WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015
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opinion
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FFA OF THE DAY I'm graduating in 19 days, and I still have to write on my hand to remember to pay rent.
Just got my heart broken by the love of my life... Time to get drunk
Welcome to B-town! The Betts (Women's club ultimate) makes it to College Nationals!
My roommate gave me apology cupcakes then ate one. I hate her.
Missy, I'm sorry I ruined your life and crammed eleven cookies into the VCR.
Some of the bus drivers deserve the middle finger. Some deserve breakfast in bed.
My heart LOVES #esharpe!!!
key and Obama = HILARIOUS.
I'm 22 and don't know how to play poker. Is that wrong?
Can I just find a low traffic restroom and poop in peace please?
I'll get my own red wagon! With black jack and hookers!
Got only 3 hours of sleep and I still made it to class. My motivation is still lingering!
Does anyone know why the tulips near Fraser are gone? What is the meaning of this? They were beautiful!
I dream of lasanga. #noms
Anyone remember SmarterChild?
Good AIM days.
The horrifying moment when you're looking for an adult but then you realize that you are an adult. So you look for an older adult, someone successfully adulting. An "adultier adult."
Officially checked out for the remainder of this semester.
Summer sand vclleyball league is in check! So ready.
If you text OK and turn your screen 90 degrees to the right it looks like a stick person. #checkit
Beef jerky is basically a cow raisin.
The fact that I'm graduating is a little surreal, I'M NOT READY TO BE AN ADULT!
Sick of Apple Watch advertisements. You're a rip-off and I hope no one buys you.
CABLE TELEVISION
Tinder should be called eBae.
PRO CON
Cable is unnecessary and waste of money
I used to be an avid fan of cable. Growing up, I couldn't have imagined life without cable television. But in an age where on-demand services like Netflix and Hulu are increasing in popularity, once I went off to college, cable wasn't essential to me.
At the first couple of apartments I lived in, cable was provided by the complex, free of charge. But even with the availability I hardly ever watched TV. If there were ever a big game, I would go over to a friend's house (one who had a much bigger TV) or go out and watch it at a bar or restaurant. There are people who love to catch their favorite shows the moment they premiere, or there are people, like me, who can wait a few days, or weeks, to watch the episode. When moving into the apartment I currently live in, cable was not provided which made me consider the factors above. I knew I could "cut the cord" on cable and still be perfectly fine.
According to Huffington Post, a report released by Leichtman Research Group found "the 13 largest pay-TV providers ... shed about 150,000 video subscribers in the most recent quarter" of 2014. The article also reports more than 7 million homes are opting out of cable and switching to services dedicated to on-demand streaming
This number will continue to rise, especially as cable costs rise with them.
The price of cable was an unnecessary cost to me and was another bill I did not want to deal with. The Huffington Post article adds, "The average cable TV bill, not including fees, promotions or taxes, has increased by a whopping 97 percent over the past 14 years." The article continues to state that studies find cable TV bills could reach up to $200 per month in the next five years.
Choosing to get rid of cable was not a hard decision, but for those who need to watch everything right when it comes out, it may be a more difficult option. I have still managed to stay up to date with all of my favorite shows by using sites that stream episodes online in HD. If I want to watch a live game, I
"THE PRICE OF CABLE WAS AN UNNECESSARY COST TO ME AND WAS ANOTHER BILL I DID NOT WANT TO DEAL WITH."
can find websites that stream those online too — though, admittedly, the quality suffers a bit in this case. Finding ways to stay up to date with shows prior to their release on-on-demand streaming services can take a bit of effort, but it's an efficient way to save you hundreds of dollars in the long run.
Cable is a necessity for avid television fans
Cecilia Cho is a senior from Overland Park studying American studies
discourage eliminating cable service entirely. Although it may be smart to get rid of movie channels in your cable package to lower your monthly bill, getting rid of your provider completely will put you at a loss when it comes to show choices.
"CABLE TELEVISION SHOULD NOT BE THROWN TO THE SIDE BECAUSE OF ON-DEMAND SERVICES."
some serious downfalls to not having cable. According to USA Today, around 7.6 million U.S. households have decided to ditch their cable provider. As someone who has cable while at school but not at home, I can say with confidence that I love having cable. It gives people the freedom to flip through endless numbers of channels until falling upon something they'd like to watch.
W ith many people choosing to "cut the cord," I'm warning that there are
For sports fans out there,there is nothing better than watching the game
Although some are choosing to replace their cable with Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime subscriptions, I would
live on the big screen. Being able to watch the game without worrying about the Internet going out is a huge plus to having cable. Although some sports channels have a form of on-demand streaming, it is not comparable to watching the game live in your living room with a group of buddies. Sports fans won't have to be afraid of the game buffering in the middle of an important play.
In addition, many shows cannot be found anywhere other than cable television. Although on-demand services give access to a wide variety of shows, they don't have every option that cable television can provide. That means if you want to watch your favorite show, you may have to subscribe to the season on iTunes or Amazon, which can be quite expensive. For example, if you decided to purchase Grey's Anatomy season 11 on iTunes, it would be around $40 — and that is just for one show. If you subscribe to several different shows, that can really add up.
One of the main advantages on-demand services boast about is being commercial-free. But, in the case of Hulu, viewers still have to watch commercials during their favorite shows.
My favorite part of having cable is the freedom to flip through channels and fall upon a show I had forgotten about or used to love. I would never randomly think to watch MTV's "Rob & Big," however, when I'm flipping through the channels and come across this show. I can't help but watch. Cable television should not be thrown to the side because of on-demand services. It provides assets to its viewers which websites like Netflix and Hulu simply cannot.
Madeline Urmali is a sophomore from St. Louis studying journalism
Opening borders is moral, benefits economy
Immigrant in downtown Los Angeles, Calif., during a march for amnesty on May 1, 2006.
Human beings are the most important unit of civil society. Without people, we lack civilization; social organization, and our economy. Honing in on the economy, humans are the foundation on which the entire science of economics is built. After all, economics is defined as the science of how individuals allocate scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants. If there is one thing that every economist can agree on, it is the importance of human life
JONATHAN MCINTOSH/WIKI COMMONS
So why does the federal government view humans who come from another country with such disfavor?
The attitude toward immigrants does not depend on who holds power in the United States government. Though President Obama may have slightly changed his tune recently, in 2012 the Obama Administration oversaw more deportations than all deportations taking place between 1892 and 1997 combined, making his administration one of the harshest against undocumented immigrants in modern history.
With such oppression, why immigrate undocumented at all? The answer is simple: People move to this country
because of the opportunity to improve their lives. To illustrate this, all that is needed is a simple comparison between the United States and the country from which the largest number of undocumented immigrants originate: Mexico. The poverty line in the United States is twice the median income in Mexico. In other words, what we consider poor is two times richer than an everyday citizen of Mexico. If this does not illustrate the amount of privilege that we have in the United States, then I do not know what does.
Immigration is not only a moral issue, but also an economic one. Free trade (in the form of movement of goods services and capital) is considered beneficial by nearly every economist and the same is true for the free movement of labor. New arrivals become new workers who bring new ideas and innovate. Human capital is one of the most important resources to a country, and immigrants are one of the largest contributors.
Great Recession, indicating that many Americans were unwilling to take those jobs. Without immigrants, the food on our plates would be much more expensive, or perhaps not even exist.
There is a lot of talk from politicians on both the left and right about "securing the border." I propose a completely opposite approach: opening the border to unrestricted immigration. Some may be concerned about terrorist infiltration as a result of such a policy, but it would take a lot more than a fence to stop a hell-bent terrorist. Unless we are prepared to build a concrete wall a mile high around the entire continental United States, such an argument is
In fact, immigrants are incredibly vital to the US economy and have made up over half of all farm workers since the 1990s. When the state of Georgia passed a law in 2011 restricting immigrant workers, farmers found themselves 40 percent short of employees, bringing many farms to the brink of bankruptcy. In addition, this labor shortage took place in the midst of the
futile.
As far as I see it, opening the border to unrestricted immigration makes complete sense, both morally and economically. Why should we deny someone the opportunity to improve his or her life? Why should we force every consumer to face higher prices or a sluggish economy? Why should we restrict the ability of people to move about freely? If our nation strives for economic growth and truly stands for opportunity and liberty, immigrants who cross over should be embraced. To deny these immigrants is to deny prosperity, and to deny prosperity is to be irrational.
John Olson is a sophomore from
Wichita studying economics
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THE KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD
Members of the Kansan
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Cho, Stephanie Bickel and
Scharune Xie.
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