Let’s start with spending cuts. People often ask what expenses are required and what can be cut? Clearly, housing costs and utilities are a necessary expense. Yet in times of economic turmoil, people figure out ways to reduce costs. Sure, having cable is nice, but is the premium package really worth the additional $40 or can you live with basic cable or do without entirely? The state needs to ask itself similar questions: what eco-friendly initiatives can the state adopt to cut heating and electric costs of government-run buildings? In place of the long-distance conference call, how about using free programs such as skype? Just like the everyday Ohioan figures out how to watch the Daily Show online, so too can the state figure out how to do without.

In addition to cutting costs, many people try to figure out how to increase revenue to help the budget. The everyday Ohioan can take on a second job or sell personal belongings. It is never easy to work a 40-hour week and then work retail on the weekends. Yet, Ohioans frequently make the sacrifice. The state can make more money by increasing taxes. Now, no one ever wants a tax hike. But, in times of economic uncertainty, like taking the second job, tax increases may be required. And Ohioans should understand the state needs to increase its cash flow just as they work to increase theirs.

Now there is a difference. Unlike trimming our personal budgets, cutting the state’s budget affects others. In order to balance the budget, Governor Kasich many have to cut some state-funded programs, and the cuts may hurt programs that serve Ohio’s most needy. Yet, the everyday Ohioan faces similarly uncomfortable decisions. For instance, children’s happiness is foremost in every parent’s mind, yet when facing economic uncertainty, parents make sacrifices, such as forgoing new clothes or extra-curricular activities.

Parents understand financial security trumps a trip to the movies. And though the child may resent the parent, families ultimately find other forms of fun, such as stay-cations, or playing board games. While it is understandable that people don’t want to cut state programs, the budget reality requires compromise. Making cuts does not say certain programs are without value. But, just like parents must disappoint their children, so too must Governor Kasich disappoint some constituents in this economic crisis.

Balancing a budget is a daunting task. But examining the ways everyday Ohioans justify their own budget sacrifices, perhaps Governor Kasich will feel better about some decision that lay ahead. Vice-versa, understanding these similarities may help ordinary citizens accept potential tax hikes or budget cuts as they do their own personal sacrifices. Whatever may happen, whether it is cutting cable or cutting service programs, in today’s economic climate, we all understand the value of pinching pennies.

Americans adamantly protect their privacy. The US Supreme court has used the 9th Amendment of the Constitution to protect our privacy rights. Government officials have been fired for snooping into records. But privacy is getting harder to keep as technology advances.

Recently, there has been a rash of protests claiming invasions of of privacy from social media sites like Facebook. Advocates complain the the websites collect and share personal information without users’ consent.. For instance, just last month it was revealed that Rapleaf, a company that makes applications for Facebook, inappropriately misused user information. Yet, while arguments against Facebook and other sites raise concern about issues of online privacy, other threats to our privacy get less attention.

Office buildings and convenience stores have long used surveillance cameras to keep crime at bay. At first when government introduced traffic light cameras, people complained about the watchful eye of “Big Brother.” But once the traffic cameras became main-stream, people stopped complaining. Now, most people just ignore the presence of surveillance cameras on the corner of Broad and High. So why is it that people protest online privacy violations more than surveillance cameras?

Perhaps it is the promise of ensured safety that makes individuals comfortable with being watched? While people may not enjoy the thought of being monitored 24/7, they do enjoy the thought of a crime-free community. Red-light cameras were at first a threat to privacy, but once people realized it helped curb speeding and car accidents, the cameras were accepted. The invasion of our on-line privacy seems to offer few benefits, so the protests continue.

All of this begs the question: is safety more important than privacy? It seems to be, at least in Columbus. A recent poll on the Columbus Dispatch website shows that 80% of surveyed individuals want cameras installed in their neighborhoods. Even those individuals who live in relatively low-crime areas supported surveillance cameras. For them, installing the cameras is a small price to pay to ensure the safety of their homes and businesses. The potential risk of crime on the streets outweighed the potential violation of privacy from the cameras.

Maybe once Facebook figures out a way to fight cyber-crime and catch criminals, online threats to privacy will become acceptable? Until then, let’s just continue to protest invasions of our privacy from the comforts of our videotaped neighborhoods.

In recent years, a trend has emerged that combines environmental justice with poverty issues. It’s called “freeganism”. Freeganizm, in theory, works to shed light on economic and environmental justice. In practice, it just trivializes poverty.

The concept of “freeganism”, which combines the terms “free” and “vegan”, developed within the past decade as a way to critique capitalism and consumer waste. Freegans aim to diminish their own personal waste habits by dumpster diving for discarded food from grocers, bakeries, and restaurants. Through their filtering of garbage, freegans live off the waste of “big businesses” and illustrate the amount of waste produced in American society.

In a way, their actions critique capitalism and consumerism. Freegans also work to create environmental awareness about recycling and sustainability. Freegans have slowly gained momentum nationally and in Ohio. The Cleveland Dumpster Divers group come together via the website meetup.com. And the freegan collective Food Not Bombs, which serves vegan meals made from pilfered dumpster food to Ohio’s homeless, has more than 10 chapters across the state.

I understand the political implications of freeganism and agree that we should pay attention to wasteful consumer habits. But living free off of other people’s waste inappropriately trivializes the stark reality of deprivation that some Ohioans experience on a daily basis. While freegans choose to dumpster dive as a political stance, some people don’t have a choice.

Food banks and shelters do an excellent job feeding hungry Ohioans, but the truth is that some still rely on the discarded leftovers from restaurants and grocers. Eating dumpster food to make a political statement diminishes the harsh actuality of those who have no other choice.

Furthermore, vegans choose to eat a diet void of animal products, oftentimes for political reasons. Yet, being so selective about one’s diet is elitist, not anti-capitalist. Our society is so wealthy that we can choose to avoid certain foods in order to live the political lifestyle we desire. We are so rich that we can eat “poorly”.

So by embracing the dumpster-diving diet, freegans mimick the lifestyle of those in poverty without actually living in poverty. Not only are they “free” of consumption, but they are also “free” of worry about hunger and shelter.

Clearly, freeganism was formed to instigate social activism and awareness about economic and environmental injustice, and I agree that encouraging individuals to be aware of food waste and recycling is important.

True, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but dumpster diving for vegan meals is in poor taste . . . in more ways than one.

During my morning commute, I pass countless signs warning me to “share the road” and “give caution to bikers.” Yet, what percentage of Ohio drivers are aware of the proper way to “share the road”? We learn about bike safety when passing a drivers’ license test, but how frequently do we remind ourselves about the proper meaning of bike signals? Furthermore, where are the signs reminding bikers to signal when turning, or to stop at stop-signs? In addition to the need for drivers to drive cautiously, bikers too need to remember to adhere to proper roadway etiquette. If drivers and bikers are going to co-exist, the burden of safety should be placed on everyone’s shoulders.

We require motorcyclists, scooter, and moped drivers to pass safety-tests before venturing out onto the open roadways. All of these motorized machines carry equal amounts of road-way responsibility. Are bikers any different? Why does removing the motor suddenly allow bikers to refrain from carrying a license? I am not advocating for all bikers to possess a “safety license”. That would be impractical and difficult to enforce. Yet, if people choose to use bikes as their primary forms of transportation, then it is reasonable to expect them to adhere to traffic rules and standards before they ride down High Street at rush-hour. People choosing an eco-friendly lifestyle are trying to make “responsible” choices, yet their responsible thinking can often stop when their foot hits the pedal. Just as a drivers’ sense of caution cannot cease when turning the ignition key, bikers should similarly be aware.

Drivers, too, are not immune from criticism. If society is dedicated to becoming a biker-friendly environment, then drivers’ awareness of bike safety should be as commonplace as knowing the meaning of a red light or a yield sign. Perhaps in addition to the “drive cautious” signs we should also consider posting reminder signs of bike signals and “bike rules”. Children understand the meaning of stop signs from an early age. If bikes are a permanent alternative for gas-powered transportation, then we need an early start to teaching future drivers about the proper way to share the road with bikers.

We have to creating more environmentally savvy transportation options in this age of high gas prices and environmental threats. In order for Columbus to become a model for “green” transportation, bikers and drivers both need to learn and obey the rules of the road. Ensuring biking education not only helps create safer roadways; it can also create more friendly relationships between the Schwinns and the Corollas. So in the spirit of those cautious signs reminding drivers to share the roads – remember: sharing is a two-way street.

The Y is but one of a number of organizations and companies that have shorten their names. Some recent examples are Pizza Hut re-branding itself as “The Hut” and Radio Shack becoming just “The Shack.” National Public Radio now just uses ” NPR” A company may choose to re-brand itself to increase business or regain attention. But the shortening of company names has to do more with trying to keep up with our speedier, technology-fused society.

Much of our communication today comes in the forms of tweets, text messages, and emails sent from smart phones. And a reality of this new communication is the fact that typing has replaced verbal dialogues. And in our transformation from a verbal to a typing society, our speech has become shorter. Telling a story about last night’s dinner might take you 5 minutes over the phone, but typing the same story would take you ten minutes. An easy way to shorten the story is to substitute abbreviations for long phrases, replace long words with punctuations, and even trade verbal tones for emoticons. A face-to-face goodbye hug becomes: “CUL8R, smiley face”- spelled wIth the letters c, U, L, the numeral 8, the letter R a colon and right parentheses.

Organizations like The Y and companies like The Shack are trying to interject themselves into our culture of shortened speech. Even if typing The Hut versus Pizza Hut only removes two letters, saying “The Hut” itself continues our expectation that communication be short and concise. Saying “The Y” instead of YMCA is snappier. It’s more chic. And society loves things that are snappy and chic. Just look at all the products you can purchase at The Shack for use during fitness classes you take at The Y to work off the meal you ate at the Hut.

In addition, saying “The Y” or “The Shack” denotes a level of personal connection with the organization. People drop their kids off for child care at the Young Men’s Christian Association, but people belong to “The Y.” A person buys electronics at Radio Shack, but becomes tech savvy at “The Shack.” A person hastily picks up dinner from Pizza Hut, but enjoys trendy family meals at “The Hut.” Perhaps in addition to inserting their shorter names into society’s speedier vernacular, The Y and others are also simultaneously trying to maintain some sense of emotional connection. In a time when emoticons replace actual face-to-face smiles, saying “The Y” might keep us feeling warm and fuzzy.

So I say kudos to The Y for joining the ranks of others who have shortened their brands. Maybe they will spark other organizations and companies to follow suit. Just think of how faster texting about The Boys and Girls Club of America could be if it were just called “The Club?” But then again, perhaps our speedy vernacular will one day force out the “the’s” leaving us with shacks, huts, and a whole lot of y’s.

Often times, boycotters don’t know all the facts . Take for example a recent New York Times report. People upset by the Arizona laws decided to boycott the Arizona Iced Tea beverage company. A major problem with their boycott, though, was the fact that the drink is actually produced in New York. Thus, these distressed citizens who thought they were making a statement against the immigration laws, were in fact making a statement against innocent New Yorkers. While you can argue the people protesting the beverage maker were well-intentioned, what they were not was well informed.

In an age of hyper technology, where individuals are always connected and can have CNN tweets sent directly to their cell phones, a lot of knowledge still gets lost in the shuffle.And that lost knowledge can have significant consequences. The Arizona Iced-Tea mix-up may not be that severe and New York probably will not feel the effects. Yet, protesting travel to Arizona can significantly affect the daily lives of Arizona businesspeople and their employees . Moreover, the boycott can also have a huge influence on the livelihood of individuals who voted both for and against the bill. The very population the boycotts are attempting to help may in fact be hurt by a loss of business.

This is not to say that boycotting travel to Arizona is without i merit. Nor does it diminish the efforts of those individuals who through their refusal to drink Arizona Iced T feel they are making a statement. But engaging in a boycott without thoughtfully understanding all the facts can severely affect people’s social, political, and financial existences.

Boycotting will continue as a form of protest long after the discussion of the Arizona law has ceased. And people will continue to make boycotting mistakes, such as the Arizona Tea fiasco. In the end, individuals in Columbus, Ohio, and across the U.S. need to simply take a moment to follow their own informed opinion about a boycott, rather than follow their tweets.