Weekly Writers Round-Up: Ridesharing Restrictions, Afghanistan Peace Talks, and Markets Fighting Poverty

Each week, we’ll be featuring the work of the alumni and current participants of AF’s Writing Fellows Program. A few highlights from the past week are below. For more information on how the program can help launch your career in writing, see here.

Uber Sues New York City Over Vehicle Cap by Billy Binion (Spring 2018) in Reason
Uber is taking New York City to court after lawmakers capped the number of cars allowed on the ride-sharing app. Legislation passed by the New York City Council in August of last year imposed a yearlong pause on new vehicle licenses for Uber and Lyft drivers. Lawmakers who advocated for the restriction said it will help ease congestion. But Uber is pushing back on that, arguing the moratorium will create far more problems than it will solve…

The Afghanistan Peace Talks Must Consider the Views of the Conflict’s Battered Veterans by Beth Bailey (Fall 2018) in The Washington Examiner
The Pentagon may pull troops from Afghanistan in the next five years as part of ongoing negotiations with the Taliban, potentially putting an end to a conflict in Afghanistan that is dragging towards its 18th year. As we look back at a complex war and nation-building effort overseen by three U.S. presidents and resulting in the deaths of 3,566 western coalition forces personnel, there are many important points to consider. The unique and encompassing perspectives we cannot forget are those of the veterans and current service members who bore the weight of battle and thus have an intimate understanding of the Taliban’s tactics and capabilities…

Everyday People Are Reducing Poverty – Not Big Government by Jake Grant (Summer 2017) in CapX
There’s pressure from plenty of voters to let the government protect the least-fortunate among us through socialistic means. There has been since before the institution of the welfare state. But across the United States, it’s easy to see that people, not the government, are making huge strides in addressing the needs of their communities and uprooting the cycles of poverty. Sometimes that looks like helping at-risk youth obtain a valuable education, encouraging people with substance abuse problems to kick their addiction, or pushing neighbors to develop job skills to earn an income. In a world where socialism is becoming more popular, it’s the private market actually stepping up and making a difference in stopping poverty…