Why Nationwide Internet in the United States Should Not Be Free

    The United States has the most advanced market economy. This means that the US allows companies to set prices, but at the same time, anti-trust laws are there to protect. When we consume things, we have to pay for it. And that is one of the biggest strengths of our country. Even our water and our electricity are paid by us, so we consume these things wisely. With that being said, have we ever thought that how it will be possible to provide free nationwide internet?

    In order to get fast and secured internet for free, the government needs massive infrastructure, investments, and a large operation team to support and maintain it. The government has a lot of other responsibilities and operations to run, such as free education programs, healthcare, helping poor people, food services, transportation – you name it, where the government needs focus, investments, and improvements. If the government will have to take on such a large operation of free nationwide internet, it may derail what is already established and take down other priorities. 

    The government already has a program using the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which provides low-cost internet. Also, many telecom service providers provide internet with small costs that can go as low as $9.99 per month. In the US, multiple telecom companies, such as Xfinity, CenturyLink, AT&T, and Verizon, are competing to provide better services at lower costs. If governments have to consolidate all of these infrastructures and bring the cost down to provide no-cost internet, it will bring significant increases to taxes, which will ultimately impact the degradation of internet service and harm the businesses which are running on paid services.

    If internet goes free and we have a fixed bandwidth for the nation, all of a sudden, unnecessary usage will increase, which will take away bandwidth from education or businesses, which will result in an overall degradation. For example, in my household, if I ask the question that who is the biggest consumer of internet, is it my IT professional parents, or me and my sister, who do a lot of online educational activities? The answer came out is that it is actually my Grandma, who watches online television all day long. Often times, when we need bandwidth for important activities, we kindly request her to pause the online television. The point is that to cope up with this additional bandwidth requirement, the government not only has to reduce the cost but at the same time increase the infrastructure significantly.

    The internet quality is more important than it being free. Although there are people that may not be able to afford internet, it is provided for free in many public spaces such as restaurants or libraries. The government has more urgent problems to solve and cannot take on such a large operation that is not a priority. The biggest takeaway today is that the internet should be fair and strong, but not free, to everyone.

Why Voting in the United States Should Not Be Mandatory

    Having a right to do something does not mean you should be required to do it. For instance, we have the right to write novels or perform science experiments, but it would be a violation of our individual freedoms if the government forced us to do these tasks. So why should voting be any different? If voting were to become mandatory in the United States, then elections would not be effective, nor would it be democratic.
    There are Americans that know a lot about politics, economics, foreign affairs, and current events. However, others know hardly anything. Mandating those people who know hardly anything about voting would be like forcing them to perform a task such as flying a plane without any training. If voting were to become mandatory, it would flood the polls with more uninformed voters than educated voters. A higher number of votes does not mean that it will create a higher quality government. What is really needed is educated and passionate voters.
    Instead of making voting mandatory altogether, there are alternatives to fix low voter turnout. Voting can be made more convenient, such as voter preregistration, choosing better locations (it can get more people, especially ones in rural areas to vote), and extending voting hours as well as offering the option to vote on weekends, as some citizens do not get the time on Election Day due to work or other reasons. To fix the problem of proper voting, we need to strengthen civic education across the country in a simplified way by having seminars and events so they can understand the issues. 
    Campaigning itself from the candidates has been becoming very negatively styled, which creates a loss of interest in citizens to vote. Also, the voting process itself should be more natural instead of having it enforced towards citizens. You can try to force anybody to do anything, but they won’t produce it the right way if they have no interest or passion in it. Voting should be a natural and an unenforced process.
    Making the voting process of the United States mandatory will violate civil liberties. The government and politicians help and serve the people, not the other way around. Citizens should not be forced by law and against their will to participate in voting. It is like forcing people to sing a prayer for which they do not have any belief in. 
    The biggest takeaway is that voting is a right and a privilege that US citizens have, but it shall not be a requirement. If we really want to help America and show that we are free to make our decisions, citizens should not be mandated to vote. We should encourage citizens to either vote properly or not vote at all.

Why Zoos Should Not Be Abolished

    What would you do if you were sick? Would you like to get taken to the top vets in the zoos, or would you rather lie on the lonely, dry grass and potentially die? Sick and wounded animals can get shelter and treatment to survive in zoos. When animals are in zoos, zookeepers protect the endangered animals, to name a few, Chinese Pandas and White Rhinos. Zoos help to increase awareness about animals, knowledge on biodiversity, and conservation efforts. Therefore, they should not be abolished as they protect and ensure stability of species and lower endangerment rates. 

    Zoos are a necessary educational source which strengthen the public’s understanding of wildlife. Zoos raise awareness about endangered species and the significance of preservation. Zoos help us to understand animals and what they go through. When people come to zoos, they are taught about the conservation of some of the endangered species. Many people get motivated and inspired to do something about it in many ways, such as donating money or volunteering to help.  

    Out in the wild, hunters kill animals just for their skin, which they end up selling for the sake of earning money. In zoos, these kinds of scenarios can never occur because zookeepers and guards are there on the watch.  

    Nowadays, many animal-rights organizations want to ban zoos for an animal’s freedom. However, if you ask zoo organizations, they have proved that zoos are essential for the preservation of precious animals. In the past, zoos in the United States have helped the last living Arabic oryx, Golden Lion tamarin, and Californian condor populations. If it weren’t for zoos, these three important species would have gone extinct!  

    Zoos themselves have started change to ensure that animal rights are supported. Modern zoos are meant to educate children, emphasize on scientific research, conservation of species, and giving more space by recreating natural habitats. 

    Deforestation, an ongoing world problem, has been occurring in every part of the world. Where will these animals stay now? What if they become extinct or never find a habitat? By creating more conservation areas and zoos, wildlife can be preserved.  

    The biggest takeaway is that people protect what they love, and without having zoos, many children and adults would not fall in love naturally to protect these animals. Zookeepers are well-trained to look after animals and know exactly how to make them happy and healthy. They are fed well, given water, kept in very similar habitats, and are not always behind the bars. We need to teach our future generations the right thing. After all, it is about the life or death of these animals.