German prostitutes

[Gayle29uk]

Ok, I realise most of you probably don't read the Torygraph but there was a story the other day that made me stop and think.

I've always been in favour of prostitution being legalised but the current situation in Germany highlights one of the problems. You see (for those of you not wanting to read TFL), prostitution is now legal in Germany and as such the brothels have access to the job centre services the same as any other business. Unemployed people can even have their benefits stopped for refusing to take a job as a prostitute. Now, call me old fashioned but that's just NOT right! Legalising prostitution is one thing, forcing poor women to do it or starve is something else altogether.

[Yahwe]

perhaps we could legalise it without also making unemployment benefit stop if you don't do it.

you see.
problem solved.

[Marilyn Manson]

Originally Posted by Yahwe

perhaps we could legalise it without also making unemployment benefit stop if you don't do it.

you see.
problem solved.

Pragmatism isn't allowed on GD.

[Gayle29uk]

Originally Posted by Yahwe

perhaps we could legalise it without also making unemployment benefit stop if you don't do it.

you see.
problem solved.

That would require intelligent forethought on the part of the government, not something I have great confidence in.

I'm not saying I'm now against the idea, merely that I hadn't properly considered all the possible problems.

[Snurx]

I don't really think that legalizing things under the current social standard is the best sollution (On drugs, on prostitution and so on)
More like de-criminalization. Don't prosecute for small time growing off hash or a woman selling sex, but go for the big fish.

[Leshy]

There is nothing wrong with legalization, as long as you don't end up with fairly idiotic situations like this. And to be perfectly honest, I think this is an issue which is fairly unique and has been blown out of proportion.

I presume the great monster of bureaucracy has struck, and this woman has received a letter from the welfare office that she refused a job, and as such has broken the rules, without anyone sending the letter actually having any idea that the job she denied required the woman prostituting herself at all, and rather than simply calling the welfare office, she contacted the media who made a big fuss out of it.

You don't seriously think anyone at any sort of official government organisation would sit there at the phone and go: "Yes ma'am, I understand that you may have some objections to having sex with men for money, but if you do not take this job we'll stop giving you money, because it's the law, so whore yourself out already."

Prostitution has been legal in the Netherlands for years, and we've never had any sort of problem like this - the only problem that arose because of legalisation was that prostitutes should now be paying taxes, and I believe they also should offer receipts if requested to do so.

[NEWSBOT3]

Originally Posted by Leshy

offer receipts if requested to do so.

so you can claim expenses ?

[Leshy]

Originally Posted by NEWSBOT3

so you can claim expenses ?

If your company was to provide that, yes.

[wu_trax]

i saw that on a few english speaking papers but i never actually heared anything whatsoever about it here. i can't believe there is much on this story or the media would have been all over it, but ill check anyway.

[Kurashima]

Originally Posted by Yahwe

perhaps we could legalise it without also making unemployment benefit stop if you don't do it.

you see.
problem solved.

THATS JUST CRAZY TALK. DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING ON GD!

[demiGOD]

..and that day..
i fell in love with kiel..
the streets,
the food,
and the crisp air
moved my soul,
i drank her beer
brewed in their cellar,
and made love to a beauty
beyond my fair tongue
can exclaim,
for i am weak..
and i am in love..
...and that day..
i fell in love with kiel..

*SNAP* whoa.. what the hell happened?

[Dante Hicks]

Prostitution doesn't strike me as particularly unique - there should be numerous jobs which you shouldn't be "forced" to do (well, you shouldn't be forced to do any job on pain of losing benefits, but under the current system). Jobs which are dangerous, particularly unpleasant or against certain people's conscience (e.g. being a butcher for a vegetarian) should be exempt.

[wu_trax]

ok, apparently the job offer the unemployment office had was for a job as a bar mixer, not as a prostitute. she would have had to work in a borthel, but not as a prostitute. the owner of that borthel wanted to hire her as a prostitute. she turned down that job and thats fine. there can't be any cuts in the benefits for this, if there are she can sue against it and win the case without much of a problem.

[xtrasyn]

I love countries where they make slight errors when passing laws.

It proves they are not a totalitarian state where everything is thought out by the same four people.

[CrashTester]

Originally Posted by Yahwe

perhaps we could legalise it without also making unemployment benefit stop if you don't do it.

you see.
problem solved.

For once, you said exactly the same thing I was going to say. Although I probably would have highlighted with more vigour that German women have hairy armpits whereas you preferred to hint at this subtly.

[CrashTester]

Originally Posted by xtrasyn

I love countries where they make slight errors when passing laws.

It proves they are not a totalitarian state where everything is thought out by the same four people.

Our four fathers?

[Nodrog]

Legalise prostitution and scrap unemployment benefits, problem solved.

[Nodrog]

The problem of prostitution being illegal and unemployment benefits existing.

[Nodrog]

yeah, its amazing how simple the world becomes when you look at it properly.

[Marilyn Manson]

Originally Posted by xtrasyn

I love countries where they make slight errors when passing laws.

All of them, then.

[acropolis]

Originally Posted by Dante Hicks

Prostitution doesn't strike me as particularly unique - there should be numerous jobs which you shouldn't be "forced" to do (well, you shouldn't be forced to do any job on pain of losing benefits, but under the current system). Jobs which are dangerous, particularly unpleasant or against certain people's conscience (e.g. being a butcher for a vegetarian) should be exempt.

my conscience tells me that i don't like working. fair nuff?

i just hope in your eutopia there are a lot of openings for video game beta testers and restaurant critics, cuz from where i'm standing job openings are not safe, pleasant oppurtunities that make you feel good about yourself. and when they are, they are snapped up by a friend of a friend of someone who works there before you can blink.

i'm as much in favor of unemployment benefits as anyone, but the argument that she has an inalienable right to society's support until such a time as she deigns an offer worthy of her holiness is abject bullshit. she don't want to **** for money, that's a choice she can make.

people are talking as if she is being forced to whore. no. she is an adult, being given multiple options, and she is capable of making her own choices, and accepting responsibility for them.

[Dante Hicks]

Originally Posted by acropolis

my conscience tells me that i don't like working. fair nuff?.

Of course, do what you want.

[Phang]

Originally Posted by acropolis

people are talking as if she is being forced to whore. no. she is an adult, being given multiple options, and she is capable of making her own choices, and accepting responsibility for them.

quite. she can whore, or she can starve!

[Ärketrollmannen]

Originally Posted by acropolis

people are talking as if she is being forced to whore. no. she is an adult, being given multiple options, and she is capable of making her own choices, and accepting responsibility for them.

Isn't that a bit like holding a gun to her head?

[Kurashima]

I sense a massive increase of MILF's in German Brothels

[queball]

The Telegraph is great.

[wu_trax]

as i already tried to point out: the article is wrong. prostitution is legal here (and it has been for more than two years btw.) but the unemployment cant cut your benefit if you dont take such a job, because it would be quite easy to sue against it and win the case.