information.
Department of Veterans Affairs
The official U.S. Government site for the Department of Veterans Affairs, with links to announcements, benefits, organization and policies, VA offices and medical facilities, research and how to get help.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
From the agency that insures bank deposits, find out what your rights are
when it comes to mortgages, credit cards, leasing, etc. in their consumer
section.
FedWorld
A catch-all site of important government databases and links to recent
government reports. It predates the web, and much of its info is still in a
clunky old Telnet format. Its search engine covers many areas, but when we
tried it was too busy to work.
Financial Markets Center
Don't let their dry name scare you off. On this brand new site you'll get the low-down on what the bankers who control the nation's interest rates (The Federal Reserve Bank) are doing. These are the folks who would throw the economy into a recession if they thought labor was getting out of hand.
This site comes from experts eager to share what they know with unions and other grassroots groups.
You could read minutes of Fed meetings here -- but if you prefer a
down-to-earth primer on how the mysterious Federal Reserve operates, click on "Tools" Or read what popular writer William Greider thinks they're up to.
National Committee for Quality Assurance
A non-profit group that takes a hard look at managed-care health organizations and then lets you know how health plans score in quality management, preventive health services, etc. The UAW is listed as one of the unions using its services.
National Personnel Records Center
The official repository of millions of military personnel, health and
medical records of discharged and deceased veterans of all services during the
20th century.
Social Security Online
Plan your retirement by looking at your earnings history and finding out
how much Social Security you're eligible for. File your request online, and
they'll send you a report in the mail.
The Census Bureau
You might be surprised at how much info they collect. You'll find a map section where you can look up the numbers of people who live in various areas, down to the county, and who they are. You'll find economic indicators, world population, and interesting reports, such as who lost their health insurance -- but you may need an Acrobat reader program to read these. This site also gives the latest figures on U.S. imports and exports.
The Code of Federal Regulations
Sponsored by the National Archives and Records Administration, you can find all the regulations the Federal government sets, from environmental rules to executive orders.
The Environmental Protection Agency
Let's just call this a minimalist site. It has information, lots of news
releases and even a page for kids, but, well, you'll see.
The Post office (U.S. Postal Service)
This is the quickest way to find a zip code: type in your address and
you'll even get the carrier route. If you're a stamp collector or like to read
other people's mail, you could hang around the site for a while.
U.S. Department of Labor
All the federal agencies that deal with jobs and workers, the rules they
enforce, and the information they collect.