I wrote extensively last week about the Georgia Republicans waging a war on adult entertainment establishments and expanding civil forfeiture practices in our state with no data to back up their legislative premises. I have a hard time understanding why a $5,000 OR 1% gross revenue annual fine is necessary for these establishments without cause. And why only the adult entertainment industry?
So, I did a little Google search last night. I spent a significant amount of time sifting through sex trafficking articles. Below is a list of industry-related examples and sources:
- Massage parlors seem to be a heavy player in the trade. You can see so here and here.
- Prostitution. Perhaps we should make that illegal. And old-fashioned kidnapping.
- Direct from hotels in large cities. See so here and here.
- Military installations, marijuana tourism and professional sporting events. (Yikes! That is broad)
- A little girl taken and sold by her nanny.
- Modeling agencies and modeling advertisements online. (General online employment agency sites, too)
- Mail order bride programs as explained in a U.S. Senate committee hearing.
- The trucking industry.
- Sometimes pimps hang out in parks and coffee shops.
You’ll note that none of the above are industries included in the legislation. House Bill 244 and Senate Bill 8 both exclusively call for adult entertainment establishments. Wrongfully and dishonestly. There’s no doubt it sometimes happens in these establishments. But what about every other industry?
70% of child victims are sold over the internet. Every day. Read that again. 70%. An exceeding majority of sex trafficking is known to originate over the interwebs (and the private sector is already targeting this issue) but we are going after one teeny, tiny industry. That is despicable.
The bill also calls for what some might consider a “government-organized charity.” So I wanted to see what types of 501(c)3 non-profits were already out there operating:
- The National Human Trafficking Resource Center
- The Polaris Project
- A21.org
- The Not-For-Sale Campaign
- The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women
- Out of Darkness
- Coalition Against Traffic in Women
- Daughters Rising
- Slavery No More
- Love146
And considering Google returned 1,450,000 results, I can say with certainly that there are plenty more. The industry to help and counsel these women and children is alive and thriving. We don’t need our state government to set up another fund and commission to do so.
Utah seems to be taking a much more reasonable approach, where they are removing a current requirement for prosecutors to prove fraud or coercion for a conviction. North Dakota is increasing penalties for convictions and statute of limitations for victims. Same with Texas. These other states aren’t waging a war on businesses.
A judge in India, where human trafficking is painfully prevalent, said this is a social issue, not a legal one…one that the courts cannot solve. “Implementation of guidelines is in the hands of enforcement agencies.” I could not agree more.
Click here for background and resources to contact House committee members about this legislation.
The Perspicacious Conservative 
Correction: Google didn’t confirm anything. A Google SEARCH did. Big difference.
Agreed, A tax on any business is a tax on the people who work there or are the customers. These guys and gals in the legislature know that the people who will be paying the tax probably don’t even know that the Georgia Legislature is proposing this bill. It is the other businesses that will eventually be added to the list that this Bill all wrong for the citizens of Georgia. Based on the number of Adult Entertainment business in Georgia, this Bill will not gross enough money to cover the cost of enforcing such a tax. All Adult Entertainment is funded by out of town visitors to Atlanta. It brings Millions of dollars into the State. Absurd. Just another Government Jobs program that takes away from our liberties.
Oh boy. Here is where I diverge a bit from some Libertarian-minded Republicans. Reality: The Adult Entertainment industry, in the best of scenarios, is toxic . . .period. Anyone who feels otherwise is an idiot. And while liberty is important, this does not mean that it should be the wild west out there where all sorts of immoral crap is just tolerated under the umbrella of liberty.
And the suggestion that simply because the adult entertainment industry brings in millions of dollars or creates jobs or whatever, doesn’t somehow make it okay. And make no mistake James, there are PLENTY of people in those Atlanta establishments with Georgia Driver Licenses with Atlanta addresses.
Now . . . having said the above, some of the language of SB8 is problematic. While I am sure there is some statistical correlation with regard to exploitation of children and the Adult Live Entertainment industry, that particular industry would be less correlatable than other “sex-based industries. I would be FAR more concerned with adult bookstores, sex shops, and such.
Further, as so often happens with pretty much all “sin taxes,” what this bill essentially does is show government acceptance of this perverted crap . . .as long as the government gets it’s cut. And that I have a problem with.