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By Dave Toplikar (contact) 
Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011 | 12:33 p.m.
Reader poll
Sun archives
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman isn't buying Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's argument that prostitution is hurting the economies of the 10 Nevada counties that have have legalized it.
"I personally don't believe that," Goodman told reporters today at his weekly news conference.
Reid told the Nevada Legislature Tuesday that having legalized prostitution in the state is an impediment to economic development and called for outlawing it across the state.
"That may be his perspective," Goodman said, "but I don't believe that anybody ever said to their husband or wife, 'We're not moving our business to Nevada because they have legalized prostitution there.'"
Goodman said the matter has never come up in any of the discussions he has ever had with businesses considering moving to the state.
"No, no — let's talk about education," Goodman said. "That comes up. That's something important to talk about. That's something that affects each and every one of us, our potential workforce."
Goodman said that before he became mayor, he tried cases around the state and represented, at one time, Sally Conforte, who was the wife of Joe Conforte, the owner of the Mustang Ranch, which was the state's first licensed brothel in 1971.
"These small counties, like it or not, depend on the tax revenue generated and the business generated by brothels being located there," Goodman said. "I think if you don't live where the activity takes place, you really may not understand the importance of it for that community."
Although state law prohibits prostitution in Clark and Washoe counties, Goodman said illegal prostitution takes place all over the Las Vegas Valley.
"Go any place in Las Vegas, any hotel, or any major arterial at 3 o'clock in the morning or 4 o'clock in the morning and you tell me there's not prostitution here. I'll call you a monkey's uncle," he said.
Goodman said his position has been misinterpreted in national publications that he is in favor of legalizing prostitution in the city.
"I'm not, as the mayor. I've never said that before," Goodman said.
However, Goodman said he has advocated discussing the issue.
"There's no doubt that prostitution does exist," he said. "It's demeaning to women. There are young teenagers who have been basically enslaved into prostitution. Human trafficking involves prostitution. All of that is very bad.
"People who have strong religious feelings may very well harbor a great adamance toward prostitution," he said.
However, professors at UNLV have argued that prostitution could be regulated "to make sure that it's safe that people won't be rolled, won't be harmed, won't get sexually transmitted diseases," he said.
Those academics also say that revenue can be raised as a result of it, Goodman said.
"Therefore, there are pros and cons," he said. "I've always said there's nothing wrong with discussing it. I have never advocated for legalization of prostitution, because I don't believe our constituents would want that here."
Wow, GW, yet another brilliant immature insult to support your lack of credibility within your point.
I for one would love to see the statistics and researched, recorded data to support Harry Reid's claim that brothels hurt the economy. I doubt there is any.
I do not frequent brothels. I've never been to one, but I support them as a legal, licensed business. I'm sure they can produce facts and figures on how much money they bring into the state.
I wish that business was legal in Clark County, under the proper licensing and health inspections, I'm sure it will reduce the amount of crime involved with the illegal prostitution here. Prostitution is EVERYWHERE in the world folks like it or not. I know many people oppose it because of their moral and ethical values...well... no one says they have to acknowledge it or hire a prostitute for themselves. Some people hate alcohol -- and they choose not to buy it and everything's fine. Prostitutes exists. They always will. Why not help them along, legalize it and provide methods of protection for the women (and men) who choose that path in life.
There is nothing good about prostitution.
They have been trying to get rid of prostitution for thousands of years without success.
Just like trying to get rid of corrupt politicians.
Switzerland legalized prostitution in 1992.
Switzerland has a 3.8% unemployment rate.
It is time for Harry Reid to focus on jobs and not bring up any other crap.
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/specials/swi...
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/Home/Archive...
Yet again, the Sun publishes another article that cannot get its facts right about the legality of prostitution in this state. Right now, the only place it's illegal by state law is in Clark County -- the statute prohibiting brothels in counties whose population is 400,000 or more doesn't apply to Washoe County, because the population thresholds in law are currently based on the 2000 Census. (Washoe's population was less than 400,000 in 2000, even though it's higher than that now.)
In Washoe County, it's illegal by county ordinance, NOT by state law.
Looks like Reid is paying back all those small counties for voting for Angle by cutting off their life line.
...and THIS is the adult discussion (Reid's words) about prostitution that Reid should be having. Societal maturity does not mean invoking more control over people who are capable of making decisions on their own. Don't agree with pay-for-sex? Don't visit brothels. Boycott TV stations and print media that advertise it. Warn your children against it. Picket and chant slogans until you feel better. But don't hang your personal moral code on everyone else in the state.
protitution is legal in Canada and I didn't see anyone boycotting the winter olympics because of it.
It sounds to me like Reid the Mormon is finally chiming in with his opinion of whores. Who would know better about whores than a lifelong politician? Where is Branco and his ruptured opinion of things. I guess he agrees with Reid...as usual.
I have no idea why this is an issue. A safe place for a prostitute can provide a service should be a no brainer.
Less violence, drugs and STDs.
More tax $$$
I would rather hear as strong a statement by our electeds on the way Mining promises us a good time to only slip our wallets out our back pocket while we're in the shower....
Prostitution hurts no one other than the feeling of a few do gooders.
I hate it when some people are so self righteous
Put it to vote in Clark county and see what the "people" have to say. I am betting it won't be made legal.
I don't have a problem as long as it is ran like the other counties. Safe and also tax it.
They are willing to pay the taxes so let them. Stop fighting something that goes on every night in Vegas.
Once things are legal, they are more controlled and less likely to be abused.
I am with Mr. Goodman on this. I am betting no real business that was serious about moving to Nevada stopped because of the Cat Houses in rural counties.
Can Mr. Reid get someone to back up his statement? Sure he can, he has lots of friends around the country. What would be their excuse for not moving to CLARK COUNTY though? ;-)
"What would be their excuse for not moving to CLARK COUNTY though?"
Can you say Metro?
I think the Brothels could sell their case more effectively to the public if there were more free samples given out and those would not be illegal in any event.
Harry needs to stay out of local state business. What do you expect from a Mormon.
"There's no doubt that prostitution does exist," he said. "It's demeaning to women. There are young teenagers who have been basically enslaved into prostitution. Human trafficking involves prostitution. All of that is very bad. "People who have strong religious feelings may very well harbor a great adamance toward prostitution..."
Just when you think Oscar gets it, he really doesn't. The key issue, of course, is why does any government body even begin to think it has authority to regulate what consenting adults do with each other. That's not criminal, no matter what laws are passed.
And the key problem is what the second part of his statement was -- the religious types, as our Senator Reid so well demonstrated, are just bent on controlling our lives. Even what it doesn't directly effect them in any way.
"The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion." -- Arthur C. Clarke, 1999, from "God, Science, and Delusion: A Chat With Arthur C. Clarke" in Free Inquiry magazine
I concur with His Honor. It's a little late for Nevada to incorporate with Utah.
for once i agree with mred, having been to amsterdamn a few times, legalized prostitution is no big deal. this is las vegas after all, not kansas, why not legalize it and tax it? just dont put it in grocery stores like gaming allows poker machines. naked city would be perfect.
KillerB,
You have any teenage girls who are looking to make some quick money? It's all for the good of the state. No one is a victim, so let your girls do what daddy feels is right.
I see harry was found to be telling lies the other day by CNN when he made claims that simply did not stack up regarding SS checks if government shut down, the claims were fabricated and based on nothing but Harrys world
Harry Reid admits in his own book that his mother supported him by doing the laundry from the Searchlight Brothels. What a bad son to turn on his mother.
good post, Mark Bowers
sluts, sleaze and slimey politicos
wow $4B; that's enough laundered dough to do some really great schooling, screwing and sliming of slaves, our young and under-educated children.
What needs to be addressed is all the ILLEGAL prostitution and escort services going on without law enforcement. But since that continues to go on, unaddressed, the next best solution is to provide the already LEGAL brothels the opportunity to expand, clean the streets of the illicit sex trade and slavery that exists, so that proper safe sex, client protection, and appropriate taxation of services takes place.
The good ol boy system of Nevada Legislators for the past 20+ years have year after year turned their backs to the LEGAL and existing brothel industry and allowed (through extreme lack of law enforcement) the ILLEGAL SEX TRADES & SEX SLAVERY to not only thrive, but expand. Who are these representatives really working for? What about that?
cops on the take get laid, get cash and own the protection racket for illegal (and quite profitable) escort services.
Great gig, huh? Nice uniforms, fast cars, impunity.
What's not to love about the way it is??
Reid should be worrying about a federal govt shutdown if he is worried about jobs.
This is all just a political stunt for Reid to cleanse his name at the expense of Nevada and freedom. Brothels are just an easy pick on target for a political bully like Reid.
The polls in the newspaper are running over 80% against Reid. This isn't going to happen and I think Reid knows that now.
I see poeple quoting a few countries here and there with legalized prostitution. The list is actually very long: Singapore, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, parts of Australia, Netherlands, Germany.
Many other countries have made prostitution illegal, at the behest of the US, but they dont actively enforce it. The US requires many countries to make it illegal in order to get aid money....which we cant even afford ourselves so we borrow it from China....which also has rampant prostitution.
You'd think by posting in the Las Vegas Sun, Mark Bowers would actually read it:
"Goodman has vented his frustration that the ordinance would allow the escort service handbillers to leaflet the Fremont Street Experience the same way they do on the Las Vegas Strip.
"I don't like it," Goodman said during discussion on the bill. But he said he supported it because Mayor Pro Tem Gary Reese has said it needs to be in place to protect the city from litigation.
Goodman said he has great respect for U.S. District Judge David Ezra, of Hawaii, who presided over a lawsuit challenging the city's last attempt at restricting activities in the pedestrian mall.
"With all due respect, I think Judge Ezra was wrong," Goodman said. "I think the Fremont Street Experience is not a public street. I think it's a private enterprise. I don't see any reason he can find that Wakiki Beach in Hawaii, a seven-mile stretch of it, is protected from this kind of activity, but our Fremont Street isn't."
February 2, 2011 LAS VEGAS COUNCIL PUTS RESTRICTIONS ON FREMONT STREET PERFORMERS - Dave Toplikar
"good post, Mark Bowers"
airweare -- you're kidding! Lot of inaccuracies, starting with he seems ignorant of prostitution being illegal in all of Clark County, including Vegas.
"What needs to be addressed is all the ILLEGAL prostitution and..."
staralio -- you seem a bit obsessed with the "illegality" of what consenting adults do in private. And something unsubstantiated about it being "slavery." Why?
A bit of trivia for y'all -- the standard for law dictionaries for over a century has been Black's. From it's first edition in 1891 one definition of "prostitution" was "the act of setting one's self to sale, or of devoting to infamous purposes what is in one's power: as, the prostitution of talents or abilities; the prostitution of the press." Bouvier's from the 19th century specifically included judges selling their offices to the highest bidder.
What a hypocrite and bozo goodman is. Come election day I hope people remember the deal neonopolis made with the city. Empty condo and hotel towers and retail complexes downtown do nothing for this economy. I hope they remember that most of his 'redevelopment' plans are on the other side of the tracks and nothing on the east side. I hope they remember how much money his family and friends have made off on this so called 'redevelopment'. I hope they remember how much money the city spent on a new city hall and the sweet deal they made with zappos for the old one. Think zappos is a great company. Look up how many people they laid off a few years ago.
the Goodman legacy will live on...and will be a positive for Vegas