Sportin' Life wrote:Nice girlfriend there, Savage.

Oh we never bought any "services" but we did talk to locals about the red light district before heading down for a look ourselves.

SAVAGE PAW wrote:

tampa_griz wrote:

SAVAGE PAW wrote:Victimless crime IMO, the only reason that prostitution is filthy in America is because its illegal so it's being ran by gangsters. If it were legal here like it is in Europe then things would be much different.

I don't know how the wives of these guys can go out there and play the supportive wife. It makes me think they are whores because they are playing a role to smooth things over so they can stay in the cushy life style provided by their husbands positions of power.

The prostitution ring in this example is almost of the same legal variety you find in foreign countries. The girls are probably drug and disease free, the clients aren't dangerous, drugs aren't as rampant, etc. By and large I think a lot of municipalities sort of "allow" this type of prostitution. It's hidden from the public eye, businesses aren't complaining about hookers loitering around their businesses leaving dirty needles, etc.

And although I think it's a bit silly to criminalize selling something that is perfectly legal to give away for free, I don't know that decriminilizing prostitution would completely solve the associated problems we see today with street prostitution. The women you see on street corners are crack-addicted, HIV-positive trolls. They'd never get work in the places we envision with legalized prostiution. I think there'd still be an underground version. They'd still be on street corners willing to do anything for the next hit.

I'm not sure you have been to Europe and walked through a red light district where the women sell themselves like shoes in store front windows or the doorway of room inside a brothel. They certainly don't charge $2000-$5000 an hour. The women and brothels in Europe are licensed and have medical check ups to maintain in order to keep operating. They are affordable to the average man. $50 last time me and my girlfriend went there in 2003.

You're right in that I've never been to Europe. But I was stationed in Korea for a spell and hung out a few times with the ones operating there in the bars and on Hooker Hill in Itaewon (and on a quick jaunt to Bangkok). The difference I noticed between them and their American colleagues was the motivation. The girls there were mostly doing it out of economic necessity. Some were trying to marry an American. I didn't meet any that had a drug addiction. There weren't very many other options available to them and were hoping to meet an American prince. American prostitutes (at least the ones on the street) are usually fueling a serious crack or other awful addiction.

If you legalized it here in the same vein it is in Europe, I don't think the problems associated with it here would go away. American street walkers could never work in the brothels you describe. They'd fail the drug and HIV tests miserably. But they'd still have to feed the addiction and they aren't employable. So they'd probably go back to the streets. Are hard drugs like crack, heroin, and meth problems there like they are here? Serious question.......

And in a way, prostitution as it is in Europe, is legal here. A lot of municipalities don't go after the escort services that operate.....unless of course you're charging $4000. That'll grab the attention of the IRS.....and Uncle Sam always wants their cut. But by and large, if they're operating out of the public eye, no one often cares.

Uncle Sam would get a much larger cut legalizing both prostitution and marijuana. Of course, some are getting their cut under the table, so where is the motivation.

But if there were legal brothels in the U.S., wouldn't that put the street walkers out of business? That'd be like buying warm beer out of the trunk of a sketchy looking guys car as opposed to walking into a bar for a cold one.

I think legalized prostitution here would clean things up immensely, and would make things much safer as well. It seems that all the black market does it make things more dangerous and more expensive, but never gets rid of any supposed "vice."

Bay Area Cat wrote:But if there were legal brothels in the U.S., wouldn't that put the street walkers out of business? That'd be like buying warm beer out of the trunk of a sketchy looking guys car as opposed to walking into a bar for a cold one.

I think legalized prostitution here would clean things up immensely, and would make things much safer as well. It seems that all the black market does it make things more dangerous and more expensive, but never gets rid of any supposed "vice."

I don't know what the street walkers look like in San Francisco, but the ones here are well, let's just say that if a gun was pointed at my head and I was told I had to sleep with one of them or my best friend......I couldn't give you an answer inside of 60 seconds. I'd have to think about it......and maybe I'd choose death. My point is, these girls (I think some are guys) are doing this for $10 bucks a pop.....just enough for another hit. Their clientele probably isn't much better.....and wouldn't be able to afford nor would they be allowed in a brothel like the ones in Europe. So the supply as well the demand for that type of prostitution probably wouldn't subside by a whole lot.

Slate had a good piece todaythat kind of reinforced that when it talked about the demand for prostitution went up when it was legalized. I wished it would have addressed the obvious drug angle associated with street prostitution here.

That isn't to say I don't think prostitution shouldn't be decriminalized. I just don't think that it would absolve the problems facing it today.

The latest A$$hat daily news:

[url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/13/AR2008031302841_pf.html]NRCC Says Ex-Treasurer Diverted Up to $1 Million
[/url]

Detroit's mayor should allegedly make the list today:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/24/ ... index.html

I read an article somewhere recently that pointed out the hypocrisy of our sex laws, where it's illegal to pay for sex or charge for sex, but it's perfectly legal to pay two or three other people to have sex and film it.