TBideon

Interesting article, but it doesn't really explore why prostitution is illegal beyond being allegedly exploitive and demeaning.

It's all working today

It's just a feeling I have - perhaps Big Pharmacy has more an 'understanding' than a true conspiracy with its members

^I actually believe there's some truth to that, or at least that the pharmaceutical industry does not always have our best interests at heart and would rather prolong our conditions rather than cure.

An Ohio culture? Probably family. It seems everyone from Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, and all of Florida is either from Ohio and/or still has family there.

Does that mean we should buy products that are made in America, whose companies are headquartered here, and/or who have a large number of employees working within America? I googled this "Buy American" term - didn't find much consistency there as everyone has a different interpretation of what that means. Any thoughts?

I finished the second Dark Tower (a series I am rapidly losing interest in but am determined to read the next, uch, FIVE). Now I'm on 'The Stand'. Yeah, I'm on a Steven King high these days.

Interesting side conversation. But I like my topic so maybe we can just table your discussion for another board?

F! I just bought a CD with them. Am I insured up to $250k still or is it back down to $100k?

Whenever MTS refers to his "skank-in-law". Funniest term ever I've since referred to one of my brother-in-laws as the "jerk-in-law" to my friends. Not as funny though

"1.) Can you really look your kids in the face and tell them your living involves having sex with strangers. " What do you call porn stars? And better you explain to your kids that you have to make sacrifices rather than not eating, receiving meds, having a home, etc? "2.) I will not even compare coal mining to having sex for money. That is absurd." It was an example of there already being incredibly dangerous jobs that are legal. And if you think that black lung is better than ANY STD, than that is absurd. 3.) "That holds true with alot of things. Do drugs hurt others if you are the only one doing them. If you are driving 150 mph on a freeway in the middle of night with no one around, should you be exempt from a ticket." I believe that peope should be allowed to use drugs, provided they are legalized. And if you're getting a ticket for driving 150 mph, then clearly there is someone around. Bottom line - do what you want provided you don't directly harm anyone else. 4.) "Same as above. Your body is your body. If it dosent effect anyone else, go do it." So we agree here? 5.) "I'll agree with that. But the government should think of a more creative way to increase tax revenue. And they shouldn't have to waste their time on writing legislation for prostitution." But it's okay for them to waste their time and our money arresting prostitutes, sometimes prosecuting them? And I'm not saying prostitution would be an end all to this depression - just that it should not be illegal. 6.) "Alot of times, prostitution does involve a dangerous criminal....pimps are not really the safest of people to be around." I think you missed my point completely here. I want prostitution to be legal so there are regulations, safety nets, security. Treat prostitutes like any other employee, which includes all the benefits of freedom of harrassment, abuse, being pimp slapped, etc. "7.) Sure." "(8.) Lets see what positive effects it has on those states." Prostitution isn't going to make or break a state economy and I doubt it ever has. But you know what, at least some women and gay men (I doubt there are that many straight male prostitutes unless they have gay clientle) have jobs from which their respective state is receiving tax revenue. "9.) I do not agree to those comparisons...especially marrying for money." Come on, you must agree the differences are nominal at best. And with my 'marrying for money' jab, you don't think Anna Nicole Smith was a whore when she married that old guy? "10.) I don't think protitutes get beat up because it is illegal. Probably get beat up because a man paying for something thinks he should get "more bang for his buck". Nothing at all would change here, and you actually brought up one of the main reasons it is illegal." I've already addressed this. My boss and clients can't beat me up because there are all kinds of laws, be it labor, civil, criminal, to protect me. Prostitutes don't exactly have the same kind of protections yet (would a drug dealer go to the police because someone stole his heroin?) so we institutionalize it and grant them these rights!

"Why do you think they should be legal? No one really gave a good response on that yet." There are a lot of reasons it should be legal. 1. It beats your and your children starving. And it's not like every prostitute can easily get another job or go to school. 2. There are a lot of horrible jobs out there (coal mining anyone?) as it is. Why is this so much worse than that? 3. I believe in personal autonomy; if doesn't directly hurt anyone else, then do what you want. And I don't buy the argument that society is directly hurt by prostitution either. 4. I'm pro choice and a lot of those arguments (your body is your property) could be made here. 5. Better the government gets a cut than some gangster. Plus they could regulate it and impose safety regulations to combat STD transmissions. 6. Police could actually focus on dangerous criminals instead of routinely locking up prostitutes and making them pay a fine. 7. Plenty of vices are already legal i.e. alcohol, tobacco, probably pot in the near future, and they probably have a similar negative utility as does prostitution. 8. Two states have already fully legalized it, though I believe prostitutes in Rhode Island cannot openly promote themselves. 9. Prostitution is already legal in various incarnations i.e. marrying for money, porn stars, escort services, massage parlors, etc. Yeah there are some distinctions, but basically it's the same thing. 10. A lot of prostitutes are abused severely with little recourse. Legalizing it would protect them.

Ah, I see. It's $900/month when you include all costs.

^I'm just curious, do you believe it should be illegal for religious reasons, concerns of transmission of STDs, morality issues, etc? I'm just wondering exactly why you're against it being a legal and regulated practice. And do you consider strip clubs, escort services, massage parlours, marrying for money, and other things like that to be similar evils?

^pretty gray area with the legality of massage parlours. I've heard about some of them getting busted before

^ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It already is Nevada and Rhode Island. 48 states to go. If you're pro choice, pro gambling, pro pot use, and so on, it seems you should be pro prostitution. If you're pro people not starving to death or anti black market, I'd think you'd be pro prostutition. If you can't tell, I vehemently believe people should have the right to sell their bodies for sex. Better the government gets a cut rather than some scumbag pimp.

It's $900/month for a two bedroom. I'm surprised we've been overpaying - that's something I may have to talk to him about.

Poor guy. He's one of the finest second basemen of all time and a hell of a hitter too. When he and Omar where on the field together, we had the greatest second baseman/shortstop defensive combo of all time ^Hey MTS, when you say you don't want to out him, are you referring to his having aids or were there/are there rumors of him being gay?

At Brugger's Bakery we got free bagels

thanks. And I'm not in a bad mood about it or anything - it's just life.

The Dark Tower Series. On book two.

Holy crap. Full story at http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/02/10/2009-02-10_15m_lawsuit_claims_exmet_roberto_alomar_.html Baseball great Roberto Alomar has full-blown AIDS but insisted on having unprotected sex, his ex-girlfriend charged Tuesday in a bombshell lawsuit. The shocking claim was leveled by Ilya Dall, 31, who said she lived with the ex-Met for three years and watched in horror as his health worsened. In papers filed in state and federal court, Dall said Alomar finally got tested in January 2006 while suffering from a cough, fatigue and shingles. "The test results of him being HIV-positive was given to him and the plaintiff on or about Feb. 6, 2006," the $15 million negligence suit says.

No, I wouldn't do that, at least not yet. He's a friend and has been having some job issues lately (just went from salaried to hourly), so I'm going to give him some time to get his money in order. And even if I do kick him out, which wouldn't be easy since we're both on the lease, well, I'd still be stuck with the full bill and would have to look for a roomate when I have free time, which unfortunately isn't all that often. But even when he starts putting his shares in again, the money situation won't change since my parents are the ones who are presently putting up his shares (there would be no way I could lay $900/month otherwise) but their funds are limited too. So all and all, I can safely say this receission SUCKS

I'm in Lakewood. The rent isn't that bad, but when you add in utilities, school debt, car payments/maintenance, health insurance, occasional food and shopping (I try to eat on a limited budget), and a pretty sad, yet for some reason seemingly highly taxed salary, it all adds up really fast. I can no longer afford to fund my Roth Ira, have no investments (had to cash out a mutual fund since my job requires a car), and have to play it really cheap when I go out since I have gone through much of my savings. Also, a second job isn't in the works since I'm putting in 55-60 hours as it is. And my roomate has been retarded about the rent the last few months, so I've been overely burdened with his share too. If it weren't for my parents helping me out financially, I would probably have to move back home with them since there are just too many bills. And chance are I will be "homecoming" since there are major layoffs at my business in the near future and I know my job is in jeapordy. So overall, yeah, what a shi**y situation. And it could be/might get so much worse. I mean, at least I have my parents to help out (though they've lost much of their life savings on Wall Street) and I'm healthy. If just one of those things were to change, even a little, then I would probably have to make some kind of life alterations i.e. food stamps, welfare, borrowing money from friends, etc. Instead of Generation Y, it's Generation Screwed