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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Mr. Smarty-pants knows...

I'm going to try some new things today, including the insertion of a link in the text and maybe even a poll attached to the side of the main blog page.

I recently read on an online bulletin board, an invitation to take a poll questioning whether the reader thought that our country is a Democracy or a Republic. If this works correctly, answer the poll, then view the inserted (or linked, however it works out) video:

http://www.wimp.com/thegovernment/

And while on the subject of the country, how about this civics quiz that I found. I have heard it suggested that Americans should have to pass a civics test such as this one, demonstrating a basic understanding of how our country works, before being allowed to cast a vote in any election. I'm not saying that I totally agree with that, but in light of how easily misdirected the general populace was recently at the whims of the media, I must say I like the notion of requiring a level of competence from the voters. Wouldn't this tend to also require more honesty and accountability of the media?

I consider myself fairly well-read and knowledgeable, and I only scored 85 on the quiz. I outsmarted myself on one of the questions, or I'd have done better. The astounding fact is that the quizzers randomly tested 2508 Americans, and 71% FAILED. There are 33 multiple-choice questions. Bon chance!

If the poll idea doesn't work, then feel free to comment.

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