By Tyler Davis

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High time for United States to legalize hemp production

Increase in minimum wage necessary

In the State of the Union address last week, President Barack Obama proposed increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $9 an hour. This is a good idea that would raise the standard of living for millions of Americans and help minimize loan debt taken on by college students.

Issue of homelessness long-ignored by Wisconsin politicians

The issue of homelessness has never received enough attention from public policy makers. No incident has made this more apparent than an event several months ago in Madison, in which a police officer ordered the belongings of the homeless on Capitol Square to be brought to the city dump before other police officers ultimately retrieved them.

Ethnic studies requirement constrictive

The Daily Cardinal recently reported that a roundtable dinner will be held by the Associated Students of Madison Diversity Committee to entertain the possibility of reforming the mandatory ethnic studies requirement.

Polling policies need more structure

During the last presidential election, multiple hour-long lines prevented an estimated 200,000 people in Florida from voting. For reference, that’s more than twice President Barack Obama’s margin of victory in the state.

The business of ball: working and sweating for free

College football isn’t just a sport. College football is a business. With Bret Bielema, the former head coach of the Badgers, leaving a $2.7 million salary for a $700,000 raise, we’re reminded of the amount of money that changes hands. Consider that the Big Ten generates hundreds of millions of dollars per year solely from licensing of television rights and you’ll gain insight into just how huge the industry is. The television networks make millions, the advertising agencies make millions, and the coaches make millions. There’s only one group that’s left out: the players.