https://www.columbiaspectator.com/opinion/2020/02/28/the-rent-is-too-damn-high/
For my first article this week, I decided to look through the opinion section instead of just sticking to the website’s landing page. I then stumbled upon an opinion article that piqued my interest because the headline made me think I’d relate to it very closely right now as I hunt for apartments for next year. This article is actually about how Columbia being a greedy landlord to surrounding businesses that students learn to love. However, the high rent Columbia charges these establishments to rent the property makes it impossible for them to succeed. So many of these restaurants that students of Columbia love have been forced to close their doors and move. The author of this article feels like Columbia shouldn’t be renting a property in this way. Since they are a non-profit organization, they are free from property taxes and thus make more money off of this. So, with that extra money, the school should be more forgiving with their rent pricing so that these restaurants students love can stick around.
https://www.columbiaspectator.com/opinion/2020/02/20/we-can-learn-from-the-iowa-caucuses-too/
This next article is about how the author, a student, attended their hometown caucus in Iowa with high hopes for the Democratic party. However, when coming back to Columbia, the author was met with a wave of negativity. Many people believe that the caucus system in Iowa is on its way out and doesn’t go along with democratic ideas. The article is suggesting that the system be improved to accommodate more people. At the moment, some of the biggest problems include the time it’s held which is when many people are at their day jobs. Another issue is that many of these same working people are the ones responsible for organizing and running the caucuses every time. The author then addresses the question: should the system be abolished? To which they feel like a primary system would bring in more people, but there are still issues with that as well. However, their main conclusion is that it shouldn’t be completely changed. But citizens should just seek to continue approving.
