[Disclaimer: the following post is intended for entertainment purposes only, and should not be interpreted as a solicitation of prostitution.]
My boyfriend's birthday is coming up and I want to buy him -- and perhaps me, too -- some ass. In the course of my research on the subject, I have become enamored with the beauty of the way in which the escort business thrives completely outside the confines of state regulation.
Perhaps the main argument of supporters of extensive regulation is that government involvement makes the particular sector in question safer for the consumers. If there are no laws, they say, then everybody can do whatever they want! The quality of products will drop and the price will rise! The poor consumer will be ripped off!
Well, not so fast. The escort industry has extremely powerful checks and balances, in the shape of consumer reviews, such as the Erotic Review. In a business (not unlike the majority of businesses) where reputation is the most powerful marketing tool, customer satisfaction is key. And you can really see market forces in action: providers with bad reviews tend to charge less and most agencies (employing several providers) tend to have consistent reviews (good or bad).
On the other hand, the main practical argument (leaving aside the moral issue) of those in favor of the ban on prostitution is that it is dangerous to the women. If you allow women to walk around making themselves available to all sorts of personages, who knows what psycho may get his hands on them and cut them into pieces?
Well, once again, not so fast. Escorts have several -- extremely effective -- ways of ensuring their safety. A very large number of providers require references, i.e. the name and contact information of providers that the client has already seen, before setting up an appointment. A client with unsatisfactory behavior will clearly not make it far. Also, almost all providers check in with a friend when the client arrives or they arrive at the client's place (and they check the client's ID, too). Clearly, if something happens, the identity of the likely wrongdoer will be known -- and what better incentive is there to behave nicely?
So, there you go. The escort business: totally illegal (at least in Washington State), yet very safe for both consumers and providers. Now, ain't that pretty?