A medical news item now suggests that people who had smallpox vaccinations thirty-five years ago or even earlier don�t need to be vaccinated again. The protection is still there. That�s what I said in the first place, even though Husband didn�t really believe me; he was just glad I wouldn�t make him get stuck again. But, y�know, this being right is not nearly as much fun as it used to be.

Standardized student testing is in the news again. The government�s policy of financial aid to states for education is dependent on the results of tests. Some states, evidently, are changing their standards so that kids can pass with fewer right answers. (�Don�t raise the bridge, lower the water�?) Thus it becomes necessary to monitor the monitors. There is a basic flaw in standardized testing, although it seemed like such a good idea to begin with. If all students are required to take the same achievement tests, then you can tell if their educations as been sufficient. Most especially, you can tell whether or not separate is really equal. But if teachers are evaluated on how well their students complete the tests, then they are obliged to make sure the kids can pass them. So they spend more time teaching how to pass the tests and less time on actual material. The kids lose out again.

Has anyone noticed what the Iraqi war didn�t do � shore up the economy? Historically, wars have brought more jobs and with them, increased spending; the economy gets stronger. Maybe my area is not representative of the rest of the country, but to me it looks as if more and more jobs are disappearing. Just because something worked before doesn�t mean it will work again, because the variables are different. Even though it�s costly to pay the troops, it would be sheer havoc if we decided to set all those people loose on the economy. And how do you fund a tax cut in the midst of all this? Is Mr. Dubya going to use his credit card? What a revoltin� development this is!