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I don't have cable. Which is understandable because I don't have a tv. In the past 7 years, ever since my family home broke up, I think I've had cable for about 2 years. About 9 months of that was not my choice. Our roommates/co-owners had a tv with cable which they utilized to the fullest extent. Another 6 months was a student deal which was cheaper than getting internet by itself.

I'm a big advocate of a tv-free home. I feel like my perspective on the world is different than that of "tv people". I know, I know, a lot of people say they don't watch it. But I know from experience that everyone watches more than they think they do and more than they want to. It is addicting. It sucks you in. I found myself watching the Pussycat Dolls show for no explicable reason. Without tv, one is forced to entertain oneself while at home. Yes I do have a computer, but that isn't as mindless as a tv. And I do watch movies, but they have a finite timeframe.

When I do watch tv, like when I go to the pub to watch a Canucks game, I find myself shocked by the advertisements. Not only are they offensive but they are irritating. What they are allowed to show, the subject matters and what they are selling shocks me. I find it hard to believe that they can actually convince people to buy their products, but I know it is so.

I believe that cable tv should be free. Not because everybody should have the right to it, but because people should not have to pay to consume advertisements. The bulk of funding is provided by the advertisers, so why should citizens pay? Since they want us to consume more, it should not cost. I think it should be either: 1) people can pay for channels or programs without advertising (like pay-per-view Canucks games, although I think that Canuck advertising should be prohibited as well) or 2) television with advertisements should be provided free of cost.

There. That's my 2 cents.