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America.gov

778 points · 742 comments · plesiv

  1. maherbeg · · focus · HN ↗
    OK, there's a lot of negative comments here, but this is a great idea at a high level. It really is hard to figure out where to do a thing and it's also very easy to get phished. If they can figure out how to help people get all the services they're eligible for that'll be an amazing improvement for the people.
    1. Rebuff5007 · · focus · HN ↗
      "at a high level" is doing a lot of work.

      I know some companies that at a high level want to "organize the world's information" or "build the future of human connection", yet have done innumerable cruel and harmful things to society (at least in my opinion).

      1. dbbk · · focus · HN ↗
        No, they are right. This is basically just GOV.uk for America, and GOV.uk by all accounts is an incredible success.
        1. kijashdkujdfhas · · focus · HN ↗
          usa.gov is a better resource and already existed.
          1. jryle70 · · focus · HN ↗
            Why is it a better resource? The two don't seem to overlap. Maybe just the name that throws you off?
            1. kijashdkujdfhas · · focus · HN ↗
              They're both portals for information about federal government services. They overlap massively.

              Did you look at usa.gov at all?

              1. iamnothere · · focus · HN ↗
                The usa.gov site is a good start, but it’s not really comprehensive, and I’m not sure it can be.

                A few queries that I couldn’t find answers to through that site:

                * How can you get a permit for a group event in a national forest?

                * How can I become a federal contractor as a small business?

                * Where do I go to get an amateur radio license and what are the steps involved?

                * What are the requirements for purchasing tribal land?

                Basically usa.gov seems to mainly exist for people following the “happy path”—go to school, get a job or run a simple business, get health insurance, buy a house, retire. It’s got a few exceptions for large minority groups. But the issue is that the total number of people deviating from that path is huge, even if they only need to find one thing that’s not on the path. Right now they rely on commercial search to get answers, which often leads them to scam sites or intermediaries who take a cut for filing paperwork.

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