Shis issue:

(Y Canucks: The enigma heading into the trade deadline

(Y Political correctness and comedy

( Say yes to the transit

And more!

Have your voice heard!

Contact: Elliot Chan, Opinions Editor

M opinions@theotherpress.ca

www.theotherpress.ca

 

Dont be that guy: Rancid roommates

» Avoiding roomie conflicts and improving living conditions

Mercedes Deutscher
Staff Writer

 

o you participate in a bro-

habitation? Do you havea
female flatmate? How about a
co-ed bunk bed?

For many college students,
in order to make ends meet,
their first home away from
home will be shared with
roommates. There are plenty
of advantages to sharing living
accommodations, such as
saving money, making new
friends or building on old
friendships, and being ina
more accessible area.

It may not always be
smooth sailing onboard the
S. S. Roommate. Sometimes,
you'll be plagued by the rancid
roommate, otherwise known
as That Guy. That Guy doesn’t
take into consideration that
they share a space with one or
more tenants. They will leave
the suite ina disaster, not do
their share of chores, won't

: borrow things without asking,
: or even slack on their share

: of the bills. Putting it bluntly,
: That Guy will not be easy to

: live with, and will be the source :
: of constant conflict throughout :
: an otherwise harmonious
: living space.

That’s why it’s important

: to know what youre getting

: into when deciding to share

: a residence with someone.

: When you and your potential

: roommate are first organizing

: a future living situation, make

: it clear to all parties involved

: what their privileges and

: responsibilities are. Will the

: bills be split evenly between

: roommates? Will one pay for

: Internet and another pay for

: cable? Is everyone responsible

: for their own food, or will

: everyone pitch in for groceries?
: These are among many :
: important responsibilities when:
: (almost) living out on your

: own. Clarifying these factors

: early and holding everyone

: accountable to their own tasks

: could eliminate (or at least tone
: down) any future conflicts.
respect already limited privacy, :

  

I’m not your mom nagging

you to clean up, but common
; areas such as the living room
; and kitchen should be kept

orderly. This could be done

: by cleaning up after oneself
: or by assigning rooms to

: each resident to care for. If

: you invited a date over (after
: asking for your roommate’s

: permission, of course!), I’m
sure old pizza boxes or dirty

: clothes wouldn't be a great first
: impression.

Although finding privacy

: ina multi-person household

: may be difficult, everyone

: should at least have some sort
: of private area. No one should
: intrude on this area without

: the occupant’s permission. A

: similar rule should apply to

: an individual’s belongings:
nothing should be borrowed

 

Image from Thinkstock

: without consent. Doing so

: could cause discomfort,

: mistrust, or potentially

? criminal charges. All in all, it’s
easier to just ask.

Hopefully by setting

: some ground rules early, the

: S. S. Roommate will neither

: capsize nor wash ashore, and
: all the shipmates will sail on
smoothly.

 

Let taxes equal charities

» Is it really better to gi

: library, so I’m happy about the
: books my tax dollars bought.

: I drive, so I’m glad there is

: money left to fill potholes and

: extend the highway. Let’s call

: taxes a security for our future,

: insurance for our way of living,
: anda charity for the people in

: our society.

Elliot Chan
Opinions Editor

 

@theotherpress.ca

I: hard to get excited about
taxes. Like having someone
reach into your pocket and take
whatever they want, tax season
often leaves us all feeling a
little violated. But for as long
as civilized living has existed,
taxes have been constant and
increasing. It’s clear today that
if we want to continue living the
Canadian life, we'll need to pay
taxes, and a lot of them.

After you wash away the
tears, let’s take a look at all
the benefits, because it is all

and services are two popular
reasons to pay taxes, and they’re
good ones. Ill be glad to pay
taxes if the firefighters put

out my burning house or if a
policeman arrests the dude who
just robbed me. I frequent the

ve?

As I progress through life,

: I have noticed that I’m paying
: more taxes. I remember there

: was a time when I received

: money from the government

: for simply being alive. Now,

: I’m required to pay it back—

: it’s bullshit. But I’m not going

: to stop working; I’m not

: going to stop making money.

: My attitude toward taxes is

: different. I want to make more
about the benefits. Public safety : money so I can pay more taxes.

: Rich people get praised all the

: time for donating to charity, but
: they get pitied for having to pay
: significant taxes. No! Don't pity
: them. They are rich. If needing

: to pay taxes is a deterrent for

: wealth, there is something
: wrong with your mentality, and
: that needs to change.

Money creates power and

: power begets money. Taxes

: break this pattern. They put

: responsibility on the wealthy
: to help provide for their less

: fortunate peers as they cope

: with the hardships of life.

Weare all in this together,

: although we might not all

: agree on where the money

: should go. Some say the money
: should be dedicated to slums,

: others say it should go into

: renovating a public art gallery.

: Some want it to build a new

: transit infrastructure; others

: want to upgrade the healthcare
: system. We might never agree,

: but the thing is, we should be

: optimistic that wherever our

: money goes it’s going to good

: efforts. The same way we have

: little control once we donate

: toa charity, is the same way we
: should approach taxes.

 

Image from Thinkstock