California is doomed!  

LOL...Now that's funny.

actually, legalizing prostitution could make things much safer for prostitutes. It would make them less vulnerable to violence and abuse (and they would be more willing to get help from cops if threatened). I'm no expert on the issue, but I'm pretty sure that's at least one of the main reasons behind it.

I would be really against anything that encourages prostitution, but since it is happening regardless of my opinion (and regardless of whether it is legal), I'm all for protecting people.

I can see that making prostitution legal might make a lot of people uncomfortable, but I think what is important is to consider what impact the law will actually have.

could be, i vote we saw san fran off from the main land and let it drift out to sea.

hey it worked for bugs bunny

Well that is just swell. The economy is going down the tubes, and they're voting on a measure that will put half the city's Vice cops out of work. How rude is that

legalize prostitution is not that bad of a idea.

Cops could spend more time on important matters, like drugs, and illegals, oh wait, both of those are kinda over looked there. realliy they should just get rid of the cops there.

lol ok really, from what i seen said about Sodom & Gomorrah , San fran still has a long way to go, to get equal.

I love San Francisco.

Anyhow, I'm too busy living my life to worry about what people want to do with their bodies. As long as I'm not involved, and no one is harmed, it doesn't matter to me if consenting adults want to have sex for money. It may be immoral, but I'll leave that judgement for God to make.

I realize my opinion may be convenient considering that I don't have children. Of course, I wouldn't want my theoretical children to aspire to become prostitutes! But I think that, regardless of what is legal or illegal, parents have the obligation to teach good morals to their children.

Where I used to live in Australia had legalised prostitution, and it also had the lowest rates of prostitution related crimes. Brothels had to be in commercial, not residential areas, and had all sort of rules around the business, but it meant that it was done safely because they didn't have to try and hide it and do it all under the table. The workers were protected, the premises were clean, and everyone was paid appropriately, and had recourse it anything wasn't done properly.

My hubby was part of Rovers (the 18+ version of scouts), and they did a "Sex Tour" that included going into a brothel, and it was amazingly clean, the girls looked well taken care of, and it was safe and discrete.

So I have no problem with legalising prostitution if it means protecting what is already going on and will help people, not hurt them.

i think with legalised prostitution, less harm is done both to the women or men and to the public.

I think legalizing prostitution is a good idea for all the reasons already stated. It just isn't possible to legislate morals.

However, in addition to protecting the women and allowing the cops to concentrate on other crime, it would bring a large chunk of money back into "the system," and instead of using tax dollars fighting something that's been happening as long as human history records, it earns money by taxing the income from it - and likely lowers healthcare costs.

Laurie

there are men also, both gay and stright.
another thing is if its legal, the goverment can require the people working in teh buinsess to have HIV tests.

Prostitution is legal in a few counties in Nevada. Not in Clark County, which Las Vegas is in, contrary to what most people thing.
But in the counties it is legal in, prostitutes must be tested for AIDS, once a month I think it is. That is a good thing I think.

As far as gay marriage, Golden, it won't jeopardize your faith, don't worry.
Jesus loves gay people. Our music director at our church is gay. All we need to do is love our brother.

Yep, yep and yep! I agree with all that, and would like to see it pass. It's more likely to get prostitutes off the street where it's "in your face", and into a safer environment where the general public doesn't have to see it.

As long as there are men, there will be prostitution and it's been around since before Jesus was a baby. And often the men visiting those ladies of the night are the ones you would least expect to and may well find them in church on Sunday with their perfect little family.

Legalizing prostitution is the safest and smartest thing to do. It protects the prostitute and also protects the "client" from contracting an STD that may in turn be passed to his wife (if he is married). It's just common sense.

Prostitution is never going to be stopped, so work with it instead of banging your head against the wall in vain.

I'm ok with legalized prostitution, but with conditions. I think that the tax revenue should be used to assist the prostitutes that are in business because they feel they have no choice to get out of it. Some may feel trapped, some have low enough opinions of themselves to think they can't do anything else, some have drug habits that a regular job won't begin to support. Get them job training, treatment if they need it, require "pimps" to be licensed (and inspected) just like any other public services business.

If it will help the one's out that want out, and leave the business to those that like it or are "in it for the money", then I'm good with it.

Then couldn't we make the same argument for recreational drug use? It could cut down on violent crime caused by drugs being illegal. It could be taxed and we could use the tax money to get addicts the help they need. After all, a lot of money has been spent on drug wars already.

But where do we draw the line?

Legalizing either would save money - maybe even make money, and allow law enforcement to focus on other crimes. Does that make it right?

Perhaps. But personally, I'm not truly ok with either one, because it will never happen. If either or both are legalized, the taxes will be used for more important things, like concrete flower planters in front of city hall, printing tourism brochures, or filling in pot holes in the roads in areas where the magistrates (or whatever) are up for reelection.

BINGO!

Very good point -- and also a very good idea.

I think it does.

Skippy, I think you have a point there!

I think that's a great idea. If drugs were legal (as is alcohol), there wouldn't be the need for drug lords and drug wars, drugs could and would probably be made safer, i.e., not cut with dangerous substances, the tax money could be used to help addicts (if it was truly used for that, but as Mike says, who knows where it would be spent).

Drugs and drug use scares me, but I don't think it's any worse than alcohol addiction or gambling addictions. It's really just another addiction and I don't see anyone closing down the liquor stores or wine stores or shutting down the casinos so why not legalize drugs. By doing so that would also make it safer for the addicts and probably the community.

I've found out recently, that, much to my surprise, prostitution is not a historical inevitability. In areas with equal numbers of men and women, low immigration and emigration, and small communities (everybody knows everybody), and values systems that support long-term monogamy, prostitution has historically been very low, almost to the extent of being completely absent.

However, in the presence of standing armies (concentrations of young, unattached men), cities (you don't know your neighbor so you don't police their behavior), and high mobility (again, you don't know your neighbor), prostitution becomes an inevitability.

Personally, I think prostitution can be a moral good, because it can give economic value to something that men have taken as a given in some historical situations. But it's pretty hard for prostitution to be a moral good when it's illegal, and I admit that it is often a moral bad, especially for people who have family or cultural prohibitions about it, and because it can contribute to and support sexism. However, my personal take is that it's the social setting and expectations that make prostitution problematic, not the act of exchanging sex for money. And I think it's enormously hypocritical for people who support the existence of stay at home mothers, or having men pay for women's dinners or give women jewelry, to have problems with prostitution. In fact, I think that the partner who stays at home should not be of one gender more often than the other gender (my dad was a much better stay at home parent than my mother), and that men should not pay for dinner any more often than women, and all of that stuff.

But I'm also an adamant No on 8 voter, and think that more places should be like San Fran (not that I've spent much time in San Fran), so my opinions shouldn't surprise anyone.

I'm Dutch so I already live in Sodom and Gomorra and it really isn't so bad here
(and please don't believe everything the media tell you about our country, I've read the most ludicrous fabrications)

For all the people who put forth quite reasonable arguments why legalizing prostitution is a good thing; prostitution used to be illegal in the netherlands but in the last decades there was no legal action against it. It's been officially legalized here 8 years ago and it turns out it doesn't really make a difference. When you make prostitution legal you assume the prostitute is an consenting person of legal age who is allowed to work in the country.
In the Dutch situation there are not many Dutch women who work happily as a prostitute. There are enough other jobs. But there are still men who wish to use these services, so foreign women come to work here. They immigrate illegally or are the victims of human trafficking.
In 2006 there was a report that pretty much all the Dutch girls working in the Amsterdam red light district were the victim of "loverboy" pimps, guys who court a girl, give them expensive presents and then force them to work as a prostitute to pay back. Since prostutition is no longer illegal, pimping isn't either, so it is very hard to arrest those guys (girls won't testify because they were intimidated).
And of course; where there are taxes, there is tax evasion. A lot of girls have gone from working at a club to working as a callgirl, working alone is in itself more dangerous but it is also a problem that aid workers and the government lose sight of what happens to these women.

Does legalizing prostitution erase socioeconomic tragedies? No. But that doesn't mean it doesn't do any good at all. Also, from the quick read I just did, it looks like the problems from illegal prostitution were nearly absent before the prostitution was made legal because the laws were not enforced. So, just the laws, not the actual law enforcement situation on the ground changed, so the prostitutes didn't get any advantages. Not really surprising, and not an argument against legalization per se.

If you are reacting to my post I think you made a typing error somewhere (legal -illegal ?) because I can't make any sense of this.

And that is between the individual person and God.

And one sin is as bad as another, that is also clear.

That was very insightful ckblv, thank you

If it's not possible to legislate morals, there would be no laws.

I am of the view that harm can come, even if it isn't between the two consenting adults, both adults (and they may not even been adults) could have families of their own. The actions of one can easily harm others, directly or indirectly.
You may not be involved, but what is your sister, brother, husband, mom, dad, best friend or best friend's husband, daughter, son, etc. is? Who are the business owners? It is a whole operation. And abuse happens, legal or not it seems.
I agree with ckblv about God.
Who is going to fund this? More tax dollars of my hard earned dollars spent on sex with strangers hooking up at random times. That just disgusts me personally.