Comment

Comment by Dallas (on hiatus) on June 30, 2009 at 12:06pm

Regulation is what lead to the Wall Street melt down as people believed that someone else was looking out for their best interests. The only best interests that were being looked after were those of the traders and bankers, they got they money and we all paid for it.

It strikes me that it was only an illusion of regulation, not actual, real regulation itself.

Secondly the regulators are from and beholden to the industry they are regulating.

Look at those put in charge of cleaning up the mess. They are the very same people that created it or allowed it to happen in the first place. Kind of the fox watching the hen house kind if arrangement isn't it?

Totally agree. But it does not seem to me that this is a problem with regulation, or even the concept of regulation, but rather a problem with corruption and regulation poorly done. We saw this in the EPA in the last 8 years. Industry insiders were making the decisions.

What you are promoting is government as master…

No I am not. The government should serve the people, not the other way around. It is run by the people, it employees the people, and it is there to create and enforce laws, deal with foreign matters, protect the economy and the citizens through democratic means. The government is not some kind of alien force that has come to the earth and imposed its will upon us. It is our government, run for and paid for by us.

…and if you believe that is the way it should be, then you have no right to bitch when government decides to dictate who you may or may not sleep with since they are only acting to protect you or society from you, right?

Not the same thing. Our gov currently regulates prostitution. It says it is illegal and you cannot do it – giver or receiver. That is the way the laws are written now. What I am suggesting is the opposite of that: you have the freedom to do it, just like you have the freedom to shop or eat or socialize as you like. It’s not about judging or prohibiting anyone’s sexual needs or tastes or inclinations. It is about using common sense to protect the consumer and the worker.

Also, the government regulates who I can sleep with or marry now, as it is. In Texas sodomy is no longer illegal, but it is not like that in all states. And I can’t get married in TX either.

Until people decide to think and act for themselves and reject this illusion of protection provided by government these type of things will happen again and again.

Look out for yourself, if you don't understand something you do the research in to it. Then you get screwed over you have only yourself to blame, instead of abdicating that responsibility to others.

So if an industry dumps toxic waste into a river and ends up poisoning or killing thousands of people downstream, whose fault is it? The industries, or the victims? Shouldn’t the gov be able to regulate toxic waste to prevent that from happening?

Another example: I don’t understand math very well. Never been good at it, or numbers in general. I can’t remember phone numbers, birth dates, etc, either. I always have my taxes done each year. I pay my hard earned money to others to do it for me. Shouldn’t I be able to expect, in good faith, that these people are qualified, responsible, and are subject to the same rules of fair play and accountability as everyone else? I think so.

Additionally, if we all had to adhere to “if you don't understand something you do the research in to it. Then you get screwed over you have only yourself to blame…’’ then we’d all have to be experts at everything. Medicine, law, construction, physics, politics, foreign policy, etc.

Do you ever go to the doctor? Do you understand medicine? If not, are you to blame if your doctor turns out to be a quack who makes bad decisions? Shouldn’t he have to adhere to some form of regulation and oversight in order to protect his patients who go to him in good faith to help them solve their problems? I think so.

Did you understand every word of your mortgage contract for your home when you signed it, or did you act in good faith that it was legal and fair. Did you rely upon the state or federal gov to exert some control over the industry so that you would not be screwed?

Our society functions out of reciprocity. Regulation, law, punishment and the like help it function, and also punishes those who act in overly selfish or anti-social ways, doesn’t it?

Regulation has never prevented anyone that wants to from ripping anyone off, they just find the loop holes in the regulations.

I just heard that the SEC audited Bernie Madoff regularly and never found any problems. But this is an issue with incompetence and perhaps poor funding or too much cronyism, and not necessarily with regulation.

Comment by Habman on June 30, 2009 at 11:32am

Regulation is what lead to the Wall Street melt down as people believed that someone else was looking out for their best interests. The only best interests that were being looked after were those of the traders and bankers, they got they money and we all paid for it.

The banking and securities industries are two of the most regulated industries in this country. The problem with regulation is that it define what is "legal" and what is "illegal" however there is a huge area of gray that isn't mentioned. This is where they all made their killings and when it all came crashing down they went to their friends in the government who protected their assets using our assets.

Secondly the regulators are from and beholden to the industry they are regulating.

Look at those put in charge of cleaning up the mess. They are the very same people that created it or allowed it to happen in the first place. Kind of the fox watching the hen house kind if arrangement isn't it?

What you are promoting is government as master, and if you believe that is the way it should be, then you have no right to bitch when government decides to dictate who you may or may not sleep with since they are only acting to protect you or society from you, right?

Until people decide to think and act for themselves and reject this illusion of protection provided by government these type of things will happen again and again.

Look out for yourself, if you don't understand something you do the research in to it. Then you get screwed over you have only yourself to blame, instead of abdicating that responsibility to others.

Regulation has never prevented anyone that wants to from ripping anyone off, they just find the loop holes in the regulations.

Comment by Dallas (on hiatus) on June 30, 2009 at 11:07am

@ Habman: I can't say that I agree with you 100%. I think legalized sex work is a great idea, but like all things, it needs some regulation and oversight. Lack of regulation is what lead to the wall street meltdown, IMO. Any "anything goes and every man for himself" industry is not helpful to anyone. Sure, regulation can go too far, so it depends on how it is done. The gov regulates auto mechanics and hair dressers, and for good reason. We need to be sure that the mechanics are qualified, following rules, doing honest and capable work, etc., in order to protect our investments in our autos, and our lives and the lives of others. It is an issue of quality and safety. Hair dressers also have a huge potential for spreading germs or lice and the like if not following health code regulations. Those rules are in place for good reason, and they need to be inspected and have some oversight.

We should apply these same standards to legal sex work as well. Workers should complete courses in safe sex, be required to receive regular disease testing, and understand what is or is not safe forms of play, such as asphyxiation. They should be able to have some recourse to go to after clients who go to far, such as beating or hurting them against their will, which they don't have now. If a pros gets beaten now, he or she has now recourse for protection. How can regulating that be a bad thing? Seems to me it would benefit both the worker and the client by keeping them safe. Sure, it won't be 100% effective, but I would prefer that system to our current illegal, no-holes-barred, drugs and disease system we have now.

@ Jennifer: You are correct, ancient homosexuality was not unique to the Greeks and Romans. Japan had not abmonitions against homosexuality until the Portuguese missionaries arrived. And in Mesoamerica, missionaries destroyed much of the homoerotic artwork of the people there (except for the pieces they kept hidden for themselves).

Comment by Habman on June 30, 2009 at 10:02am

Thank You Jennifer.

I really want to know when will those who want the government out of their bedrooms will join with those who want government out of their wallets or gun cabinets or doctors office and reject the use of force against others right to exist as they wish to?

Any interference in the life choices of others is something I find repugnant, but too often the person that wants to be free from governmental meddling on some aspect of their life is totally in favor of the government controlling someone else who they do not agree with.

Comment by Jennifer on June 30, 2009 at 9:55am

Very good point Habman.

Comment by Habman on June 30, 2009 at 9:50am

I am in total favor of an UN-regulated and socially acceptable sex worker element.

Regulation only allows those in power to act as pimp and oppress the worker.

You need to ask one question. Who will the regulator be?

Regulation is just another form of control and it seems too many who have cast off the oppression of religion substitute the oppression of the government as its replacement.

Comment by Jennifer on June 30, 2009 at 9:40am

It seems everyone turns to the romans/greeks when talking about homosexuality. We need to remember this was a major part of society everywhere before the advent of homophobia, which seems to be purely an invention of modern society. I was ready a little about sexuality (fun topic) and ran across this wiki page. If anyone is interested >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_China

Comment by Jennifer on June 30, 2009 at 9:34am

Charles, having legalized prostitution is great! People in my opinion should be allowed to have sex with whomever they choose, even if they want something in exchange for it. I believe that Amsterdam (where prostitution is legal) the rates of sexually transmitted diseases in that industry are lower then that in the American porn industry. Its sad when people really think sex, something we all (hopefully ;) engage in from time to time, will cause some sort of moral decay. Its ridiculous. First its legal sex...and you know that will just lead to things like that evil rock n' roll music. lol

Comment by Charles Hollingshead on June 30, 2009 at 7:54am

What about a society with a well regulated and socially acceptable sex-worker element?

Comment by Habman on June 30, 2009 at 7:26am

All the talk about the Romans and Greeks is all well and fine, but one needs to remember that those young boys and inhabitants of the brothels were for the most part, slaves.

Enslavement is not a gray area, it is totally evil, so to use examples of slavery is probably not the best method of furthering your argument.

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