TOTALLY agree. Haggling over price — in either direction — manages to insult both parties at the same time. I’m a real fan of flat rates. Of course, if I were a super-negoiator, I might believe differently, I don’t know.

XX

I believe the decriminalization (NOT legalization) of prostitution in NZ came about because sex worker activists did their work. The economic argument may’ve been used — I’m not sure. It is a viable arugment here in the US.

NZ does not have a brothel system. It is a system of decriminalization — which is why I wish the US would look to it as a model. It allows for brothels, it also allows for indies and small groups of girls to work together (less than four in a house). It’s a very good system and the vast majority of the workers are happy with it and have good job satisfaction. Both clients and providers have legal protections in place.

Right now, it’s the darling of sex worker activists here in the US and probably other countries as well. It’s the system that’s working the best for all involved, which is why I reference it so much.

XX

I am curious about something. You have cited the New Zealand experience, and in another industry, distilling alcohol, I was told by someone there that NZ abolished restrictions on distilling simply because the cost of enforcement and licensing exceded the revenues from it, and I wonder if the legalization of prostitution in NZ followed the same rationale. (If so, and it worked there, it might work here,)

I also wonder, is legalization of prostitution in NZ of the Nevada format which ties the worker to a brothel, or can a girl work legally as an independent. If the latter, the experience of the NZ model might be used in building a case for NV legalization of Independents.

BB

—David,

Me too!

One person’s opinions are just that — however it was really weird how she echoed an ex-boyfriend. Not what I was expecting.

Aina,

Did I meet you in Chicgo? If not, I wish I had!

No, Bella’s brothel was not quite how Bella herself described it. If you look through the comments on my brothel postings, you’ll see some commenters who have other brothel experiences weighing in. There’s some good thoughts on this blog by others. Personally, I’ve heard good things about the Mustang ranch from several unconnected people.

Gwenyth,

No, online escorts get busted every day in lots of cities in the nation — and this is just the news I read online. I can only assume those news stories are a percentage of actual arrests. But again, CraigsList (or agencies) seem to the be bulk of online arrests.

Defining your usage of competition helps clarify things. I wish there was another word to describe your definition other than "competition." Your definition is not strict competition (how most of us think of it) and is actually closer to what I believe happens. Ideally, there is a network/sisterhood too. I like that idea a lot. I firmly believe there is enough out there for everyone. Maybe this is my illusion?

Bella IS trying to sell her brothel (several million!) but she wants to retain a controlling stake in it. Not ideal for reformation.

Unfortunately, we need a team of lawyers before getting really serious about a co-op brothel. It always comes down to money, doesn’t it?

XX