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Plain Talk

about matters of interest in Washington State and, often, elsewhere

August 2007




In 1787, Dr. James McHenry, one of Maryland's delegates to the Constitutional Convention, wrote in his diary: A lady asked Dr. Franklin Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy. A republic replied the Doctor if you can keep it.

Franklin's pithy remark implies many things, but a paramount one is that a citizenry cannot and will not keep a republic forever if it is not able to make informed evaluations of its governance. In short, voters need to keep up with their nation and their world. How well do we do that? Not very well, by many indications.

To see how you're doing, and have some fun, take this little "20 Questions" news test. The questions cluster around a few topics frequently in the news these days, and important as well (that is, no questions about Sheraton St. Louis, or whatever her name is).

Answers, and discussions, can be seen on the Answers page, linked at the bottom of the quiz.

  1. Muslims in Iran are predominantly: Shiite or Sunni?

  2. And which was Saddam Hussein?

  3. And why is it important?

  4. Illegal immigrants are a problem chiefly because they pay almost no taxes yet receive large amounts of public services: True or false?

  5. Who is Ben Bernanke and why does he matter to you?

  6. What is Washington State Referendum 67 about?

  7. What is SCHIP an acronym for?

  8. Who is Tommy Thompson and who is Fred Thompson and does the difference matter?

  9. At what age should you start automatically getting an annual flu shot?

  10. Washington is one of only a small handful of states with a legislated "greenhouse gas emissions" target: True or False?

  11. What disease are the Hanford "downwinders" liable to, and why?

  12. The non-partisan "Louisiana-style" blanket primary system now disallowed in Washington State is common in many other states: True or False?

  13. Washington State has one of the highest tax rates in the nation: True or False?

  14. And those rates are: rising or falling?

  15. Lower-income families in Washington pay out a lower share of their income in state and local taxes than those in any other state: True or False?

  16. Since the famous 1980 eruption, the Mt. St. Helens volcano has ceased to be a significant threat: True or False?

  17. Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick has pleaded guilty to charges deriving from organized dog fights; conducting dog fights is a crime in all 50 states--a felony crime in most. What major national internet retailer refuses to stop encouraging dog fighting?

  18. Whether human activities are a major driver of global warming is still an open question in the scientific community: True or False?

  19. Explain in 50 words or fewer what the "greenhouse effect" is.

  20. What are "carbon credits"? And what's wrong with them?


To see the answers, and learn something about them, click here for the Answers page.


Plain Talk is a more or less monthly feature carried in the weekly Ritzville Adams County Journal.

The text appearing above is a substantially expanded version of the published feature, which is limited by word count.