privacy? you don't get no stinkin' privacy.

Friday, September 24, 1999, at 10:52AM

By Eric Richardson

I'm not going to say much on this, cause I've said it all so often before. Public schools are turning into prisons, plain and simple. This story is scary on so many levels. Read on for a little summary of my thoughts...

There are three really, really scary things here:

1) These students have to wear badges at all times. While I can see how that could be marginally useful for the administration, the thought of that just scares me. I don't want to be a name on a card. People should know people. Badges are just so formal.

2) The badges contain a Pepsi ad. Wait a minute... I'm forced to go somewhere, and then forced to wear advertising? What if I don't like Pepsi? Tough luck, according to the school.

3) The scariest thing, though, is that the badges have the student's social security number right on the front. What happened to guarding that number, as it was what identified you as you? Now everybody wants your social security number. Colleges, banks, schools... This has to stop.

Go think for a while... Then go write your congressman or something.