Of coarse my intention's here are not to tell Georgian's what's right or wrong, because I am a Texan. But this issue came up in Dallas back around 10 year's ago...and an "attempt" was made here to penalize adult entertainment Cabaret style places for the action's of folk's who have no connection to the industry. And "NO" I dont even go to strip club's...so that is not why I am posting this.
According to Ernie Allen of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, there are about 10,000 children in the USA that are victim's of sex trafficking. Being a parent I can see why that is disturbing. Atlanta(GA)is one of the top cities for child sex trafficking in the nation as well.
Kattie McCullough is the Director of "A Future,Not A Past" non profit organization in Atlanta that reaches out to victim's of the sex trade and abuse. Her with other volunteer's had been writing letter's to Senator's and Representative's proposing a new package of law's in Georgia which include about $5 surcharge for those who attend Cabaret's...or what most call "Strip Club's". Now you may say...$5 buck's is nothing...and it's for a good cause,and most patron's of these businesses would have no problem paying it,etc. But what I wonder, is what these businesses have to do with "child sex trafficking"? I mean...why do they have to pay a fee? Why not just raise the sales tax on all citizen's equally...or surcharges on any number of thing's? You know...since it's for a good cause and thinking of the kid's and all that. Why not just charge a fee to the churches that come from donation's to go to this fund? After all...they would be doing the "right thing" heh? And would the "surcharge" also apply to the strip places that women attend...and pay guy's to strip and dance? Would it apply to the gay strip joint's?
Bottom line is...there is NO connection with these cabaret's and sex crimes, this is more nonsense to find some "reason" to impose a "sin-tax/fee" on adult's who dont even condone to these criminal activities...tax paying citizen's who do nothing to contribute to the activities of criminal's...capture the criminal's and obtain properties in seizures for instance like they do to drug dealer's. But why single out a group of citizen's who have committed no crimes or anything related to this? This is clearly unfair penalization of the Adult Entertainment Industry,and would spread like wildfire if they could get away with it!
PS: I also want to point out that some in Dallas may read this and bring up that Dallas has been found to have over half of stripper's that were all under age, between the ages of 12 and 16 stripping/dancing..and folk's may look at what I am writing as BS. But Dallas had a unique situation unlike Georgia/Atlanta or anywhere's else for that matter...the Texas Law on stripping/dancing...never did have an "age limit" is what caused that..and since it is only defined in Texas as "dancing", not having sexual contact...it wasnt really looked at until...a number of kid's got busted for propositioning Vice officer's in club's. Also...the other thing is lack of regulation and enforcement here...this all contributed to this.And most of these strip club's were not of the mainstream...where conventioner's and business people go...but smaller neighborhood places...that dont advertise in the newspaper's like the prominant places, and most didnt have a "liquor liscense" and are "private" club's so they are exempt from liquor law's or other law's the prominant known places are...you simply pay $5 buck's at the door...that makes you technically a member...and since it's "private" they can legally let you bring your own bottle (BYOB joint's) of liquor...and just serve you mixer's is how that work's. So technically ...it was all legal...except for the prostitution part.
If they impose that surcharge on any businesses, it should be the local Catholic churches. That's where most of the child-molestation problem seems to go on.
ReplyDeleteDamn good point Mr.Infidel...
ReplyDeleteAMEN to that!!