All Comments on 'Legislating Morality: Why Bother?'

Your writing, while somewhat disjointed in the thought process, is fairly sound in theory and I've often said the same things. Penn & Teller did an episode of "Bullshit" on prostitution and the effects of legalizing it nation-wide using Nevada (the only state to legally allow brothels) as an example. They showed that legalizing it increased the coffers of the State government, made the Courtisans safer and cleaner by giving them medical requirements to meet as well as legal protection against violence. It also allowed them a better lifestyle because they weren't giving 90% of their wages to some pimp.

As for the drugs, while the cause and effect of legalizing them is speculation, the probability is that it would work out more in the way that you've suggested than not. The fact is, that like all things (guns, drugs, etc.) those who want them WILL get them, legally or not, and those that don't, won't seek them out.

It's gratifying to see libertarian ideas advocated by strangers, but there's just one problem with what you suggest: not only to people like to be told what to do, and will abandon their morals as soon as somebody "in authority" cracks the whip. Stanley Milgram proved this in the 1960s, and humanity hasn't made much real progress.

This was so badly written and the logic has holes in it big enough to drive a semi-truck though. And your anti-christain attitude, while understandable, is pointless and as intlerant as you accuse them of being. I guess YOUR intolerance is rightous and justified, huh?

Anyone swayed by these arguements have an IQ just barly in the double digits!

Why bother legislating morality? Well, I don't know about you, shit-for-brains, but I kind of like the idea that murder is both illegal and immoral. The same with theft, incest, perjury, and a plethora of other "morals" made binding because we carried them over into the legislative realm. As for prostitution, fine, legalise it. At what age can they start? 18? 17? Puberty? How about bring back allowing childred to sell their bodies? Help Mom pay the bills.

And what the fuck is this , or the essay about smoking doing on this site anyway.

I agree with you on one thing: seeing the caliber of stories and essays which Literotica has been posting lately, maybe forbidding them from publishing would not be such a bad idea; maybe even a public service.

C

You know...if you are going to comment on someone's opinion, and how stupid and dumb anyone is to take it seriously, then you are, in fact, just as ignorant as you claim the author to be. Getting on his case about being badly written..well. Maybe you should proof-read and spellcheck your own response, first. He didn't mention anything about murder, or incest, or perjury. He mentioned only drugs and prostitution. Creating strawman arguments just attests to one's own ignorance. His logic is fine, for what its worth; his argument is weak.

If I recall correctly, New York state recently increased the cigarette prices/taxes by a large amount. The majority of smokers, instead of paying these high prices, resorted to buying them from the black market. The same would be true with legalized drugs. Also, drugs DO harm and destroy lives, and legalizing would allow people who were previously detered by punishment from trying/abusing drugs a means to do just that. High taxes on drugs would only cause middle-class/lower-class citizens to purchase drugs from black market dealers, which the government would have to enforce against. So, this would be a big circle, with MORE drug users, and more destroyed lives.

Prostitution is a different matter. A question was posed as to what age it would be legal. I would think it would be 21, or at the very least, 18, and only in insured establishments. Street hooking would still be illegal, I think, for the reasons of not having scheduled checkups, insurance, etc.

People should take an essay, or in other words, someone's opinion, for what it is, an opinion. People should offer counter-points, or agreements, instead of attacking their intelligence. Keeping an argument constructive is the to spread awarenes. Name-calling and insults just turn people off, and distract from the point of said argument.

I'd have less of a time believing you didn't have a "personal" agenda if you didn't have so many "Incest" and "Trangender" stories posted to your name.

Not saying your floating this way or that way, but when you try to argue that someone is invading your morality with their own, and you write stories like the above mentioned, it appears your only ranting this way because your pissed that others don't see it the way you do and you are speaking out about it.

But I have to ask, are you going to write an essay on why pedophiles need love too?

-Risq

you need to read my essay on readers comments when it gets posted...I am just trying to fill each category with as many stories as I can. I am now finished with anal and incest. Essays will be next and so on and so on. I am not a pervert or a liberal. I am just writing to win the damn contest and if you jackasses can't realize that by now, you are the ones that need your heads checked! It is a shame that your everyday lives revolve around what happens on literotica!!!! LMFAO...

Thanks for reading though, your negative comments keep me laughing. Do you really think I believe half the shit I write?

Id' like to leave my opinion on this one, if I may. In principle both of these have been applied in nations around the globe at one time or another. The legalization and taxation of both prostitution and drugs have been the cornerstone of government controlled movements and idealism based on the agendas and the period in history for which they were allowed. And thats the key word here, allowed.

All governments are rife with corruption, some have less some have more. Legalizing each of these items in the past has caused more corruption within Governments than before they were legalized. When the corruption level becomes common knowledge to the bungled and the botched, you have revolutions. If your government is competing with local and state crime syndicates over drugs and prostitutes, you and your family might need to move.

From ancient times until today as long as these basic desires were granted, taxed and controlled only crime and an early death were guaranteed. Statistically crimes (Theft/Murder/Rape) and earlier forms of STD's were the local government problems to deal with. But then as the relationships built between the governing bodies and the required drug and crime lords grew, who received the biggest percentage of money became an issue. The crime sydicates always took more of the risk, while the government was simply allowing the business to exist without penalties. The instances in the past tended to end messy. Look it up, historically governments usually cannot cope with the public outcry when Covert Ops are leaked out so Counterintelligence is required between the government and crime lords, with the voting public being the enemy who is deceived.

Distribution and control of both drugs and prostitutes have been allowed and taxed by all governments for many years. Not in your backyard, but throughout the world and as always for the agendas and policies required by current administrations and the targeted governments.

Today, without government controlled prostitution or legalization of drugs half of the population of an entire continent (Africa) is dying early from the spread of AIDS.

If prostitution were legalized in America and throughout Europe this would be one item critical to control.

At this point in History, America and "Civilized" countries play the game, decieve the public they are not involved in any shape or form and have opted not to legalize drugs and prostitution within their borders.

Obvious reasons: Control, sanitation and lower crime

Armed with the knowledge that other nations who have allowed these items to endure in the past had these issues to contend with and newer problems to control.

Should we vote on and pursue allowing small patches of legalized brothels, dens and Coffee houses (Amsterdam reference)? A baby step approach towards the subject within America.

This remains to be seen and will be left to the ever changing political atmosphere in America and it's Government.

The author makes some very pertinent points. On one hand we celebrate or at least heartily condone adultery but on the other prosecute prostitution and polygamy. At least in the latter two instances willing adults get into a contractual agreement while in the case of adultery a contract is always broken and often children's homes are destroyed. Heck, I have far, far more respect for a prostitute (many of whom sell their bodies to put food on the table) than for an adulterer or adulteress who is little more than a selfish coward. The hypocricy of the laws is definitely astounding.

I will agree to legalized drugs if you agree to put your family in the street, to test the driving skills of a group of students who have access to both narcotic drugs and to motor vehicles for a period of, say a week. Agreed?

These are wonderful concepts and in a generally logical and just society they would be applied - they would have already been in force had we followed the foounding fathers ideals to this day.

Unfortunatley we live a society that is about power, money and control not about justice or logic. By outlawing the things we are going to do anyway the government provides its own means of enforcing its power. Whats the fastest way to ruin a political or business career? get caught with kiddie porn on your computer - guilty or not your finished.

The profits being made on illegal drug trade would evaporate if it were legalized, the cartels dont want that and have actually hired lobby firms to convince congress to keep it illegal. Prostitution is tied into the drug business and organized crime so they dont want it legalized.

Keeping it illegal is more profitable and allows the government to maintain its leverage as well as give us something else to be worried about.

Your fantasy world of legalized everything would be great but it will never happen in the US - it doesnt make anyone any money.

Ever heard of drink driving? I just hope you keep your family well away from those dangerous roads; you never know when the next alcohol-powered vehicle might turn up...

You need to attend a workshop where the parents of dead children talk about assholes like you then have to present your views to them.

Next you will address the major cities police forces on why they need to just let the drug heads roll over their city for cash to buy the now legal drugs.

Lastly, you need to try to reason with the hopped up sweating beady red eyed guy with the knife buried in your stomach because you were a little slow giving him your car keys - he doesn't care that your wife and children are sleeping in the back.

As he twists the skining knife in your gut then jerks it upward into your heart remember your position on drugs and all the good that could come from it - well maybe not huh.

you are seriously an asshole if you believe that prostitutes enjoy what they do.

A&E had a great documentry on legalized prostitution and the majority of ladies did LOVE what they do. In Nevada the average girl was taking home six figure incomes. And most of them only worked 3 days a week. So to say they don't enjoy it when they are safe, secure and well paid is assinine. That is why they should legalize the world's oldest profession.

I agree with the underlieng idea that the government should not be able to legislate morality. Those of you who were whining about drugs. Hello... It's not okay to drink and drive and it wouldn't be okay to get stoned and drive. Anyone who says that pot impairs judgement more than booze has obviously either never been stoned or never been drunk. I'll take a stoner on the road over a drunk any day. People tend to drive SLOWER while under the influence of pot... not that they have good reaction times but hey... someone who is legally drunk probably can't even walk without weaving. If we are going to start treating adults like children then we might as well take away alcohal and porn while we are at it... oh, and no voilent television shows... and maybe you should just use glue and turn in that stapler cause you might hurt yourself. If you think that your child does not have access to illegal drugs then you are wrong. It is far easier for a minor to get ahold of crystal meth than it is for them to get ahold of vodka. Liquer stores check ID... dealers don't.

An interesting essay, with some ideas to make people think.

Unfortunately for the author, most of the opinions posted are either ad hominem attacks or strawman arguements: As would be anything posted in the forums.

DirtyJoe, I don't agree in all respects with you, but in many I do. Follow the money to see where legislating morality comes from.

Consider that a generation or so ago, this site would have gotten its owners and some of its visitors put away (and that there are plenty of people who still think they should be) and that writing about anal sex, incest (still grosses me out), miscegenation (the redneck legal term for interracial sex), B&D (CBT also gerosses me out) and same-sex sex and marriage (to quote from Robin Williams from the trailer for his upcoming move, "Anybody who's been married knows it's always the same sex!") probably could have gotten you arrested in most states. It's likely that some of this stuff you write will be changed as it becomes better understood and accepted.

We just need to be sure that they are victimless activities that only offend but don't actually damage those not willingly participating in the them, either directly or indirectly.

The reason for a law in American should not be that the Bible (or the Koran or anything else) says not to do something but that doing something damages people or society in real ways and not just their sensibilities. Legalizing and regulating prostitution seems like the best way to take away the victims and damaages (diseases) and make it beneficial (those folks who earn six figures lying down would be more likely to pay taxes on the loot, for example).

I agree with your points but it's nothing new. People have been saying that same stuff for ages. It's not as revolutionary as you seem to think.

I strongly agree and partially disagree with the writer.

First the disagreement:

As a partial answer to one of the rhetorical questions asked in the essay I would have to say that the reason that many of our laws are based upon Judeo-Christian values is the following.

When a person truly believes somthing that belief changes the believer in fundamental ways. To be intellectually honest that person must act upon what they believe.

It is this belief that has led to laws against child labor, slavery (which is still common in some Muslim countries) and has given women a foundation for legal equality as found in western societies. This is good.

I agree with the writer that the laws regarding prostitution are wrong for the following reasons:

1) Being illegal it means that safety for the prostitute cannot be assured.

2) Being illegal means that health inspection (that should be a very regular part of the working prostitute's activity) is not stressed.

3) Being illegal feeds cash to organized crime and keeps police from doing real police work.

I hope the writer continues his work in this direction.

as you are nothing that a stupid idiot wimp why dont you take your wife, your mother and your daughters on the streets and make some whores for everybody can find many places to shit and pee and vomit into

I actually am already very careful when I see the ubiquitous drunk driver on Saturday nights. Now, I still don’t understand the logic “of we have already a known problem, now why not add more to it”.

BTW, still have not heard a response to my challenge, neither from you nor from the writer. Will you put your family in the streets of a confined area to TEST the safety of this brilliant proposal?

Hey Joe, why not ask where were these Christians and their laws in China? India? Africa? As they have the same laws you evoke are Christian based. The thing you and other ignorant thinkers never comprehend is these laws are universal laws meant to protect societies from having to raise bastards whose genes are unknown, so in time actual family members would be having sex unknown and having retarded and genetically sick children.

Now you don't contemplate that, but history does. You can sit in your porn sack which hard working people have built for you in America, but just contemplate your little brainless world for a moment.

In a generation of your world, you would have a bunch of psychotic children with no respect for women and no ability to raise children with principles.....the kinds of principles which societies need to build things and make things.

Your mob would be retards, sickly, no societal structures like food production to manufacturing which are the basis for an organized defense.

Now let us return to non Christian China with over a billion crowded souls looking for what they do not have right now, food, water, natural resources and females as the Chicoms aborted a majority of the women 20 years ago....and here you sit Joe with lots of land, resources, food and women.

You going to take on the world boy with a mob of retards with pointy sticks?

You are the perfect example of why these laws are in place to protect what everyone has built in the past, because all you can see is the Joe cum lately and not the reason.

Next time you decide to pick on Christians or any other group why not actually open a book on history to gain some knowledge instead of a porn site as you have just been exposed as ignorant.

You won't be able to pay me enough for this Wisdom, so just do the right thing and keep quiet and listen for a long time as your education is void.

I was in china recently, what bat whatever said about that country is not true. Dont just talk shit about places you have never been to, asshole. It makes it seem kind a stupid, you trying to correct that asshole by being an ignorant, lying asshole. Think, before you write shit, motherfucker.

Holland has legalised Marijuana, and has fewer users compared to the UK where it is illegal.

Legalising drugs would reduce crimes such as petty theft, commutted to earn money to pay Dealers.

I read somewhere that Cocaine is cheaper to produce than Sugar, the cost is due to cost of smuggling it to the customer etc.

Prohibition only works when all of society backs it. as long as a sizable minority wants drugs or commitment free sex, you will never stop them by legislation.

our laws are based on judaic principals/ideals taken on by christians who came after the jews - get it straight

Good, well written and very true. Thanks.