Weekly Writers Round-Up: Mask Laws, Fixing the FDA, and the Value of Political Ads

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. Do you dream of having bylines like these? Learn more about how the Writing Fellows Program can help boost your writing career.

Face Masks May Be Symbols for Some, or They Could Have Cost You $1,000 by Shelby Sterling (Spring 2020) in the Houston Courant
As America begins to reopen, many states and counties have face mask requirements in addition to social distancing and hand washing. Some even include an enforcement mechanism. But should not wearing a face mask in public make you a criminal? 

Some places say yes…

Get the ‘F’ out of the FDA by Trace Mitchell (Summer 2019) in The Hill
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the way Americans think about public health. There’s little doubt that government officials, corporations and citizens need to do a much better job of working together — and some regulatory agencies are clearly getting in the way. As our Mercatus Center colleague, the noted economist Tyler Cowen, bluntly (but fairly) put it, “Our regulatory state is failing us.” 

When it comes to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the failure is so dramatic that it might be time for the agency to be dismantled, at least partially…

The harm of blocking political Facebook ads by Luke Wachob (Fall 2018) in the Washington Examiner
It’s true in life and politics: You don’t know what you don’t know. After Facebook’s decision to allow users to block ads about social and political issues, maybe you never will.

Digital ads help new voices reach large audiences. Far cheaper than TV ads, they are one of the best ways for first-time candidates to get their message out and build that all-important list of supporters…