JusticeWept

Article summary:

New York City passed laws to "cap the number of for-hire vehicles for a year while the city studies the booming industry. The bills also allow New York to set a minimum pay rate for drivers." According to the NYTimes, NYC is Uber's largest market.

NYC is also a hotbed of discontent for Uber workers. Conditions of employment are evidently so bad that, "[t]he battle over Uber’s future in New York has been prompted in part by growing concerns over financial turmoil among drivers — a problem underscored by six driver suicides in recent months." Taxi drivers, displaced by Uber drivers, also celebrated the cap.

Uber has had several other issues, as well--the NYTimes cites worker complaints about "gender discrimination and harassment", additionally, you may recall the self-driving Uber vehicle that killed a pedestrian in Arizona.

Uber and Lyft, of course, are upset with the move. They argue that it will force them to charge higher prices, and according to an Uber spokesperson, "'[t]he City’s 12-month pause on new vehicle licenses will threaten one of the few reliable transportation options while doing nothing to fix the subways or ease congestion.'" One Republican who voted against the measures said "that limiting Uber to help yellow taxis was similar to regulating Netflix, the streaming service, to help Blockbuster, the video rental chain."

This hits upon one of the great issues of our time--the explosion of technological growth and our inability to reckon with its consequences. Ride-sharing companies are an incredible innovation in that they make personal transportation far easier. But in our zeal to embrace innovation, lots of people end up losing out. The same story plays out in many ways. Facebook and the ease of spreading fake news and accessing user data, among other sins; Google and privacy concerns; problems keep arising. Yet, the innovations themselves are valuable.

To what extent should Uber be regulated? Are the concerns about its disregard for workers valid, or is this just a play by a taxi industry on its last legs to survive a little longer?

Discuss.

Almost everyone, myself included, is terrible at political thought and moral thought. There are so many conflicting considerations on so many issues that while there is a right answer as to what we ought to do, we clearly don't stop and reflect enough. Take abortion, for example. Do you know when morally significant life begins? Can you honestly say that you have worked through all the ethical knots of abortion and really, truly know that it is permissible or impermissible?

So this is your chance to prove yourself. Here's your mission, should you choose to accept it:

Explain yourself.

The question is purposefully broad. You could equate politics with your whole worldview, or define it another way. Either way, I'll question you.

Article Summary:

In June, the lower house in Argentina "narrowly approved a bill allowing women to terminate pregnancy in the first 14 weeks". But it failed in the Senate, due at least partially to the intervention of Catholic Church leaders. Argentina has been distancing itself from the Church; it "became the first country in Latin America to allow gay couples to wed" in 2010.

Argentinian health minister Adolfo Rubenstein, "testified in Congress in favor of legalization and has estimated that some 354,000 clandestine abortions are carried out every year in the country." Supporters are concerned about the welfare of women, as "[c]omplications as a result of those abortions are the single leading cause of maternal deaths in the country, according to Mariana Romero, a researcher at the Center for the Study of the State and Society, a nonprofit organization."

Detractors included the vice president, while the president promised to support the result either way. Abortion opponent Maria Curutchet said, "It was a very emotional day . . . We were out in huge numbers and showed that we will defend the two lives, no matter the cost.”

The bill's failure sparked various riots, demonstrations, and celebrations. Supporters vowed to keep fighting: "'We will no longer be silent and we won’t let them win,' said Jimena Del Potro, a 33-year-old designer who fought back tears as she spoke. 'Abortion will be legal soon. Very soon.'"

Discuss.