AlterNet: Melissa Gira Grant: Confiscating Condoms? The Dumbfounding Ways Police Deal With Prostitution

Source:Free State MD

I know I wrote a blog about our over expensive criminal justice and corrections system last night. But I found another example of why its so expensive. “Confiscating condoms”, as if we don’t have enough unwanted pregnancies in America. People raising kids before they are ready to and raising them in poverty. Or we don’t have enough people with sexually transmitted diseases in America. Or we don’t have enough people in our corrections system. Or we don’t have again what Milton Friedman called “Bad Laws”.

Laws designed to protect people from themselves. Rather than protecting innocent people from the harm of dangerous criminals. Laws that Uncle Sam passes that says, "Your Uncle Sam knows what is best for you. Even though I never met you or don't even know you exist. I'm Uncle Sam which is another way of saying God and I know what is best for you". Laws are supposed to be for to protect the innocent, especially children from the harm of predators. Especially in a liberal democracy like America. And another big government presidential Candidate Rick Santorum, the Big Government King, at least as far as I'm concern, sounds like a burger restaurant or something. Now coming out for banning condoms, which would make these issues even worse. 

There’s piles and piles of evidence in America that if you try to force people to stop doing something that they want to do, marijuana, gambling and yes prostitution are all perfect examples of this, that if they want to do something bad enough, they’ll find a way to do it. And screw the consequences if they want to do it bad enough. And if you don't believe me about the piles of evidence, just ask a parent, especially a parent with more than one kid and especially with at least one teenager. And ask them about what it is like for them to try to get their kids to do something that they don't want to do, or stop doing something that like doing for their own good. 

Prostitution being of course the oldest profession in the world, enough said is a perfect example of that. Crimes should be things that hurt other people. Not what people do with their own lives. And that's exactly what “Bad Laws” are, or the Uncle Sam Big Brother Nanny State micromanager is about. Trying to manage other people's lives for them, because you think they are too stupid to do that for themselves. Trying to control what people do with their own lives, even if they are not hurting anyone with what they are doing. 

I’m not going to pay for sex and would never by choice work as a prostitute. But there are a lot of other things that I wouldn’t do. Doesn't mean I want to outlaw them for everyone else. Because I don’t want to do them and believe they would be bad choices for me. Doesn’t mean I believe these activities should be illegal. Just means I believe people should have the freedom of choice to make these decisions for themselves. And the way to make these activities as safe as possible, is not by outlawing where they go underground and are still done anyway. But through regulation and taxation to make them as safe as possible.
Source:Human Rights Watch