quote:
Originally posted by Wilbur
And if you honestly believe those crimes only affect those involved, please go to criminal justice 101 class. Vice and narcotic crimes lead to all sorts of other, often more violent, crimes. Please don't tell us you think the 'girls' are there just to make a few bucks, then simply go home to their house with the picket fence, husband and kids.
Most prostitutes are not married, but where prostitution is legal they do in fact get off from work and go home just like you or I. They make really good money for a part time job and most report high job satisfaction. I'd have to imagine a portion of the girls in Tulsa are "pros" who do in fact work their shift to earn extra money and then go home while other's are stuck in an abusive situation with a "pimp."
There is a theory that there are such things as gateway crimes, gateway drugs and so forth. In many areas it has been proven wrong repeatedly (Marijuana) and in other areas has been determined to be a correlation instead of causation (an area where prostitution laws are not enforced likely is not enforcing other laws and is frequented by people more willing to break the law in the first place, a teen willing to experiment with Marijuana is more likely to experiment with other available drugs).
You'll note the capitals of Vice - Las Vegas and Atlantic City, do not make the list for most crime ridden cities.
You'll note that in countries where prostitution is regulated and many drugs are decriminalized they have few problems with them (addiction levels do not general change, but associate crime, violence, and overdose deaths [you know what you are really getting] go way down]).
When opiates were legal there was no crime associated with them. When LSD was legal up until the 1970's there was no crime associated with it (still none in the real world). Same with cocaine, marijuana and most other vices in this country.
Illegal gambling operations clouded Chicago politics and criminal elements for years. Legalized outlets for gambling put them out of business. When prostitution was a legal institution in the West there was less of a problem than there is today (the whores were in the whorehouses instead of street corners and neighborhoods).
When alcohol was illegal it instantly became associate with great violence, organized crime, health problems (crap in alcohol) and served as a funding mechanism for other crimes. While we still suffer from alcoholism and general drunken stupidity most would agree that the more serious problems are a thing of the past.
What's MORE, now that cocaine, opiates, LSD, PCP, shrooms, peyote, marijuana, ecstasy, and 325 other things are illegal (
Most I've never even heard of), we have problems with ephedrine (speed), Sudafed (substitute), Dramamine (altered mental state), Cough Syrup (like heroine), whipped cream (whippets, like short term crack), Spray Pain ammonia, Benadryl, nutmeg (delirium, like ecstasy apperently with more side effects) and various other household products (glue), plants (Salvia - still legal) and prescription drugs.
Ban whatever you want, stick it all behind a counter, uproot any plant you can find... there will always be another way for someone to get high if they want to. Usually the "new" drug is worse than the one they just fought hard to get rid of (cocaine - crack.). There has to be a better way.
