The AP had a story out of Amsterdam that the government is cracking down on prostitutes, not for what they do but for not paying taxes on their business. Prostitutes were told they would be audited in typically bureaucratic fashion with a notice addressed to "landlords and window prostitutes in Amsterdam. Agents of the Tax service will walk through various elements of your business administration with you, such as prices, staffing, agendas and calendars. The facts will be used at a later date in reviewing your returns.''
As you probably know, prostitution is legal in Amsterdam and they have an area where they stand in windows so customers to walk by although I think many of those customers are tourists.
Anyway, I am curious what the readers think about legalized prositution. I think in the U.S., it is legal only in Nevada and HBO sometimes has shows from, I think, the Bunny Ranch. I think since it going to happen anyway, it is better to legalize it, regulate it and tax it. I feel the same way about drugs, even cocaine. Legalizing cocaine would end the drug wars, lower the murder rate from turf battles and provide more taxes. But it makes too much sense to ever happen. And we're still much too Puritan of a country to legalize prostitution.
I also found it interesting that in Amsterdam, they charge $65 for 15 minutes. Only 15 MINUTES? What can I say?
It also said the tax rate is 52 per cent on people making $74,000. Imagine if you tried to get that rate in the U.S. They couldn't even raise the rate from 35 per cent to something like 39.6 for millionaires. But then they get a lot more services in Europe, including health care.
It may not be popular for our U.S. readers for me to say this, but I find it interesting that the huddled masses came to the U.S. to get a better life. And yet in many ways, the people who stayed behind in Europe wound up with a better lifestyle. Granted, we have bigger houses and cars and more things and stuff. But I'm not so sure they're not happier. They don't worry about losing health insurance if they lose their job or going bankrupt if they suffer a major illness. They tend to have more vacation time and they don't seem to have the workaholic lifestyle we tend to have in the U.S. Of course, all this is very subjective, but I find it interesting.
FD
Virtue
1 hour ago
A quick note on life in America (US and Canada) vs. in Europe. Remember that the big waves of immigration were before life in Europe was the way it is now. If you were on the verge of starving to death at the beginning of the last century or earlier (think of the potato famine), there would have been no descendants to be having a better life now. And that doesn't even get into other issues, such as antisemitism and other forms of discrimination and threats to life.
ReplyDeleteOakmeal girl: Good point and my bad for not being more clear. Yes, the people who came over because of the potato famine or pograms in their native countries were in life and death situations.
ReplyDeleteBut my ancestors came from Italy and Holland for a better life and they found it. And they certainly found it and got opportunities they wouldn't have had although Italian immigrants in the 1920s faced the same kind of hostility hispanic immigrations do today and laws were passed to limit immigration, especially from countries like Italy. In fact, the phrase WOP was then an anti-Italian slur and referred to beging here illegally "without papers.'' Although legal immigration was pretty informal before WW I. If you showed up at Ellis Island and were healthy, you were pretty much let in.
But I'm not so sure that Americans have a better life today than their ancestors now living in Holland and Italy. It is certainly different. Whether it is better could be debated.
FD
I think every country and every government has their own positives and negatives.
ReplyDeleteAnd... I'll leave it at that. I don't have enough knowledge about this issue to really get into this debate. Although, I will say that I definitely disagree with you on legalizing prostitution and illegal drugs, and that is based largely on my own upbringing as well as my religious beliefs.
Alice: I understand if you don't agree with me and I respect your opinions.
ReplyDeleteFD
I feel the same. If it was legalized it could be regulated. Less illegal activity... less people in prison... less spreading of diseases. I mean... making something illegal is not going to stop people from doing something and quite honestly... it's sex. You can't stop two adult people from having sex. If someone wants an occupation that pays them for having sex, if that's what they enjoy doing, then why is it anyone else's business? You don't have to participate if you don't want to.
ReplyDeleteI truly believe that many laws like this one were based on certain religious beliefs and I think it's high time that the government get their nose out of religion and back into politics where it belongs. It's wrong, in my opinion, to make a law based on religious beliefs and then expect those who are not religious or who's own religious laws actually promote the opposite to abide by those laws. Hell... if they're going to do that they ought to bring back slavery. That's sanctioned by the bible and other religious texts. And the sad part? Making prostitution legal would probably cut down on illegal slavery in the US too. I bet many people don't even realize that a good portion of the prostitutes out there (doing it illegally) are nothing short of slaves for their pimps. Some of them see none or very little of the money that is made from the activity.
They have many similar laws in Australia, but those laws are being changed because of that very reason. The government realizes that many of them were made on the basis of religious law and religious law has no bearing in a multi-cultural government that promotes freedom of religion. One of the laws that's being looked at from what I've heard is the bigamy laws because Muslims and other religions allow poly marriages.
Prostitution is already legal here in most states and lo and behold, it's not a big problem like it is in the US. The laws in each state vary... like some can have brothels, where other states say it's legal, but they have to work freelance. No one can hire someone as a prostitute. Personally I feel that the brothels are a safer bet because their safety can be monitored. In QLD where I live brothels are legal and prostitution is not an issue. In fact, until you brought this up, I forgot it was an issue anywhere in the world.
Interesting points of view. I'm not so much against legalizing prostitution, but, I am not sure I can agree with you on legalization of drugs. Drugs kill people.. easier access would mean more death.. Like cigarettes, but quicker.
ReplyDeleteI don't know that there is an easy answer to prostitution, but... I would like to see them try to collect taxes from them. That would be a hoot !
I think we should legalize all of it as well. I believe doing so would remove a great deal of the taboo allure, which also creates less demand in a lot of circumstances.
ReplyDeleteI worked in Europe for a couple of years. Florida Dom makes some excellent points. The Netherlands in particular, is one of the more advanced countries in the world with regards to the overall standard of living. Americans think we are the best at everything. Truth be told, that is often not the case. We lead the world in many great things, and also lead in some "not so great" categories. We may have the best hospitals in the world, but our healthcare sorely lacks.
ReplyDeleteturiya: thanks for the incisive comments and glad to see Australia is more progressive on these matters.
ReplyDeletesolo: alcohol kills people, too, and causes much havoc in our society than cocaine and we tried to ban alcohol and finally gave up.
chloe: good point.
suzanne: Yeah, suzanne, we are not very good in things like infant mortality. People think we have better health care than we actually do. And the insurance companies skim a lot off the top.
FD
The laws against prostitution and drugs are also for protecting the youth. I think we could protect them even better if we allowed adults to do it regulated (and pay taxes) than creating a black market where youth can participate.
ReplyDeleteI have to say - totally agree. It may not be the popular opinion but by legalizing prostitution and drugs I feel sex and drug crimes would become diminished. If someone wants to screw a prostitute - why not? It is their business. If someone wants to be a cocaine addict then fine - let them. I think taxing such would help our national deficit and think of all the pison space we would free up and money saved there. How about the sex/rape crime- perhaps the availability of prositutes would decrease that as well.
ReplyDeleteGood debate!
ReplyDeleteI know it's nit-picking but I would prefer decriminalising to legalising. Legalising, the state essentially becomes the pimp. However nasty today's pimps are, the state could be a lot nastier.
It would be cool if sex workers could organise themselves into trade unions to defend themselves properly (against pimps, abusive clients, etc).
PL
uh... i think its pretty disgusting and they should be shutting it down not accepting it. oh my god this world is getting worse and worse by the day.
ReplyDelete