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Senators Propose Bill Targeting Websites That Facilitate Sex Trafficking (usatoday.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from USA Today: A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation Tuesday that aims to make it easier to sue and criminally prosecute operators of online classified sites like Backpage.com that have been used to advertise sex workers. The proposed bill would amend the Communications Decency Act to eliminate a provision that shields operators of websites from being liable for content posted by third-party users. In addition to removing liability protections for websites that facilitate "unlawful sex acts with sex trafficking victims," lawmakers are seeking to amend the CDA to allow state prosecutors -- not just federal law enforcement -- to take action against individuals and businesses that use websites to violate federal sex trafficking laws. "For too long, courts around the country have ruled that Backpage can continue to facilitate illegal sex trafficking online with no repercussions," said Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio. "The Communications Decency Act is a well-intentioned law, but it was never intended to help protect sex traffickers who prey on the most innocent and vulnerable among us. This bipartisan, narrowly crafted bill will help protect vulnerable women and young girls from these horrific crimes."

187 comments

  1. Dick pics... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Would this include image websites that allow anonymous uploads of dick pics? Asking for a friend...

    1. Re:Dick pics... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      God I hope so...

      most of y'alls' dicks aren't worth picture-posting anyway

    2. Re: Dick pics... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      my DAMN balls are tho

    3. Re:Dick pics... by davester666 · · Score: 1

      Minutes before the bill is voted on, it will be altered to also permit state and federal prosecutors go after copyright infringement as well, because people are stealing approximately 14.8 quadrillion dollars from big media. Every day.

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
    4. Re:Dick pics... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would have never known that the underground dick-pic trade was that lucrative.

    5. Re:Dick pics... by davester666 · · Score: 1

      It would be if big media could properly monetize it, which they can't because people are stealing the pictures nilly-willy.

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  2. Yeah, that'll work by Locke2005 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Backpage.com has already been pressured into eliminating their escort/massage section. "Escorts" just moved their ads to the "Women seeking Men" dating section. All websites need is positive deniability and you can't touch them. "What, you expected us to READ everything that anybody posts? Even slashdot doesn't do that!"

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    1. Re:Yeah, that'll work by slew · · Score: 2

      Backpage.com has already been pressured into eliminating their escort/massage section. "Escorts" just moved their ads to the "Women seeking Men" dating section. All websites need is positive deniability and you can't touch them. "What, you expected us to READ everything that anybody posts? Even slashdot doesn't do that!"

      FWIW, you can read the proposed change here... Basically the bill is proposing to remove the CDA's safe harbor provisions for specifically enforcing sex trafficking laws. I suppose the theory is simply to allow the state (and the victim) to hit the websites in the pocketbook to modify their behaviour. But as you speculate, their behaviour is likely modified in a direction to promote more elaborate deniability, not elimination...

    2. Re:Yeah, that'll work by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      It's indeed not realistic for content hosters to inspect all content (assuming such even does any good). It would either put them out of business, jack up customer prices bigly, and/or drive such business overseas.

      If they should inspect "some" content or do a cursory review, then the law would have to specify the time and/or expense required to be devoted to it. If they take the lazy way out and require "a reasonable" amount of time, then that will also jack up the prices because the penalty would be at the whim of jurors or judges.

      How could a law specify resources in an unambiguous and practical way? Anybody want to give such text a shot?

      Here's an idea I'll float: if a site has a history of or reason to expect suspicious sex-related transactions, then it's required to run all content through a filter to check against a word/phrase list downloadable from a [yet unspecified] federal agency, and refreshed at least monthly. If any content matches, then the hoster must inspect each instance within a week and either report suspicious activity to local law officials, or reject the customer's content. The inspection activity is to be logged and kept for at least a year.

      To avoid such inspection work, most hosters will probably start automatically refusing certain words or phrases in ads. Synonyms will probably end up being used, just like you suggested, making it silly game.

      Thus, the legislation is probably busybody nonsense to make the law-maker sound "tough on crime". Same stupid game as ever.

      By the way, actual escorts are not illegal by themselves. It's kind of like hiring a body guard. "Escort" is just often used as a synonym for more nefarious activities. It's kind of like paying the mafia "protection fees": they could merely be a legitimate security service who happens to have an Italian accent. Security services themselves are not illegal. If you effectively ban one synonym, another will pop up in its place. Legislating profiling and guesswork would be a can of worms.

      It may even trigger ethnic profiling lawsuits if a hoster checks on certain groups more than others while checking for "suspicious activity". Italian security services on the East Coast may indeed be "suspicious", but that's ethnic profiling. (My apologies if I offended any Italians.)

    3. Re:Yeah, that'll work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      So all I have to do to bring down slashdot or any website that has a comment section is to post something that will contravene this law.

      The 4channers will have a field day.

      Noble cause, too broad of a dragnet that will hurt innocent businesses.
      Sure, postings will initially decrease and some people will be "saved"... but then the services will move on to other methods of advertising and we'll be left with the overly broad law that will continue to hurt innocent businesses if people maliciously post items to their websites.

    4. Re: Yeah, that'll work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Quit making sense, you are just making our l34d3rz look Stup1d

    5. Re: Yeah, that'll work by loufoque · · Score: 1

      The end result is just more dangerous and more expensive sex.

      Coming from Europe, where escorts are good-looking, healthy and talented entrepreneurs, I'm always shocked whenever I see the low quality of the offers in the US, which are also outrageously expensive and dodgy as fuck.

      The US should just embrace the principle their very constitution is based on, freedom, and let the market privide common-place safe sex for everyone.

  3. Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something useful by Ensign_Expendable · · Score: 2

    Let's forget about improving healthcare in the U.S.

  4. Don't eliminate valuable data! by Locke2005 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Ever have one of those days when you google the number the cute girl gave you in a nightclub, and it shows up in an ad on backpage.com? I have. At least now I understand why she gave me her number!

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    1. Re:Don't eliminate valuable data! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You think that's bad? One time I called a number from an ad on backpage.com, and it turned out it was just a cute girl who wanted to go to a nightclub!

  5. What ? by psergiu · · Score: 2

    "For too long, courts around the country have ruled that Backpage can continue..."

    So ... multiple judges and juries have decided that it's nothing wrong with it but and they want to change that ?

    So, after this law is passed, if a AC posts an unlawful comment to a story on /. - will the editors be sent to prison ?

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    1. Re:What ? by aardvarkjoe · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So ... multiple judges and juries have decided that it's nothing wrong with it but and they want to change that ?

      The judges have determined that it's not against the law, not that there's "nothing wrong with it." The proposal is to change the law.

      Not that I necessarily agree with this proposal, but it's not really correct to conclude that something is "right" or "wrong" based simply on court decisions. I'm sure we can all come up with cases where we think that the law should be written differently than how it now stands.

      --

      How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
    2. Re:What ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, after this law is passed, if a AC posts an unlawful comment to a story on /. - will the editors be sent to prison ?

      After some narratives editors post ad nauseam, gosh that might be nice.

    3. Re:What ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because nothing bad ever happened when governments give themselves the right to tell their citizens what constitutes "morality" or "good".

    4. Re:What ? by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 1

      People are so accustomed to judges legislating from the bench that they no longer understand how the process is supposed to work.

  6. sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "For too long, courts around the country have ruled that Backpage can continue to facilitate illegal sex trafficking online with no repercussions," said Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio.

    Why don't you mind your own goddamn business? Thank goodness the "family values conservatives" are in charge, amirite? Sessions cracking down on marijuana, Trump encouraging police to brutalize suspects and Portman making sure it's illegal for two consenting adults to enter into a personal contract.

    If Portman cares about human trafficking, maybe he should look into Trump's "model agency" or his relationship with Melania.

    http://www.inquisitr.com/43971...

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
    1. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      right? thank you.

      and another thing...when are they going to differentiate between consensual adult prostitution, and sex trafficking? answer: they won't.

      just watch, they're going to continue beating the "somebody think of the sex slaves" drum until all prostitution is wiped out. which will be never, but hey.... let's waste lots of time and money on it.

    2. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by lactose99 · · Score: 3

      This makes less and less sense the more I try to read it

      --
      Fully licensed blockchain psychiatrist
    3. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Funny

      This makes less and less sense the more I try to read it.

      It made more sense in the original Russian.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    4. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by youngone · · Score: 1

      I'm pretty sure she spells her name "Metallica".

    5. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      in soviet Russia money works for you?

    6. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by PopeRatzo · · Score: 0

      You realize that much of this pressure isn't coming from right wing christians but from atheist SJW progressives who believe they are protecting women.

      The movement to support sex workers is coming from the Left.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    7. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not true. Keep in mind that super progressively branded Kamala Harris (D) from San Francisco, California is the one who spear-headed the closing of Redbook and of pressuring Backpage. It's all politics. "Everyone" can agree that human trafficking is wrong even if the problem doesn't actually exist anywhere near the scale that say, Ashton Kutcher would have everyone believe.

      And yes, human traffickers should be thrown in jail. There are lots of strong laws for that. In my mind I would thing the cops would keep the pages up as an easy source of investigative tips.

      This is only about furthering people's political careers at the expense of the sex workers, whom apparently even Kamala Harris disdains.

    8. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then we need to ask the liberal contingent of this "bipartisan group of lawmakers" why they're attacking sites like Backpage. After all, Backpage is a renaissance for sex workers, allowing them to work for themselves instead of working for dangerous criminals (organized or otherwise). I am not particularly enamored with the individuals who run Backpage, but I would rather it be them getting rich than the scum who run the underground sex industry.

      It's a shame to see Democrats putting their name to this. Normally this kind of blind, thoughtless prosecution of a moralistic crusade is a right-wing phenomenon.

    9. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by fafalone · · Score: 1

      The charge against Backpage was led by new Democrat/SJW hero Kamala Harris. Both sides are united in their crusade to clamp down on rights here, under the fake accusations of sex trafficking. (Fake in that they are going after all prostitution because of 0.0001% of it being anything resembling actual sex trafficking.. the left thinks all prostitutes are victims because women have no agency, and the right just wants to suppress sexual freedom)

    10. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by nctritech · · Score: 1

      This is no different than every other stupid moral panic we've endured. If it's not terrorists in every neighborhood, it's pedophiles behind every bush and tree. If it's not pedos swarming the backs of local park bushes, it's out-of-control high-impact sexual slavery in every motel room even if no pimp or underage person is ever involved and everyone consents to what's going on. Anger and fear are the only two emotional states that cause the logical side of the brain to completely shut down. These moral panics exist solely for the purpose of power grabbing. It was never about protecting lives, children, or women; it has always been about making you afraid enough that you'll support permanent removal of the rights of yourself and others to conduct your respective lives as you see fit, giving that control to the authoritarian politicians that crafted the panic in the first place, and thanking them profusely for protecting you from others by making you a little bit more of a slave to the government and its very real slippery slope of control.

      See also http://reason.com/blog/2017/06... and https://www.psychologytoday.co... and an interesting thing I found along the way http://www.acadiau.ca/~thomson...

    11. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by PopeRatzo · · Score: 0

      The charge against Backpage was led by new Democrat/SJW hero Kamala Harris. Both sides are united in their crusade to clamp down on rights here, under the fake accusations of sex trafficking.

      The only public support for sex workers is coming from the Left.

      the left thinks

      Now you're embarrassing yourself.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    12. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not about the left or the right, it's authoritarian crap coming from both sides. Too often there is this left/right dichotomy being played when that distinction isn't relevant. This is "controlling other people through a moral panic 101" garbage. I don't care what direction any given pusher is coming from, I just want to see them pushed back so hard that their monocles get muddy.

    13. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > The only public support for sex workers is coming from the Left.

      Supporting Anthony Wiener (AKA Carlos Danger) & the other pedophiles isn't a credit to them, you know, right?

    14. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Reads fine. English as a second language?

    15. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by meglon · · Score: 1

      There are no right-wing christians... you can't be conservative and be christian, the teachings of Jesus are diametrically opposed to conservative thinking in the US. What you have is a bunch of fakes abusing the name of Christ so they can have the social standing coming from the name.

      --
      Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
    16. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by zippthorne · · Score: 1

      Sessions cracking down on marijuana..

      Don't forget about his trying to increase the use of civil forfeiture.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    17. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      I don't care what direction any given pusher is coming from, I just want to see them pushed back so hard that their monocles get muddy.

      I agree. I merely pointed out that the only support for sex workers is currently coming from the Left.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    18. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

      The senators are just having trouble finding girls on Craigslist who aren't hookers.

    19. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You realize that much of this pressure isn't coming from right wing christians but from atheist SJW progressives who believe they are protecting women.

      Sorry that whole conservative meme ship sailed long ago. The temperance movement is back except they are far more dangerous and willing to use political power to shut people up.

      Maybe you should read about this stuff sometime.

      You realize that "atheist SJW progressives" have zero sway with Republicans, like those that are sponsoring this bill? And likewise with all the Republicans that want to restrict abortion, or oppose women in combat, or want to keep sex work illegal? So maybe, just maybe, there's some conservatives involved? And in a lot of states, and the federal level, those conservatives have far more sway than any sex-negative liberals?

    20. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by beastofburdon · · Score: 1

      You're right, it isn't the left specifically, it isn't the right either, it's women.

    21. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      You're right, it isn't the left specifically, it isn't the right either, it's women.

      The greatest advocates in support of sex workers are women, friend.

      https://www.bustle.com/article...

      I don't know where you're getting such bad information, but women and specifically feminists are leading the way in sex worker advocacy.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    22. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by erapert · · Score: 1

      So... you vote libertarian, yes?

    23. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      So... you vote libertarian, yes?

      In the United States, Libertarians are not libertarian, so no. I don't know how it is where you live, but in this country, a "Libertarian" is basically a racist Republican who wants to smoke pot and bring suffering on poor people and the elderly while not paying taxes.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    24. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by erapert · · Score: 1

      ...a "Libertarian" is basically a racist Republican who wants to smoke pot and bring suffering on poor people and the elderly while not paying taxes.

      Demonizing.

    25. Re:sexually-repressed fake christian prudes by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Demonizing.

      Just pointing out the obvious.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  7. Thankfully! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Yes let's protect the women and girls since they are obviously the ONLY victims of sex trafficking. And of course the ONLY people advertising there are victims, none of them are there because they actually make a lot more money doing something they enjoy than trying to find a non-existent job flipping burgers or working in Walmart.

    Ok I'm off to my massage, let's hope this all leads to a happy ending.

  8. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    There hasn't been talk of 'improving' it since the Democrats left office.

  9. I'm okay with that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sex trafficking is truly a horrible crime. It can ruin lives in a detrimental way and profoundly impact the psychology of our most vulnerable children. I'm okay if restrictions are added that may inhibit services that facilitate such activity - even if the facilitation is indirect. Backpage and even craigslist has a hand in being able to choose whether or not to facilitate this type of crime.

    1. Re:I'm okay with that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sex trafficking is truly a horrible crime.

      There's lots of bad crimes out there - murder, torture, even just plain assault that results in severe permanent injury like brain damage or paralysis.

      And some things that would qualify as sex trafficking are in the gray area - some guy helps a girl sneak into the country to work as a prostitute in exchange for a share of her future earnings.

      Backpage and even craigslist has a hand in being able to choose whether or not to facilitate this type of crime.

      Can you really just go on craigslist and find someone advertising child sex slaves for hire?

      I'm not saying that it's never happened but I imagine it's pretty rare.

    2. Re:I'm okay with that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Stop using logic and think of the children OK?

  10. laws by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The laws already exist to protect women and children. It is up to law enforcement to capture and enforce what is already there Senator dumbshit.

  11. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The U.S has exactly the healthcare system a bunch of freemarket fundamentalists deserve.

  12. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by cayenne8 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    There hasn't been talk of 'improving' it since the Democrats left office.

    And, the train wreck the Democrats left behind, wasn't an improvement either....

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  13. prudish tone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    unlawful sex acts with sex trafficking victims

    The whole article sort of subtly conflates the two-- unlawful sex acts, and sex trafficking victims, as though they are one and the same. i.e. prostitution == victim

    1. Re:prudish tone by Fire_Wraith · · Score: 1

      But think of the children/sex trafficking victims/etc!

      The conflation is deliberate, and I'm only surprised he didn't try to link in the underage angle to it as well. The average person is probably going to care a lot less, and be less supportive, of measures to crack down on a transaction between two consenting adults, whereas the average person is far more likely to support a crackdown on sex-trafficking.

      And while it's not to say that legalized prostitution is a panacea for sex trafficking, it's a lot harder to regulate and monitor something when the entirety of it is illegal, and therefore pushed underground. As with illegal drugs, many of the bad aspects are due in large part to the fact that it's illegal, or at the very least are made much worse by the fact that those involved can't go to the police/courts/etc for redress of crimes against them, and instead have to rely on criminal protectors/enforcers, etc, who also aren't exactly inclined to care about laws on things like sex trafficking for instance.

    2. Re:prudish tone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gosh I wonder why they're doing that.

      Better crack down on those dark web sites! They're a haven for druggy-paedo-terrorists!

    3. Re:prudish tone by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 1

      unlawful sex acts with sex trafficking victims

      The whole article sort of subtly conflates the two-- unlawful sex acts, and sex trafficking victims, as though they are one and the same. i.e. prostitution == victim

      Of course. That's the game now - act as if all prostitution is "trafficking" and pretend that there are no women who voluntarily prostitute themselves. It's the easiest way to gain sympathy for the anti-prostitution position.

  14. Stop It by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stop making bull shit special laws that are purposely broad in scope. Sex trafficking is illegal already so enforce that fucking law.

    1. Re:Stop It by nukenerd · · Score: 2

      Stop making bull shit special laws that are purposely broad in scope. Sex trafficking is illegal already so enforce that fucking law.

      It is the law against sex trafficking that is broad in scope. This law is meant to target a mechanism of it (whether any good at it is another matter). It is like having no road traffic laws except one that just says "Drive safely" and saying fucking enforce it.

  15. Black ops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How about getting a team of black ops to hunt down and kill the operators of the sex trafficing sites? Hunt them down, wherever they may be. No fanfare. No publicity. The word will get around.

    1. Re:Black ops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about getting a team of black ops to hunt down and kill the operators of the sex trafficing sites? Hunt them down, wherever they may be. No fanfare. No publicity. The word will get around.

      I think they should start with a live-fire practice run and you will be the target.

  16. Thank you by bagofbeans · · Score: 2

    Came here to make exactly that point.

    Let's also ban kitchen knives because they have been used in horrifying acts of domestic abuse, and will continue to be used unless we act now!

    1. Re:Thank you by painandgreed · · Score: 1

      Let's also ban kitchen knives because they have been used in horrifying acts of domestic abuse, and will continue to be used unless we act now!

      You must be from the UK.

    2. Re:Thank you by beastofburdon · · Score: 1

      I'm honestly surprised you can still buy a kitchen knife in that shithole of a country.

    3. Re:Thank you by bagofbeans · · Score: 1

      Actually USA, so couldn't use firearms as example to avoid diversion down the 2nd amendment side road, which is irrelevant to the point here.

    4. Re:Thank you by painandgreed · · Score: 1

      Aw, come on. /. was made great by discussions of irrelevant side roads.

  17. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    You're right, it should've gone to single-payer

  18. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And, the train wreck the Democrats left behind, wasn't an improvement either....

    I'm sorry, but that was a state matter, and it's not the fault of Democrats that Chris Christie was too busy at the beach.

    I heard he had a golden fiddle, and six baskets of Georgia Peaches.

  19. Oh this could be bad... by UnAmericanPunk · · Score: 1

    While I'm all for getting rid of sex traffickers, the line "eliminate a provision that shields operators of websites from being liable for content posted by third-party users" could be a bit scary if it leaves the narrow scope specified. I mean, if it's ONLY applied to sex trafficking websites cool, but I could totally see companies jumping on this bandwagon and holding web hosts responsible for content posted by third-party users. Imagine the copyright lawsuits that would happen. Maybe it's just the cynic in me, but corporations/congress have done this kinda "Look, we're doing something good" with something really terrible as the real intention before.

    --
    Question everything that you've accepted without thinking.
    1. Re: Oh this could be bad... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The answer to such laws is: abuse them.

      If site owners suddenly are responsible, go for the big corporate players, the gov sites and any sites operated by rich/famous. Especially law & order freaks, politicians or church sites.

      1. Post a sex ad in their forum or comment section. Avoid obscene words that could be autodetected. Making the message clear is easy anyway. Include contact info for a real prostitute.
      2. Tip the police & newspapers.

      When a few operators has gone down, the law changes. Or you have a generic site kill method.

      Real prostitution moves to foreign servers.

    2. Re:Oh this could be bad... by Rockoon · · Score: 1

      Google runs a "sex trafficking website" called "google.com"" by any reasonable interpretation of the proposed legislation.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
  20. Screw these Senators by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    and not the good kind. For all their posturing they aren't really doing squat to take care of victims of sex trafficking. If you wanted to do that you could provide help and support to the victims so they didn't feel the need to sell their bodies in the first place. But that costs real money and doesn't help out some prosecutors career prospects.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re:Screw these Senators by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      reminds me back in the days 1970s when a senator or congressman was "caught playing around" with a young lady. She was a former Penthouse Pet or Playboy pinup hired as a secretary but didn't know how to type. Big scandal at the time. Larry Flynt wrote in his editorial column nothing wrong with this as it probably reduces stress, "better they screw their secretaries than screw you and me."

  21. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And, the train wreck the Republicans created, wasn't an improvement either....

    FTFY. I understand that healthcare is complicated but please try to pay attention and keep up? It really helps if we're all on the same page or at least all speaking the same language.

  22. No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuure.. by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sounds to me while this may (or may not) be well-intentioned, it'll be abused to censor online discussions, having a chilling effect on peoples freedom of speech.
    Furthermore, as others in this discussion have already pointed out, sex traffickers will just learn to hide their posts better. The net effect will then be infringement on the rights of people who are doing nothing wrong, and sex trafficking will continue unabated.
    Really sounds to me like they just need to enforce the laws already on the books with regards to this sort of illegal activity, and nevermind creating new legislation.

  23. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Americans don't really give a fuck about health. If they did they wouldn't be the leading culture of obesity and sloth. There's no denying that Americans are feeding themselves into a grave... it's not about health, it's about lazy Americans thinking they can pop pills to better health.

  24. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 0

    I'd also like to add, as a sidebar to this subject: My species can't evolve fast enough so far as I'm concerned. 'Sex trafficking'? Really? How much of a primitive animal do you have to be to treat other members of your own species that way? Really, honestly, seriously, homo sapiens: Get your damn act together already, you're an embarassment to the rest of the Universe. No bloody wonder we can't find any other life even in our own galaxy; they must all be hiding from us, too embarassed by us to even want to talk to us, let alone meet us.

  25. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by cayenne8 · · Score: 0

    FTFY. I understand that healthcare is complicated but please try to pay attention and keep up? It really helps if we're all on the same page or at least all speaking the same language.

    Funny....I don't recall a single Republican vote for the Obamacare system we currently are burdened with....

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  26. Slashdot is as good as gone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Was nice chatting with you all!

  27. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by cayenne8 · · Score: 1, Informative

    You're right, it should've gone to single-payer

    God no....please.

    I don't like the federal govt. having as much say in my healthcare as it is, I don't want them in 100% complete control of it.

    I think they should do a few things.

    First, the extreme poor, infirmed and the elderly, we keeps medicare and medicare for them...the safety net.

    For the rest of able bodied American that can work...

    We allow insurance to be sold across state lines.

    We allow for very high limit HSA (Health Savings Accounts) to be set up by our citizens for their routine medical needs (office visits, meds, etc)...this comes out pre-tax and rolls over annually, not use it or lose it like FSA's are.

    We allow people to buy the insurance they want...and let's get back to insurance being what used to be referred to as "major medical"....basically is insurance if you get hit by a bus or heart attack, etc......but for routine medical needs, you use your own HSA money. With your $$ in hand, you can shop around for Dr. and tx.

    Get the middle men and bean counters out of medicine and prices will drop....the extreme rise in medical care came about due to HMO's and the middle men.

    An alternative is something being experimented with by groups of doctors...groups of them get together kind of like a CSA, but with health instead of food...you pay a regular monthly fee and when you have medical needs, they treat you as needed.

    These are only a couple of examples that can work and will lower price...and give people choices on what they want to spend their money on and how they want to treat their health.

    I certainly think I can make better decisions than some bureaucrat 1000's of miles away in a completely different environment than I live.

    At the minimum, I can realize that as a single male I really have no use being forced to pay for maternity insurance I do not need.

    I'm still trying to figure that out with obamacare....I should only pay for the insurance I deem necessary for my needs at my stage in life.

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  28. Pedophile Trump... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    would veto the bill.
    He and his buddy Jeffery Epstein (convicted sex offender) abused underage women for years and BRAGGED about it. So, anyone who voted for Trump has aided a sex offender. Congrats you stupid fucking ass twats!

    1. Re:Pedophile Trump... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No one cares. It doesn't make sense for sex with anyone who is post-pubescent to be illegal. Feminist bullshit is the only reason the age of consent is so high and has such complex rules around it. There's a big difference between teen sexual acts and beating and gang-raping a three-year-old. You're incredibly stupid. No one likes people like you. You are everything wrong with society.

  29. Bipartisanship by SeattleLawGuy · · Score: 2

    It's possible to do more than one thing at a time. Sex Trafficking is and should always be a bipartisan issue not beholden to the usual contest of opposing political forces coming from sources of legitimate disagreement. People being held in slavery in the modern United States is not a partisan issue. Children getting raped multiple times per day is not a partisan issue. People knowingly profiting off of that without making at least reasonable efforts to prevent it and refusing to be reasonably responsive to law enforcement in preventing it should absolutely be prosecuted and should be civilly liable. While there are legitimate reasons to refuse or insist on narrowing a request made from law enforcement if one is overbroad, this is not one of those grey areas where there is a lot of room for legitimate debate.

    There is room to talk about the best way of fixing the problem, but again, this isn't and really shouldn't be a heavily partisan debate. Leaders on both sides of the aisle have spoken out against trafficking, for example. (Bush and Clinton come to mind.)

    If someone wants to set up a bulletin board fine, but if it gets misused they should either step up and deal with the misuse or they should take it down, because seriously, kids are being raped.

    Newspapers shut down comments sections because of racist comment threads and doxxing; this is worse. There are bounds to moral relativism. Raping kids is crossing those bounds.

    --
    Real lawyers write in C++
    1. Re:Bipartisanship by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem is while very well intentioned, the unintended consequences are many. This is a far more complex issue than what this legislation understands.

    2. Re:Bipartisanship by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is room to talk about the best way of fixing the problem, but again, this isn't and really shouldn't be a heavily partisan debate.

      I don't think that's necessarily going to remain true, but I guess the first step is to try to fix the problem and see who steps into the way.

      Sex trafficking becomes immediately obsolete with the legalization of prostitution. So the question is whether or not liberty is partisan. So far, the major parties are united against liberty and in favor of sex trafficking, but if one of them changes their mind before the other one does, then it really will be a partisan issue.

      But nevertheless you're right, for now. It's not partisan yet.

    3. Re:Bipartisanship by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People knowingly profiting off of that without making at least reasonable efforts to prevent it and refusing to be reasonably responsive to law enforcement in preventing it should absolutely be prosecuted and should be civilly liable.

      Somehow I doubt the bill if it goes anywhere will ultimately be limited to anything resembling "knowingly profiting" which in many contexts including this one is already illegal. Carl has actually been charged with pimping.

      People being held in slavery in the modern United States is not a partisan issue.

      The hell it's not. Overwhelming majority of republicans oppose legalization of prostitution. Legalization is the only credible path to making any meaningful progress against "people being held in slavery".

      There are bounds to moral relativism. Raping kids is crossing those bounds.

      There are bounds to strawman arguments. Your comment is crossing those bounds.

    4. Re:Bipartisanship by Magnus+Pym · · Score: 1, Insightful

      This is not about people being held in Slavery. The number of people who are being forced against their will into Prostitution in the US is less than 1%. Probably much much less.

      This is about targeting the women's vote. Women hate prostitution as it drops their bargaining position against men. Politicians have been pandering to this for centuries. The anti-slavery thing is to make it more palatable in this modern age, and neutralize protests from men who would be affected by this.

    5. Re: Bipartisanship by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gun store liability is the issue with long history you should factor into your analysis. Those who provide free speech forums and gun sales may be facilitating racism and murder, but I fear a society without those liberties more

    6. Re: Bipartisanship by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, the anti slavery thing is real. Women weren't allowed to vote for a good portion of our nation's history. There are still a lot of men, and women among us that would like to own slaves. With great wealth inequity and deficient safety nets, you see some ugly shades of gray too

    7. Re: Bipartisanship by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess if you go down that road, you effectively get each gun salesperson as 'vouching' for all of their customers. And I guess the people that no gun dealers will 'vouch' for will end up committing their murders with hammers.

    8. Re:Bipartisanship by Talderas · · Score: 1

      Sex Trafficking is and should always be a bipartisan issue not beholden to the usual contest of opposing political forces coming from sources of legitimate disagreement. People being held in slavery in the modern United States is not a partisan issue. Children getting raped multiple times per day is not a partisan issue.

      Selling sex for money or anything is illegal in pretty much every state of the US but Nevada. That means that anyone that is dealing in the sex trade is engaged in sex trafficking even if the individual is not a child and even if the individual is not being held in effective slavery. I'd hazard to guess, and likely wouldn't have a difficult time backing it up, that the vast majority of sex trafficking is conducted by consenting adults which is a behavior that should be regulated at best, for the purpose of controlling STDs and other infections, and not considered illegal.

      Laws like the one propose here are put forth to solve the outlier situations like what you mentioned but they will be used far more often to bludgeon the sale of sex between consenting adults.

      --
      "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
    9. Re:Bipartisanship by Lord+Kano · · Score: 1, Insightful

      This is about targeting the women's vote. Women hate prostitution as it drops their bargaining position against men.

      Precisely. It's the same reason why feminists are so strongly opposed to pornography. It weakens women's position to manipulate men.

      With 99%+ effective birth control and access to prostitutes, some men are completely checking out of fatherhood and husbandhood.

      LK

      --
      "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
    10. Re:Bipartisanship by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well frack, if you are willing to accept that regulation to control STDs, why stop there. There are plenty of sexual acts virtually lubricated by gifts such as drinks at bars and dinners at restaurants and expensive flowers and jewelry. That seems like a pretty big loop hole in your STD control strategy. I hope you see my point.

      Continuing the criticism, you forgot about Atlantic City, I think a place our current POTUS is familiar with. I suspect that serves a great number of patrons amongst the largest US mega-metropolis (NYC to DC). Presumably every taxi and airline shuttle service is making some percentage of their bottom line by serving the human trafficking needs of the Atlantic City sex workers (though here it is the customers who are the humans being trafficked).

      Can't we just mandate that all Deviants wear scarlett letters? Wouldn't that make God's world peachy?

    11. Re:Bipartisanship by beastofburdon · · Score: 1

      There is only one way to fix the problem. Get rid of all prostitution laws.

    12. Re:Bipartisanship by beastofburdon · · Score: 1

      Right on the nose.

      It wouldn't matter if there was not a single sex slave in the entire world women, as a whole, will always hate prostitution.

      They hate prostitution for the same reason they hate sluts. Sluts lower their power over men by offering sex without extreme demands, same as prostitutes.

    13. Re:Bipartisanship by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sex trafficking becomes immediately obsolete with the legalization of prostitution.

      Legalizing prostitution certainly has its merits. However, it's certainly not going to end sex trafficking of minors.

    14. Re:Bipartisanship by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is about targeting the women's vote. Women hate prostitution as it drops their bargaining position against men. Politicians have been pandering to this for centuries.

      Women in the US haven't held the right to vote for even one century, yet.

  30. Safe Harbor... by thesupraman · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Great.

    So, are they going to remove safe harbor for newspapers? The postal service? Phone companies? Hell, you see such adds posted on library community noticeboards! All of those mediums can and do have an involvement in the sex trade. Are they going to shut down strip bars? or do we just keep pretending that they have nothing to do with the sex trade.

    Or just perhaps it is time to grow up out of the 1800s and accept that pushing these things deeper and deeper into hidden markets actually makes things much worse for the women involved, and that they should legalise and regulate - as many countries have done - with a matching reduction in drugs, violence, disease and abuse in that inevitable industry? The way things stand, a girl going to the police because of abuse is more likely to end up in trouble herself than get any protection - is that the way things should be?

    Interestingly you will find, just like the drug 'industry' the lawless 'big players' running most of these things are actually strongly against legalisation - because it reduces their own control and profitability. They would need to clean up their act a lot, would face competition, and would need to treat their workers much, much better than many do.

    But no, the US will continue burying its head (like many other countries) in an 'us and them' view of the world where the women caught up in such situations are bad and the people passing laws to punish them for their situation are good, and a blid eye is turned to the fact that many of the people passing the laws are violating them themselves, with impunity..

    Sad, really.

    1. Re:Safe Harbor... by Wycliffe · · Score: 0

      The way things stand, a girl going to the police because of abuse is more likely to end up in trouble herself than get any protection - is that the way things should be?

      The way to fix it is either to legalize it completely or to just arrest the Johns. If you made prostitution legal but made it illegal to pay for sex then you could help the sex trade victims. It's kindof like bribery. It should be 100% legal to offer a bribe and 100% illegal to accept a bribe. If it's illegal to both offer a bribe and accept a bribe then both parties have an incentive to keep it hidden.

      Forcing prostitution further and further into the shadows probably reduces consumption slightly but makes it harder to track and harder to keep safe.

    2. Re:Safe Harbor... by meglon · · Score: 0
      http://justicewomen.com/cj_swe...

      In 1999, after years of research and study, Sweden passed legislation that a) criminalizes the buying of sex, and b) decriminalizes the selling of sex. The novel rationale behind this legislation is clearly stated in the government's literature on the law:

      "In Sweden prostitution is regarded as an aspect of male violence against women and children. It is officially acknowledged as a form of exploitation of women and children and constitutes a significant social problem... gender equality will remain unattainable so long as men buy, sell and exploit women and children by prostituting them."

      The problem (or rather, another problem) here in the US is that there's too many people who still consider women to be less than a person.

      --
      Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
    3. Re:Safe Harbor... by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 1

      Just a minor nit: prostitution was largely legal in the 1800s. It was the 1900s when we were prosperous enough as a country to start worrying about what other people do with their bodies.

    4. Re:Safe Harbor... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or perhaps it's that female suffrage and economic freedom was introduced in the 1900's.

      Hypothesis: Once they had to all work for a living and no longer stood under the male umbrella in society they started hating other women who could get by just through sex. Nobody hates beautiful women more than fat, old, or unattractive women do.

      Also, coincidentally, people used to get married and start families at younger ages in the past.
      Isn't it interesting that now that we have a bunch of middle aged single mothers in society who wonder where all the "good men" went that it's also taboo to be sexually interested in younger females (i.e. 40 year old male having a relationship with an 18 year old female)?

      What if this was all a mistake?
      What if the best way to have a stable and productive society is to go back to "traditional" gender roles?

      What if we could cut expenditures on welfare, prisons, crime, and drugs by ensuring that children don't generally grow up in single-parent households? That is, what if we went back to a system where one man married one woman for life and raised and provided for their own children?
      Wouldn't this be better than a situation where everyone just ditches each other as soon as they can find a younger or more attractive mate?

    5. Re:Safe Harbor... by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

      Or just perhaps it is time to grow up out of the 1800s

      The people behind such law want to drag us back to the Bronze Age, so good luck on getting them to accept the 1800s.

      Or did you mean 1800s BCE? (~3750 BP)

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  31. Victims? by Normal_Deviate · · Score: 1

    You keep using that word. It doesn't mean what you think it means.

  32. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by currently_awake · · Score: 3, Informative

    Government run single payer health insurance is cheaper (1/2 the price per capita) than the American system, and gives better results. The government is accountable to the voters, a corporation is only accountable to the share holders.

  33. So in other words... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Congress proposed a bill that completely strips privacy from even more americans, puts numerous americans in the (oft literal now) line of fire for false-positives, and helps sex traffickers get away with their deeds even better than before?

  34. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Exactly. So rather than the pathetic attempt to repeal on their own, they should have worked with them in the first place.

  35. This is all BULLSHIT. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The US has for far too long had idiots who want to impose their ideas of what they think is "moral" on everyone else.

    Women who work as prostitutes are often not victims. They choose to sell their services and they should be allowed to do so. End of story.

    Fuck this Portman douche bag.

  36. Re: Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usef by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where did I say

  37. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    United states of Jesus land...

  38. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Tulsa_Time · · Score: 1

    Just like the post office is cheaper than UPS and FedEx

    --
    5 out of 6 people enjoy Russian Roulette & 6 out of 7 Dwarfs are not Happy
  39. How is this different from a bar? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I imagine that far more people are trafficked via bars than websites.

    I wonder if the real problem is that country folk are going to the bar and finding a reduced number of women because their women were able to go online and find someone capable of getting them out of their enslavement.

  40. Sex Trafficking != Sex Work. by AnotherBlackHat · · Score: 1

    Trafficking is forcing someone to do something against their will.
    Sex Trafficking is forcing someone to do sex work.
    People who work at the Bunny Ranch do sex work. They aren't trafficked.
    An online advertisement for the Bunny Ranch isn't illegal (in the U.S.), and shouldn't be illegal.

    1. Re:Sex Trafficking != Sex Work. by rahvin112 · · Score: 1

      But you can bet your ass that this law will be written to make the Bunny Ranch advertisements illegal.

      Never forget that religious conservatives are all about the nanny state getting up and in your business as they are particularly concerned about what you do in your bedroom and home in general.

    2. Re:Sex Trafficking != Sex Work. by MBGMorden · · Score: 1

      Never forget that religious conservatives are all about the nanny state getting up and in your business as they are particularly concerned about what you do in your bedroom and home in general.

      Trust me it's both sides on this. The right does it because of oddball puritanical values, and the left does it under the assumption that every prostitute has been "trafficked" because they can't fathom that a woman would voluntarily engage in something that goes against their own personal feminist code.

      And of course the right just adopts the whole "all prostitution is 'trafficking'" angle because it has become the new "think of the children". Heck half the time it gets woven INTO it. If people are against trafficking, then they'll be EXTRA against child trafficking.

      It's the oddest thing but they seem to have found their common ground.

      --
      "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
    3. Re:Sex Trafficking != Sex Work. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The UK Trafficking law has come in for a lot of criticism, it is so widely drawn, that if a prostitute pre-books a taxi to visit a customer, the taxi driver is breaking the law.

      http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/h_...

      Trafficking is only possible when sex work is illegal, if Prostitution was legalised trafficking would be impossible.

      There is no place for morality laws in modern society, the only thing that should matter is consent.

  41. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No bloody wonder we can't find any other life even in our own galaxy; they must all be hiding from us, too embarassed by us to even want to talk to us, let alone meet us.

    I'm not sure about that. Even if you completely ignore the unsavory aspects of our sexuality, human civilizations are ferociously violent and hungry for conquest. It's more likely that they're watching us carefully, unwilling to intervene while we are confined to the vicinity of Earth, but ready to snuff us out in an instant as soon as we pose a threat to anyone else.

    Alternatively, there's the possibility that intelligent alien life is even more depraved than we are, and as soon as they find out we exist they'll start trafficking us.

  42. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

    It's single payer, not single provider. The government pays. Various non-profits compete to offer better services for those payments. And of course the rich can still buy extra perks.

    --
    This space intentionally left blank
  43. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the unsavory aspects of our sexuality

    ..no, I'm pretty sure that's just you.

  44. If Senators don't know sex crimes, nobody does by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Senators have participated in some strange acts, but a "Decency Act"?
    Must be a typo.

  45. Why not arrest the traffickers? by AnotherBlackHat · · Score: 2

    If they're advertising online, that means they're providing contact information.
    Are the police so inept that they can find someone who's advertising that they're doing something illegal?
    A thing that by it's nature requires them to come into physical contact with you?

  46. Government activly encourages sex trafficking by WaffleMonster · · Score: 1

    It is not possible to erode states legitimacy by outlawing something tens of millions are willing to do anyway regardless of legality without society paying a heavy price in return.

    Any politician concerned enough about enslaved and exploited people would seek to legalize and regulate prostitution rather than hopelessly whacking away at obvious predictable outcomes of a harmful policy.

  47. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There are many ways to express human sexuality. Most of them are wonderful and beautiful. A few of them are not.

  48. War on drugs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ... eliminate a provision that shields operators of websites ...

    This is the war on drugs all-over again: Once the low-hanging fruit is gone, catching criminals is expensive work. (In a large part because removing competition, increases profits, giving criminals the power to evade the police. It's why the police were eventually given the power to blatantly steal from criminals.) Remember the polygraph-exam schools: The schools suddenly had to report any customers that conspired to commit a crime. Ditto for that guy installing lock-boxes in cars.
      This is the same principle: It's much cheaper to make any shop that meets those criminals, deprive the criminals of their of rights and entitlements, instead of the police doing their job. George Orwell got it wrong: Unpersons won't be created by the government but by the shrinking number of mega-corps refusing to take your money. Go watch 'To see the invisible man', The twilight zone.

  49. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Funny....I don't recall a single Republican vote for an system worse than the one we currently have....rather, I recall they voted for it by the dozens, desperate because after six years and dozens of other votes, they realized they had run on nothing except opposition.

    Again, FTFY. I realize that keeping track of the realities of politics is complicated, but make an effort to pay attention and make sure to keep up. It really helps you when you understand what's actually going on.

  50. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by audiokat · · Score: 2

    Most people will point back to this report http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2015/oct/us-health-care-from-a-global-perspective claiming that we spend more than 2x everyone else on our health care. But look carefully at the numbers as it's divided into public (e.g. the government pays) and private spending (a citizen pays out of pocket) and they note that 34% of the us citizens are on public programs - and the public number would be higher if they counted employer-mandated health care.

    What does that mean? It means that the US is actually spending $4,000 per capita, either publicly or privately, NOT the $9,000 claimed by the report. Our cancer outcomes are much better than anyone in the world, but we get dinged by the report for having lower quality of life and worse outcomes with obesity-related diseases.

    But I would argue that's often not a health system failure, but a cultural failure. We don't slow down enough to sit and eat our meals, we eat them on the go or in our cars or while writing emails on our personal devices and cope by drinking sugar and caffeine to keep us going.

    About the "government is accountable" claim, it's bunk when the citizens won't hold them accountable, in fact it's worse as a company needs to be lean enough to turn a profit where the government can play the shell game to just reach further into our pockets. Judging by how medicare is going, once single-payer comes into play, there will be mainly large corporate players who are the medical providers as they'll be able to absorb the cost via volume rather than your neighborhood doctor who won't be able to afford the cut rates and high paperwork overhead that will be demanded.

    We need real solutions - single payer may be one, but we need to have an honest discussion about what that means and what we will be willing to both pay for in tax increases and take in cuts to our current level of care.

    --
    Why is it that it's a penny for your thoughts, but you have to put your two cents in? Somebody's makin a penny. --Steven
  51. Running to Protect... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When will men learn that we don't need them to run too our fucking aid! We're not flowers ffs!

  52. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Psion · · Score: 1

    I can't mod this up to the +5 insightful it deserves, but thank you! That is a brilliant synopsis of the situation.

  53. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Single-payer=single decider. Maybe you should ask Charlie Gard how that worked out.

  54. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's okay, we all know your 'I don't care about anyone but myself' views. You spew them often enough.

  55. And not a single thing was said by Hylandr · · Score: 1

    But what about the young men trapped in this situation also?

    It's not just women and girls that are trafficked.

    Here's an excellent opportunity for equality.

    --
    ~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
  56. It's a trap! by VeryFluffyBunny · · Score: 2

    Re: "The proposed bill would amend the Communications Decency Act to eliminate a provision that shields operators of websites from being liable for content posted by third-party users." -- In other words, they've used trafficked women and sex workers as a premise for whatever hidden agenda they may have. Can we have a look at the bill's .docx metadata? Perhaps written by lobbyists for... whom?

    --
    Debate is a form of harassment. Do not question my truth.
  57. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The USA spends more than any other country on healthcare AS A PERCENT OF GDP, despite having a very high per-capita GDP. (Not comparing to tiny countries, they don't count.)

  58. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Sassinak · · Score: 1

    A lot of people like to assume that single payer means "all insurance companies go bye bye" and the federal government is now the insurer.. And that may be true for lower economic brackets.. but the reality is, it would be the safety net everyone wants (real safety net) and then those that want to pay more for better quality/service.. can cheerfully do so.. (sort of like the bus ride vs. a car.. you are poor and have few options.. the bus it is.. but if you can afford it (because of the all the benefits it has to you), you can obtain a car.

    Personally the federal government does a good job at health care when its universal.. they spend more money and time working on "you don't quality" than just simply saying, any legal citizen has health care.. done. (it would save a substantial amount of money because the various pools (and overhead) are streamlined into a single entity.. Everything else is private, and that's between you and the provider.

    --
    God made the Idiot for practice, and then He made the School Board -- Mark Twain Look for http://Thebar.steelbeachca
  59. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Sassinak · · Score: 1

    Also the problem is, you are forgetting.. more choice = more complexity = more expenses. Hence why they want to have a very limited number of plans. It reduces many of the problems of "which plan covers what". And its NOT just about you, but rather the mandate insures that EVERYONE gets coverage by increasing the pool of money available.

    Plus also as a single payer, you have unlimited bargaining rights with prices, drugs, etc.. which lowers costs overall.

    --
    God made the Idiot for practice, and then He made the School Board -- Mark Twain Look for http://Thebar.steelbeachca
  60. Under the cover of sex bill... ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I'm more concerned with the content here, that eliminates website operators from their liability of posted content by 3rd partied.

    That now sets up EVERY website with a comment section for target of enforcement, and NOT restricted to 'sex trafficking'.

    Devils in the details, and I'm sure the legalese being wrought here, is about to 'shit can' a lot of forums for 'unliked' content.

    Discussions of fair use on hardware? To be targetted..
    Discussions on sites like 'Glass Door', employee 'opinion' sites? To be targetted..

    Stifling of free speech under the guise of halting sex trafficking? No! That would never happen! /s

  61. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

    The trouble is...I would, in your example, be paying TWICE for the healthcare level I want...Once for the govt. single payer one, PLUS, the second private insurance I want to go above and beyond what the federal single payer system does.

    I'd rather just opt out and pay my own insurance I deem that I need and want for the coverage I need.

    I'm a big boy, I can figure things like this out for myself.

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  62. trafficking by Reverend+Green · · Score: 1

    Prostitution is undesirable. It's okay to ban prostitution, though perhaps a bit foolish. But does anyone outside the NY/DC/SF rich feminist delusion bubble believe this is about "trafficking"?

    1. Re:trafficking by Geeky · · Score: 1

      Prostitution is undesirable. It's okay to ban prostitution, though perhaps a bit foolish.

      That's a matter of opinion and there are several levels of prostitution, from street walking to brothels to high end escorts. It is possible to have a positive client/provider relationship where both parties are equally happy with the arrangement.

      I know it's difficult to establish who is doing it out of their free will and who is being coerced beyond a reasonable level (arguably we're almost all "coerced" to work by the need to feed and house ourselves), but there are sex workers who have made a rational choice and are happy with it.

      --
      Sigs are so 1990s. No way would I be seen dead with one.
    2. Re: trafficking by Reverend+Green · · Score: 1

      Absolutely. A friend of mine changed jobs from laboratory data manager to stripper/escort, because the pay was about 10x higher. In some ways she was happy with it, in other ways it made her quite depressed. But it was certainly a voluntary choice.

  63. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Khyber · · Score: 1

    "I don't want them in 100% complete control of it."

    I do, then I can hold them 100% accountable for it. Try getting a corporation to be accountable for shit.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  64. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by meglon · · Score: 1

    No, it needs to be modded "just doesn't get it." Single payer has absolutely nothing to do with the care you get... only how it is paid for. By going single payer, it does remove all the "beancounters" he's complaining about.... as well as the vast majorities of other "overhead" that the private insurance industry has in abundance, including "profit" and "shareholder costs."

    Additionally, the poster should get a "are you fucking clueless" mod for seemingly not having an inkling of how insurance works. The larger the insurance pool, the lower the average costs... and while it may be more for some, it's an overall lower average because of minimized overhead and implementation costs. While he may not want to pay for "maternity" related things being a guy, how's he going to feel when he gets testicle cancer and no one wants to pay for it, opting to just let his nuts fall off before dying? With everyone in one single cost pool, you minimize the cost while protecting everyone.

    Perhaps he should just be modded "self-centered, myopic, and clueless."

    --
    Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
  65. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by jittles · · Score: 1

    Sounds to me while this may (or may not) be well-intentioned, it'll be abused to censor online discussions, having a chilling effect on peoples freedom of speech. Furthermore, as others in this discussion have already pointed out, sex traffickers will just learn to hide their posts better. The net effect will then be infringement on the rights of people who are doing nothing wrong, and sex trafficking will continue unabated. Really sounds to me like they just need to enforce the laws already on the books with regards to this sort of illegal activity, and nevermind creating new legislation.

    I wonder if any of these senators have a website that hosts open forums / comment sections? If so, it can't be too hard to write a script that posts fake sex ads in their forums.

  66. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by meglon · · Score: 1

    I've seen that movie.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt00...

    --
    Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
  67. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by CrybabiesArePeople · · Score: 0

    wow this post is quite a piece of work. The best may be the "single male" thing. You should have gone further: "as a civilian I really don't see why I should pay for those injured veterans..."

  68. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by Sassinak · · Score: 2

    You do realize they use words like "Sex trafficking" as inflammatory rhetoric to goad people. It tends to conjure up images of women (and sometimes boys) in incapacitated by various means and used for the pure purpose of sex.. when in reality, 99% of the time, its just pure regular prostitution initiated by the women themselves as a source of revenue. Are there sex traffickers?.. well, that depends on your definition of sex trafficking in the first place.

    The term is most often used when it crosses state/county/city jurisdiction for the purposes of sex.. Your own self can be accused of sex trafficking by crossing state/county/city boundaries for the purpose of sex. Heck, there are still laws on the books that ANY interracial couple (married or not) that crosses state/city/county boundaries can be accused of sex trafficking.

    So are there problems?.. Of course.. (much of which can be alleviated legalization and moving it into the light as opposed to driving it further underground, which means victims have no one to turn to when there are problems.) But that of course, requires everyone to be an adult and stop attempting to be the moral police and let people use their own bodies in their OWN way.

    --
    God made the Idiot for practice, and then He made the School Board -- Mark Twain Look for http://Thebar.steelbeachca
  69. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    Or we could remove the profit out of the equation and everything will become much cheaper.

    While we're at it:

    At the minimum, I can realize that as a single male I really have no use being forced to pay for maternity insurance I do not need.

    For someone who advocates insurance as a solution you certainly don't know how it works, that it relies on its collective power, and that your boneheadded suggestion will just result in higher premiums for everyone.

  70. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 1

    And how is it magically "cheaper"? audiokat below points out the study that shows that in the US it's quite a bit more - about double. He doesn't understand it and misstates the conclusion, but there it is.

  71. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 1

    Then why oh why do FedEx and UPS use the Post Office for last-mile delivery so often? Hmmmm??

  72. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Rolgar · · Score: 1

    None of what you said will address the cause of all of this which is a shortage of supply of good medical professionals. We require students to pass an exam to become students who are learning to become doctors. What if this exam has eliminated thousands of great doctors-to-be from getting the education that would allow them to become great doctors, increase the supply of good doctors, and put a downward pressure or prices through increased competition.

    We are undergoing a huge demographic shift where in 30 years, half of the population will be senior citizens. That will significantly increase demand for medical care, which will greatly increase the costs of medical care unless we encourage and enable millions of more young people to become medical professionals to provide the care we will need when we are older. Every other issue in the medical industry debate is peanuts compared to the demographic and supply and demand portions of the equations.

    Some of you may think I'm advocating for allowing inferior doctors into the field, but all I'm saying decrease the costs of the education, and allow far more students to study to the point of taking the final exam.

    I'm a fan of pro sports. Talent assessment is a huge deal. For instance, every year, something like 30% of first round players wash out. And every year dozens of good players, and even a few all stars go undrafted. In the medical field, those are the guys who would be eliminated by the MCAT.

    Additionally, we also have a legal medical cartel inflating prices, something we wouldn't allow in almost any other field, but when you have money, and the law makers are going to eventually find themselves on your operating table, perhaps you have the leverage to get away with highway robbery.

  73. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1

    'Sex trafficking'? Really? How much of a primitive animal do you have to be to treat other members of your own species that way? Really, honestly, seriously,

    Why the hate for prostitution? How about you keep your puritanical judgements about what consenting adults do to each other to yourself?

    --
    I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
  74. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    Fuck you. You know damn well we're talking about people (usually WOMEN) being forced into a life of slavery. Go troll someone else.

  75. No by Martin+S. · · Score: 1

    No, it should be moderated as rhetorical bullshit.

    The American healthcare system is the worst in the developed world, the most expensive and the worst outcomes.

    https://www.quora.com/topic/Un...

  76. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1

    Fuck you. You know damn well we're talking about people (usually WOMEN) being forced into a life of slavery. Go troll someone else.

    No, we're not. You want to make it about women who are forced into a life of slavery, but the story and summary are quite clear - it's only about prostitution.

    Get out of other peoples bedrooms - a consensual contract between adults is none of your fucking business.

    --
    I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
  77. Victimless Crime by ThatNakedGuy · · Score: 0

    I have visited asian massage places before and gotten full-on sex. I have also had sex with a dancer at a strip club in the "champagne room" (Chris Rock is wrong). The women seem to be acting on their own accord. Why is this illegal?
    If you are unable to legally sell something (that is legal to posses), do you own it?
    If you can not sell your body (or access to it) then you do not own it. You are owned by the government.
    Forced prostitution certainly should be remain a crime. But willing prostitution and it's promotion is a victimless crime.
    The proposed law does nothing to stop forced prostitution, instead it's going after bystanders (Backpage, etc) so the government can pretend they're doing something. Dont go after the prostitutes or the customers or the bystanders. Go after organized crime that is forcing people in prostitution.

  78. I'll listen to people like this... by Megol · · Score: 1

    ...when they accept and try to limit prostitution not only for "... vulnerable women and young girls" but for "vulnerable men and young boys". Strange that male prostitution _never_ get mentioned by people/bills like this even though in some areas there are more male prostitutes than female (according to measurements that admittedly have a high error marginal).

    I guess women can't make a conscious choice due to their small brains while men can /s.

  79. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

    Single payer has absolutely nothing to do with the care you get... only how it is paid for.

    Err....especially if the federal govt is the SINGLE PAYER..they will most definitely have a say in your treatment, whether you require it, and whether you get it, after all they will watch what they spend on who....

    I"d rather not have the feds make those types of decisions.

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  80. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

    For someone who advocates insurance as a solution you certainly don't know how it works, that it relies on its collective power, and that your boneheadded suggestion will just result in higher premiums for everyone.

    Funny...before Obamacare, I wasn't forced to have maternity care as part of my insurance, and it wasn't nearly as expensive as it is now.

    I only want/need insurance in the old sense of "major medical" in that I only want insurance for emergencies, heart attack, hit by a bus, etc.

    The routine maintenance, checkups and meds, I can pay for from my HSA I fund annually.

    That should be much cheaper for me, and it used to be, but now I have a bunch of crap I don't need coverage for....

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
  81. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 1

    What was this fallacy? I forgot. The one that says only one thing can happen at a time and everything else should stop happening until something like cancer is not a thing anymore.

  82. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Tulsa_Time · · Score: 1

    Outsourcing.

    Its subsidized by your TAX dollars.

    --
    5 out of 6 people enjoy Russian Roulette & 6 out of 7 Dwarfs are not Happy
  83. Haven't we gone far enough down this path? by shaitand · · Score: 1

    Isn't it time to stop persecuting those engaged in the oldest profession and let them come into the light of day where they can actually enjoy the protections of law enforcement like anyone else engaged in business? All this serves to do is allow people to abuse sex workers with the safety of mutually assured destruction.

  84. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by painandgreed · · Score: 1

    Let's forget about improving healthcare in the U.S.

    Trouble is that there are two conflicting ideas on how to "improve" it. I don't think many people really want what we have now, but it's what we could get. One side wants government single payer, while the other wants free market get as good of heath care as your job can provide through wages or insurance.

  85. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by audiokat · · Score: 1

    My understanding is this - the report claims that the US spends ~$9,000 per capita for health care. In the same row, they break that out into $4,000 in public funds and programs, $1000 out of pocket private and ~$3500 "other".

    Per their own document, the "public" part of those funds only cover 34% of the population and do not include government-mandated health care premiums that employers pay. Since all of the other nations the "public" funds covers everyone, the totals of public, private (out of pocket) and private (other) make sense, but here they do not.

    So by that logic, if we were adding them together in a sum it should be:
    (4,000 * 0.34) + (4,500 * 0.66) = 1,360 + 2,970 = 4,330. Let's be generous and assume that with some people paying more and some people paying less that even creeps up to $5,500. That's still not the massive increase claimed.

    As I'm interested in making sure I'm not overlooking anything - where does the $9,000 number come from otherwise and what do you see the correctly-stated conclusion to be?

    --
    Why is it that it's a penny for your thoughts, but you have to put your two cents in? Somebody's makin a penny. --Steven
  86. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Would you rather have a someone (a fed) who has no skin in the game making decisions and following the rules make the decision, or someone who might get a bonus for finding some way to deny you.
    No matter who pays, they are always watching. It's just that private insurance has a financial incentive to not pay, called bonuses.

  87. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    Troll. Also maybe DEVIANT, or SOCIOPATH. In any case: Fuck you sideways with a rusty chainsaw, asshole. We're not talking about $1000 a night independent callgirls. We're talking about people being treated like cattle to be bought and sold, who have NO SAY WHATSOEVER in where they go or what they do.

  88. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Some asshole peddling a 15 year old girl, who gets beaten within an inch of her life if she doesn't do precisely what she's told, to some other asshole who wants to use her like a toilet, is not a consensual contract between adults, you piece of shit.

  89. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by beastofburdon · · Score: 1

    It was a marginal improvement, but it was a very small margin. At the same time it was a fucking giveaway to insurance companies.

  90. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "i'm a big boy and can figure it out for myself"

    Yes. Yes, Keep thinking that.
    You're a very smart guy who just happens to think what I want.

  91. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm very pro-sex and pro-hooker pro-porn. I think there should be no stigma around sexual activity. I don't think it should be criminal or shameful in any way. I think it should be legal if not quite socially acceptable to have sex in public even........

    But let me share you a story. I was a student at the county bad-kids highschool. Most people there just had shit parents one way or another, a few clearly had deep mental problems, while a handful were genuinely what could be described as retarded.

    There were a very small number of girls as you might imagine but they did exist.

    My off-and on girlfriend from the time would "do stripper parties" from the age of 15 years old. Many of her friends in the low-rent but not exactly ghetto apartment complex would do this as well. There were few men who would make arrangements to have her show up at parties and take her clothes off. One of these parties was actually a *COP* party.. it's not clear to me if these parties were made with the understanding there would be underage strippers.

    This was in the mid-90s and she would do all of this.. which often included having oral sex with other strippers or being penetrated with sex toys.. she would make around $600 dollars for a party.. a laughably small amount of money but I remember being in awe of her.. walking around with cash like that.

    She did that shit for 5 years at least.

    I can't tell you how common this shit is but I can tell you that various sorts of sex abuse await most girls who get seriously involved in special education or the foster care system, usually at the hands of trusted men. Since I know such systems exist across the country each with a handful of powerless, unloved, neglected, impressionable, maybe even stupid... but yet still young and attractive women. It's not hard to imagine that there are guys out there pimping these girls out for chump change.

    Read this and know it gets even worse but I cut parts out because I don't want someone matching this story up with either of our identities. As far as I know we became more or less normal adults and the whole thing seems absolutely bizarre now... which is probably part of why they want a bunch of kids doing this shit because adults wouldn't find it glamorous at all.

  92. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 1

    Uh, no. The Post Office receives ZERO "tax dollars". They only get what they make from postage. FedEx and UPS have the Post Office do last-mile delivery for them because it's CHEAPER (for them) that way.

  93. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Tulsa_Time · · Score: 1
    --
    5 out of 6 people enjoy Russian Roulette & 6 out of 7 Dwarfs are not Happy
  94. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1

    Troll. Also maybe DEVIANT, or SOCIOPATH. In any case: Fuck you sideways with a rusty chainsaw, asshole. We're not talking about $1000 a night independent callgirls. We're talking about people being treated like cattle to be bought and sold, who have NO SAY WHATSOEVER in where they go or what they do.

    Spare me the histrionics; both the summary and the article were quite unambiguous.

    It's clear, and has been for some time, that there's a segment of the population online who feel a deep need to virtue signal. You are obviously one of those people - any opportunity to signal your virtue you'll take, and (like in this case) you'll make one up if there isn't any opportunity.

    Go on then - signal your virtue to the whole world - does it make you feel better about yourself?

    --
    I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
  95. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by jdschulteis · · Score: 1

    The per capita public spending in the table you are referring to is not the amount spent per person covered by government programs, as you seem to think. It is the total amount of government spending on healthcare divided by the entire population (that's what "per capita" means). Some people get zero health care paid for by the government, some get a lot; this is averaged over everyone.

    Likewise, the out-of-pocket amount is the total amount of out-of-pocket spending across the entire population divided by the population. Some people pay nothing out-of-pocket, some people pay a lot, this is the average across everyone.

    The correctly-stated conclusion is that the US actually does pay more than twice as much per capita as other nations that achieve similar healthcare outcomes.

    Trump was right about Australia having better health care than the US. If his party actually introduced legislation that would repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with an Australian-style system they would have plenty of support from the opposition party.

  96. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Eat shit and die, asshole. What's your poison? Underage Thai ladyboys? LOL do you know what even the most hardcore killers will do to you in prison? LOL love to be a fly on the wall when it happens.

  97. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    Funny...before Obamacare, I wasn't forced to have maternity care as part of my insurance, and it wasn't nearly as expensive as it is now.

    Yeah I agree. The single thing that changed before Obamacare and after Obamacare is that you now have maternity cover. That is the only reason the price of your medical insurance changed.

    I retract my statement about you not having a clue of insurance and will correct it now: You just have no clue about *anything*, I'm sure that is Obama's fault too.

    That should be much cheaper for me

    You know what would be much cheaper to you based on healthcare cost vs benefits from different systems around the world? Socialised healthcare.

  98. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by meglon · · Score: 1

    As the AC below mentioned, i'd rather have the feds make a list of preferred and worthwhile treatments to be used, rather than have a private company WHO HAS A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE TO DENY YOUR TREATMENT SO THEY CAN MAKE MONEY OFF OF YOUR DEATH.

    Seriously... have you not paid attention to anything, ever?

    --
    Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
  99. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's cheaper for the post office to do it because its illegal for private carriers to compete in the mail delivery business stupid. It's much more complicated than you understand.

  100. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "I don't want them in 100% complete control of it."

    I do, then I can hold them 100% accountable for it. Try getting a corporation to be accountable for shit.

    It's typically easier to get a corporation to be accountable for shit than it is to get a government agency or bureaucracy to be held accountable for shit.

  101. Checked the new MCAT? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The new MCAT includes a political litmus test. There should be no place for such things in the MCAT--or any other exam required to get STEM qualifications or access the higher education system.

  102. Re:No chance this'll be abused.. riiiiight, suuuur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    LOL you sound like someone who has no 'virtue' to start with. Do you sexually abuse your children? Because they're your 'property'? Beat your wife? Then cheat on her with underage prostitutes?

    Do you talk like this in public, where you can be held directly and immediately accountable for your fucking bullshit? Had your face broken lately? Repeatedly? Someone should. Piece of shit.

  103. Re:Yes, for heaven's sake let's do something usefu by JosKarith · · Score: 1

    So... when do you want to start paying insurance for, say cancer? Or Aids? Or being hit by a truck? Pay too soon and you contravene what you said above. Getting insurance after diagnosis might be a little tricky...

    --
    'Don't worry' said the trees when they saw the axe coming, 'The handle is one of us.'