The people of the United States of America deserve free, socialized internet access.

Talon Marks editors and staff writers have elected to publish moderate and lukewarm opinions revolving around the simple notion that the internet should not be censored or controlled in any way that gives large, evil corporations a business advantage.

Due to this week’s print edition being the final issue of the semester, yours truly felt morally obliged to stress that it is important to have stronger opinions that not only protect the status quo, but improve upon it.

Today, internet access has become as much a part of daily life as infrastructure, as necessary for education as public libraries, and as central to American life as Rock n’ Roll.

Losing net neutrality will affect the economy poorly.

Social media, streaming services and scholarly resources are already being paid for by ads — to make us buy special packages, paying twice for basic human rights is exploitation.

The corporate overlords cannot presume themselves to be allowed to charge money for something that was once free; it is right for them to be met with revolt, of either social or physical nature.

Charging for basic human rights is obscene and immoral.

We should not have to pay for internet access for the same reason that we should not have to pay for food, water, clothing, housing, transportation, healthcare and education.

It is time the government respect the people enough to provide socialized WiFi, along with these other aforementioned basic human rights.

The solution to this is simple.

We repeal the atrocious “tax reform” bill sanctioned by senate- which many believe is the final nail in the coffin of middle America- and stop funneling money into the hands of the wicked wealthy.

Then we put this money, back where it belongs: in programs that benefit the many.

With the reversal of this system of trickle down economics, we will see a redistribution of wealth such that each man will have the opportunity to work in a profession that is enriching, each old person will have security and each child will have hope.

People need not be afraid of an invasion of privacy on the part of the government.

The government was not founded to regulate its citizens to death; but to protect them from the powers (both governmental and commercial) that would seek to control and dictate our way of life.

This sort of authoritarianism is already present in our government today.

In 2013, The Huffington Post reported that Verizon and other companies had given consumer data to the federal government.

Not only had cellphone companies been giving away our information — the government was using tax money to pay for it.

It is either by healing this broken system to bring about slow change or overthrowing it to bring about rapid change that we move forward — there is no other way!