Should prostitution be legal?

[Dexter]

I find it weird that it's illegal for a woman to get paid for sex unless there's a camera recording and it's uploaded to the internet for money. Should two adults be able to engage in this behavior? I think if it were legalized it would be easier to ensure the safety of both parties. It'd also create more tax revenue. Also people are just going to do it anyway. How many police resources get wasted on stopping people from paying for sex? It seems ridiculous to me. When you try to force people to not do this all you're doing is increasing crime. Let's stop funding the black market with bad laws.

[Frank Cannon]

Yes. I am always looking for new cash revenue streams....



Fo Shizzle!

[Oceander]

Assuming that, as a matter of theory, it should be legal because consenting adults should generally be left to run their own lives as they please, it is possible to prevent women (or men, for that matter) who don’t wish to engage in the business from being forced into it?  And is blanket prohibition simply the only way to prevent legalizing sex slavery. 

[Dexter]

Assuming that, as a matter of theory, it should be legal because consenting adults should generally be left to run their own lives as they please, it is possible to prevent women (or men, for that matter) who don’t wish to engage in the business from being forced into it?  And is blanket prohibition simply the only way to prevent legalizing sex slavery.

I think sex slavery would be diminished with legalization because legal businesses would take an enormous chunk out of overall sex traffic. That makes the whole process a lot harder for sex slavers because they have a lot less funds and most people will be looking for a legal business rather that some sketchy illegal sex trafficker. Also legalization would lead to regulations to ensure the girls don't have STDs and to make sure they're not being forced to make the choice to be a sex worker; there'd be regular checkups and verification for these things.

Legal prostitution would reduce the spread of STDs. Nothing good is happening as a result of us trying to prevent this practice. I can't think of a single element of this that won't improve with legalization.

[Oceander]

I think sex slavery would be diminished with legalization because legal businesses would take an enormous chunk out of overall sex traffic. That makes the whole process a lot harder for them because they have a lot less funds and most people will be looking for a legal business rather that some sketchy pimp. Also legalization would lead to regulations to ensure the girls don't have STDs; there'd be regular checkups and verification.

Legal prostitution would reduce the spread of STDs. Nothing good is happening as a result of us trying to prevent this practice. I can't think of a single element of this that won't improve with legalization.

Legalization also makes it a lot easier to run a sex slave ring out in the open. Do you really think most customers are going to check first to make sure the girl is really there of her own free will, and will question her carefully to make sure she’s not just lying because of threats of violence from the pimp or madam?  If not the customers, then who?   Will we have a massive force of sex inspectors going to every place where sex might conceivably be sold to check that each and every purveyor is really selling herself or himself voluntarily?  At that point, making it illegal may simply be the most cost-effective solution; that is, not without its own costs, but still less costly than the alternative. 

[Dexter]

Do you really think most customers are going to check first to make sure the girl is really there of her own free will, and will question her carefully to make sure she’s not just lying because of threats of violence from the pimp or madam?  If not the customers, then who?

The government can do that and it can be paid for with the taxes generated. Even more jobs. You could tax the shit out of that industry and it would still be profitable. Other countries have clearly demonstrated that this can be done well. Also I don't see how sex slavery doesn't become much less common with legalization. It pulls a giant chunk of it out of the black market. The whole situation becomes a lot less dangerous when it becomes legal. That's true for pretty much any service or product that people want.

[Oceander]

The government can do that and it can be paid for with the taxes generated. Even more jobs. You could tax the shit out of that industry and it would still be profitable. Other countries have clearly demonstrated that this can be done well. Also I don't see how sex slavery doesn't become much less common with legalization. It pulls a giant chunk of it out of the black market. The whole situation becomes a lot less dangerous when it becomes legal. That's true for pretty much any service or product that people want.

Legalizing prostitution makes it easier to run sex slavery, not harder, because the business now has the blessing of the government. 

And taxing the shit out of it doesn’t make it better; taxing it at the same level at which cigarettes are taxed, for example, would simply encourage even more illegal behavior. 

You really seem to have wasted that six years in college.

[dfwgator]

The government can do that and it can be paid for with the taxes generated. Even more jobs. You could tax the shit out of that industry and it would still be profitable. Other countries have clearly demonstrated that this can be done well. Also I don't see how sex slavery doesn't become much less common with legalization. It pulls a giant chunk of it out of the black market. The whole situation becomes a lot less dangerous when it becomes legal. That's true for pretty much any service or product that people want.

If you tax it, you're still going to have "black market" prostitution which then defeats the purpose of the whole thing.

[Wingnut]

Pimpin ain't easy.

[Dexter]

you're still going to have "black market" prostitution

Not nearly as much.

[Dexter]

Legalizing prostitution makes it easier to run sex slavery, not harder, because the business now has the blessing of the government. 

And taxing the shit out of it doesn’t make it better; taxing it at the same level at which cigarettes are taxed, for example, would simply encourage even more illegal behavior. 

You really seem to have wasted that six years in college.

The situation overall would be better if it was legal and taxed.

[Hoodat]

Pimpin ain't easy.

[Oceander]

The situation overall would be better if it was legal and taxed.

That is a conclusion desperately seeking facts to support it.  Maybe find some support that takes the additional costs into account as well as the starry-eyed benefits. 

[Dexter]

That is a conclusion desperately seeking facts to support it.  Maybe find some support that takes the additional costs into account as well as the starry-eyed benefits.

There sure seems to be a lot of conservatives that aren’t liberty minded at all.

[truth_seeker]

How about simply "de-criminalize" it with no taxes or regulation?

IOW if I want to date a gal, enjoy a walk, then a meal, and sex later, why can't I simply pay an agreed fee?

Same for a movie,, a day at the zoo, or just a roll in the hay so to speak? My place or hers.

Taxing and regulation are not needed, in my reckoning.

[Dexter]

How about simply "de-criminalize" it with no taxes or regulation?

IOW if I want to date a gal, enjoy a walk, then a meal, and sex later, why can't I simply pay an agreed fee?

Same for a movie,, a day at the zoo, or just a roll in the hay so to speak? My place or hers.

Taxing and regulation are not needed, in my reckoning.

You don’t snatch that business from the black market unless you let people start businesses. I want our economy to take giant bites out of black market cash flow.

[musiclady]

What needs to happen is that the johns get penalized for their crime, and investigations take place to find out if the prostitutes are sex slaves with heavy penalties and jail time for the slave owners/pimps.

As long as prostitutes are punished and johns go free, there will be great injustice in the system.   Many of them are enslaved by their pimps and forced into prostitution.  I know that there has been progress lately in calling the pimps to account as well as those who solicit their 'services' but much progress needs to take place.

[musiclady]

There sure seems to be a lot of conservatives that aren’t liberty minded at all.

Slavery isn't liberty.

[Oceander]

There sure seems to be a lot of conservatives that aren’t liberty minded at all.

Giving the government’s imprimatur to an enterprise that enslaves young vulnerable women for your sexual gratification is not the sort of liberty interest that should be advocated for by those who actually care about liberty and freedom.

[Oceander]

You don’t snatch that business from the black market unless you let people start businesses. I want our economy to take giant bites out of black market cash flow.

Uh, the black market is, by definition, already part of the economy. 

[mystery-ak]

Oh..this is a nice Thanksgiving thread and poll....

[Dexter]

Slavery isn't liberty.

I think the overall situation would be better if we did it like I said. We’d reduce crime and free up police resources. Bad things would still happen sometimes but it would be a lot easier to mitigate those problems if it wasn’t all in the black market. Consenting adults shouldn’t be punished for monetizing sex.

[Dexter]

Uh, the black market is, by definition, already part of the economy.

You are being pedantic. You know what I mean.

[Dexter]

Giving the government’s imprimatur to an enterprise that enslaves young vulnerable women for your sexual gratification is not the sort of liberty interest that should be advocated for by those who actually care about liberty and freedom.

If you actually want less sex slavery you should support my way. Do you really think the situation would get worse compared to now when everything is handled by pimps and traffickers? Yikes...

[Dexter]

Oh..this is a nice Thanksgiving thread and poll....

I didn’t mean to ruin the holiday Myst.

Thank you for being so tolerant of me even though I make it difficult sometimes. <3

[sneakypete]

Yes. Why should politicians be the only ones legally allowed to sell their asses for cash?

[sneakypete]

Legalizing prostitution makes it easier to run sex slavery, not harder, because the business now has the blessing of the government. 

@Oceander

Wrong! It makes it easier to hide alongside voluntary prostitution,since both are illegal. Chances are legal pros would call the cops on sex slaves if they spotted them because of the competition,if for no other reason.

[Sanguine]

Giving the government’s imprimatur to an enterprise that enslaves young vulnerable women for your sexual gratification is not the sort of liberty interest that should be advocated for by those who actually care about liberty and freedom.

And, in fact there was a recent story that found a number of unwilling participants in prostitution in a brothel in that Nevada county where it is legal.

[sneakypete]

Slavery isn't liberty.

@musiclady

Bet  you don't say that to your cult leader on Sunday.

[mountaineer]

Bet  you don't say that to your cult leader on Sunday.

Oh, grow up.   

[musiclady]

I think the overall situation would be better if we did it like I said. We’d reduce crime and free up police resources. Bad things would still happen sometimes but it would be a lot easier to mitigate those problems if it wasn’t all in the black market. Consenting adults shouldn’t be punished for monetizing sex.

Consenting adults??

Get yourself educated on the subject before voicing an opinion on it.

If a young girl is enslaved at 15 or 16 and forced to have sex with filthy old men, she does not become a "consenting adult" on her 18th birthday.

I agree totally with @Oceander.  You are speaking on a subject that you are completely ignorant about.

[musiclady]

Oh, grow up.   

See why I have him on permanent Ignore?

So I only see his bigoted, ignorant comments in other people's quotes and never when they are directed at me.

His intelligence is swallowed up by his hatred, and it's sad.

[Dexter]

Consenting adults??

Get yourself educated on the subject before voicing an opinion on it.

If a young girl is enslaved at 15 or 16 and forced to have sex with filthy old men, she does not become a "consenting adult" on her 18th birthday.

I agree totally with @Oceander.  You are speaking on a subject that you are completely ignorant about.

I’m not talking about 16 year olds. It’ll be easier to mitigate that after legalization.

[Dexter]

@musiclady

Bet  you don't say that to your cult leader on Sunday.

I like you Pete, and I think you’re a smart dude. You can do whatever you want, but I would appreciate it if you weren’t disrespectful to members in my threads.

[musiclady]

I’m not talking about 16 year olds. It’ll be easier to mitigate that after legalization.

You're talking about girls who were enslaved when they were underage, but are now adults.   They may be of adult age, but they are NOT consenting......even if they are so brainwashed that they say they are.

Until you include that in your arguments, you are missing a crucial piece of information about these women.

Again.  Educate yourself to what is really going on.  Truth is your friend.

[Dexter]

You're talking about girls who were enslaved when they were underage, but are now adults.   They may be of adult age, but they are NOT consenting......even if they are so brainwashed that they say they are.

Until you include that in your arguments, you are missing a crucial piece of information about these women.

Again.  Educate yourself to what is really going on.  Truth is your friend.

The number of victims will go down if it’s not all handled by pimps and traffickers.

[sneakypete]

I like you Pete, and I think you’re a smart dude. You can do whatever you want, but I would appreciate it if you weren’t disrespectful to members in my threads.

@Dexter

Why? Church Ladies are never respectful to anyone else on any thread that isn't a fellow cult member.

[mountaineer]

Why? Church Ladies are never respectful to anyone else on any thread that isn't a fellow cult member.

  You probably don't realize how silly you sound, Pete.

[Dexter]

@Dexter

Why? Church Ladies are never respectful to anyone else on any thread that isn't a fellow cult member.

You shouldn’t let the behavior of others diminish the quality of your own behavior. Be the example. Just a thought.

[Wingnut]

If a guy wants to pay for a piece of ass who am an I to argue with that?

[musiclady]

The number of victims will go down if it’s not all handled by pimps and traffickers.

You have greater faith in your fellow man than I do, Dexter.

btw, thanks for standing up for me here.  But it would take a modicum of self-discipline to make pete stop coming after me, and he just doesn't have it. (I never say a word about him other than to defend myself against his smears.  This war is entirely one-sided............. and really dumb).

[roamer_1]

Howabout no, because it is wrong.

The further coarsening of culture.
And the beat goes on.

[jpsb]

If a guy wants to pay for a piece of ass who am an I to argue with that?

 

As long as the women is of legal age and willing, I see it as none of my business.

[sneakypete]

Howabout no, because it is wrong.

The further coarsening of culture.
And the beat goes on.

@roamer_1

In that case it is an activity you shouldn't participate in.

[roamer_1]

@roamer_1

In that case it is an activity you shouldn't participate in.

No, it is an activity that no one should participate in.

[jpsb]

Howabout no, because it is wrong.

The further coarsening of culture.
And the beat goes on.

Lighten up buddy, there is a reason it's called the oldest profession. And when practiced by a real pro
it was a respected profession to the ancients.

[roamer_1]

Lighten up buddy, there is a reason it's called the oldest profession. And when practiced by a real pro
it was a respected profession to the ancients.

If you actually research your statement, you will find it to be craven and incorrect.

[Dexter]

You have greater faith in your fellow man than I do, Dexter.

Yeah. :-(

Also you and Pete are both quality people. I bet you two could decide to resolve your differences. Pete may not like your God but I find it hard to believe that deep down he doesn’t know you’re a smart and principled lady. I bet you can sense something similar in him. That’s probably part of why you two have issues.

[Dexter]

No, it is an activity that no one should participate in.

You want to use the law to impose your views on other free people?

[rustynail]

Like Congress?