Weekly Writers Round-Up: The Millennial Vote, Lessons from Venezuela, and Politically-Motivated Spying

Each week, we’ll be featuring opinion pieces from 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.

Respectful Presidential Town Halls Can Attract Millennials to Politics by Kristiana Bolzman (Spring 2019) in Townhall
Like much of the millennial generation, I would prefer to avoid political participation and the baggage that comes with it. But my view is changing in light of the surprising civility and bi-partisanship demonstrated in the recent Fox News town halls featuring Democratic presidential candidates. These events and the constructive conversation they have fostered give me hope for the 2020 election—and my generation’s participation in it…

Venezuela Shows Why Socialism’s Failure Still Matters by Chelsea Follett (Summer 2017) in The National Interest
Last week, a number of left-wing activists occupied the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, DC, while Venezuelan-Americans counter-protested outside the building and demanded the end of socialism in the Latin American country. Today’s proponents of socialism often fault their critics for equating twenty-first-century “democratic socialism” with totalitarian versions of that philosophy, which dominated many countries in the twentieth century and continue to exist in places like Cuba and North Korea today…

Government Surveillance Of Political Activists Is Scary, Illegal, And Common by Luke Wachob (Fall 2018) in The Federalist
In the early years of the Obama administration, newly formed conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status were subjected to lengthy delays and inappropriate demands for information, preventing the Tea Party from operating at full strength.

Then there was the John Doe fiasco in Wisconsin, which saw conservative activists subjected to pre-dawn police raids as part of a sprawling investigation ultimately shut down by the state supreme court. Even when a group is not charged with violating the law, constantly being watched and hassled by the government takes a heavy toll…

No Evidence, No Problem: The Crumbling Case for Soda Taxes by Guy Bentley (Spring 2017) in The Washington Examiner
No matter how many times they’re debunked, disproven, or discredited, some policies refuse to die with dignity.

Despite a dearth of evidence from anywhere in the world showing soda taxes reduce obesity, the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics continue banging the drum against king Coke…