Posted on 03/21/2012 12:06:50 PM PDT by presidio9
Rick Santorum hasn’t been shy about wanting to return America to its good ol’ Puritan days. Santorum has openly championed against separation of Church and State, homosexuality, contraception, NAFTA, teleprompters, but what has escaped many is his plan to ban pornography.
Santorum has tried to be the candidate that wants to create jobs, yet doing so would actually hurt our economy and significantly demotivate a significant portion of the population.
In 2010, 12% of websites on the internet were pornography related, accounting for $2.84 billion per year online. Worldwide, that number grows to $4.9 billion, meaning that the United States is currently dominating the production and export of pornography. When you factor in traditional outlets, the porn industry generates about $13 billion in revenue. While that number may not sound like a lot when compared to the $4 billion tax break oil companies receive from the government, its comparable to the revenue of some big name companies like Viacom or Texas Instruments.
While it has been said that the porn industry has suffered in the recession, other economies continue to grow. But even in these countries people still need to consume pornography. America, in true fashion of being #1, currently outperforms other producers of porn by a significant amount of money. Unfortunately, a good deal of revenue is lost due to free streaming websites or illegally shared content, much like the film and music industry.
It’s online presence has been so big that ICANN has recently created a top-level domain just for porn sites. This helps combat the growing number of children stumbling across porn online. While many argue that children shouldn’t run free around the internet, parents should take better precautions regulating where they can visit online. Just because many do not take the time to learn about parental controls doesn’t mean that they have the right to be the world’s moral police.
Now, ignore for a moment the morality behind pornography. Knowing that this industry contributes a significant amount of tax revenue, shouldn’t it be allowed to continue? We consistently raise taxes on cigarettes (about $12 per pack in New York) despite its harmful health benefits rather than outright outlaw them. It is ridiculous to think that because pornography clashes with Santorum’s Leave it to Beaver idea of America that we could potentially see such a huge loss in tax revenue. Don’t even get me started on how much tax revenue we’re currently missing out from the estimated $35 billion marijuana cultivation industry (imports from Canada and Mexico put this number closer to $100 billion).
We’re living in a time where people can better find communities that better reflect their personal views on morality. We’re still learning to find the balance between sharing too much and not sharing enough. We may be moving towards a Brave New World-type society but what is more troubling is the potential number of people behind ideas like this without having read Brave New World.
Bottom line, America produces too much profitable pornography to make it illegal. It creates jobs, brings money into our lagging economy and gives hope to anybody who has ever worked as a pizza delivery guy. Moral fiber be damned, we can’t complain about both “morality” and how much money me pay each week for gas or taxes.
Wrong.
The founding fathers formed a moral constitution. Our laws are not amoral. From our freedoms to our rights... They are all moral.
Funny, I don’t recall them passing laws that banned adultery or banning porn... Besides living in a sin free society means no freedom..
Law is based on what is perceived as the Greater Good, which is more of an ethical than a moral basis. Law govern't an individual's behavior, in that it is designed to prevent predatory behavior of one individual, against society at large.
However, when any one group claims moral supremecy, and uses force of law to inflict it's moral code upon the public at large - we wind up with an Eutopia as found in Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Kuwait, Afghanistan and many of the former republics of the USSR.
The purpose of law, is to protect society from others who would either through coersion, blackmail or threat, to force their will upon them.
Porn, while I freely admit that this is an evil influence; is a byproduct of freedom. To supress this, is to supress others by instilling YOUR will as supreme, and with no small amount of arrogance in telling them that YOU are smarter than them, and doing this 'for their own good'. This is what the current administration is doing now - you are not smart enough to get insurance, so they will mandate it for you. You aren't smart enough to buy the 'proper' light bulb, so they will foce you to use the 'proper' light bulb. This is the path of the Nanny state - which seeks to oppress free will and freedom itself.
If you chose not to use Porn, that is your right. However, your right stops at my door; at my discretion, I shall view porn (legal, not kiddie-porn) to my hearts content, if I so wish. I shall read any book I deem fit, visit any website of my chosing - and it's none of your business.
Is that what you think morality is? Passing laws to ban adultery or porn?
Really?
You should really familiarize yourself with morality as defined by our our founding fathers...
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
(Adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776)
Also see...
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
~~ John Adams
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
See? Morality is not just banning porn or adultery.
The ultimate standards of morality that our Country was founded upon are indeed certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
I’ve said it before - I’ll say it again: Only a fool believes that we must not legislate morality.
In case you miss the obvious here, I’m saying that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are moral absolutes.
Do you deny that? Of course not.
Child porn laws are enforced-the big problem is that there is no control that will work until human trafficking is stopped. My brother is in law enforcement, and the problem is worse than anyone on the left wants to admit-or anyone else wants to know. No, I didn’t look at the thread, but I’ll bet a sex trafficker had something to do with the crime-not the people next door.
Agree, we have a problem with human trafficking in our city too. It's so sad.
Agree, my moms parents came from Mexico legally. My family believes people should have to come in legally like they did. . My aunts still live in the old community. Gang have come in in the last 5 to 7 years who intimidate the old people, anyone who does not do what they say or anyone who seems weak. My mom supported an organization who helped kids in Vietnam and Thailand, who were forced into prostitution. The stories she read broke my heart.
Amen and Amen. I went to Catholic grade and high school. When I saw the church standing with pro-abortion politicians, along with other things they did or did not do, I left. I thought they were being hypocrites. I believe many of the Catholic Churches has changed and are walking the walk.
It appeared the thread was created to slam Rick and just like the contraception lie, he does not want to make laws banning anything. The media is hyping this because they want their liberal in republican clothing to win (romney) He just wants what is on the books enforced, just like immigration. I don't care what people do privately, but I wish they would quit going public about their personal lives. What does make me angry is when they want to go into schools and force their liberal ideas on 5 year olds. If they want to teach THEIR kids what they believe fine (really I pray for those poor kids) but leave our kids alone. They need to quit forcing their value, actually de=values on us.
My kids-girls, and grown now-were sent to private school at considerable expense, but my husband and I were glad to spend the money. In return for being good, loving parents, we had no arrests, no drugs, no scandals-just great kids good grades, wonderful family times and two college grads. We also controlled the TV, and checked out their friends.
I have 3 sons who are also have grown to be good fathers and husbands. We also never had the police come to our door or any problems. They asked why we were so strict over little things & asked them, where there ever any big things we have to worry about-their was not.
The media has been fostering sex obsession since my kids were little, at least. This country is “sex obsessed” because everyone gives the in-you-face-outrageous too much air time-turn off the TV, don’t go to the website, quit buying the paper with sensational headlines-the money stops coming in, and pretty soon the subject matter is no longer profitable. Logical, practical, and it works-censorship does not and never has-it just drives the problem underground where it becomes REALLY dangerous.
I'm going to put something on this thread that I think people, if they would read it, would shed some light on the destruction porn causes.
You misjudge me if you think I’m being flip, or stupid-that is all I have to say.
I don't think your stupid and I was just defending the truth.
-—Law is based on what is perceived as the Greater Good-—
The Common Good, or “the General Welfare,” as it’s called in the Constitution.
-—which is more of an ethical than a moral basis.-—
What’s the difference?
-—Law govern’t an individual’s behavior, in that it is designed to prevent predatory behavior of one individual, against society at large.——
Most laws, but not all. What about laws governing child custody? What about a war-time draft? A peace-time army? Tax-funded schooling? Tax-funded roads?
-—However, when any one group claims moral supremecy, and uses force of law to inflict it’s moral code upon the public at large - we wind up with an Eutopia as found in Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Kuwait, Afghanistan and many of the former republics of the USSR.-—
Or our current system of government. Wasn’t it established by force? Don’t you consider your vision of a “Greater Good” morally superior to other forms of govt? Aren’t you willing to impose it and uphold it using force? I am.
I’m not drawing a moral equivalence. My point is that force may be used justly or unjustly.
——Porn, while I freely admit that this is an evil influence; is a byproduct of freedom.——
So is loud music, but we restrict it when reasonable.
-—To supress this, is to supress others by instilling YOUR will as supreme, and with no small amount of arrogance in telling them that YOU are smarter than them, and doing this ‘for their own good’.-—
Or “the greater good.” Of course. Anyone who thinks pornography is harmless is wrong. Metaphysically wrong.
That much is trivial.
The challenge is to find ways to restrict it as much as possible without causing greater societal harm.
——This is what the current administration is doing now - you are not smart enough to get insurance, so they will mandate it for you.——
This is the imposition of a positive obligation, that is not always good, versus the restriction of an intrinsic evil.
-—You aren’t smart enough to buy the ‘proper’ light bulb, so they will force you to use the ‘proper’ light bulb.-—
This is a case of error. There are conditions underwhich this could be reasonable (dire energy crisis, war time, if incandescent bulbs had harmful side-effects).
——This is the path of the Nanny state - which seeks to oppress free will and freedom itself.-—
Depends on the case. The “right” to do evil, like viewing pornography, may be justified on prudential grounds, but it is not a natural right, since God is the God of nature, and He did not give us free will to choose evil, but to choose among goods.
-—If you choose not to use Porn, that is your right.-—
I have the right to avoid evil. That seems to be a low threshold for the establishment of a just society.
-—However, your right stops at my door;-—
You will make me watch pornography at your home?
-—at my discretion, I shall view porn (legal, not kiddie-porn) to my hearts content, if I so wish.-—
This sounds like an assertion, more than a justification.
Invading homes to confiscate pornography would cause more harm than good. But that doesn’t make home viewing of pornography good, in any sense.
—— I shall read any book I deem fit, visit any website of my chosing - and it’s none of your business.-—
Not mine particularly, but society’s, yes. Pornography degrades the user, and his interaction with family members and others.
Just because some activity may be civilly tolerated doesn’t make it good.
I totally agree with you and someone like Mark Levin would as well. The government is completely out of control with this nanny state nonsense.
Levin was talking the other night about Mayor Mike Bloomberg of New York city (where unfortunately I live) banning food donated to the homeless unless the food is “low on salt and nutritious”!
What the hell is THAT? Like Levin said, it’s all about power grabs from the government, they could care less about what is good for you or not. It’s all about POWER. They see what they can get away with then they increase the power grabs.
This idiot even tried to ban alcohol a few months ago if you can believe it! Prohibition! It’s just pure Despotism. One bitch deciding how everyone else should live. And Santorum wants to pull this crap as well? Is he insane?
I can’t claim any recent ties to Mexico-my family has been in what is now Texas for at least 250 years-I’m all for legal immigration-my family were immigrants once, too. I live in the country like much of my family has from day one-I don’t ever want live in a city again.
I thought he wanted to Ban Jobs and Kill Porn.
Whew...
Denying food to the homeless is crazy enough-I guess now the St. Vincent DePaul Society and other charities will be operating underground speakeasys serving unapproved meals with a pinch of salt? And prohibition? Hasn’t the fool ever read anything about the mob and booze?
I can certainly sympathize-we call the mayor of NYC “mayor Bloomingidiot” here, and think he should be committed to a psychiatric facility for observation.
When the then-mayor of SA voted to put flouride in the water supply because “he didn’t get to vote for it the first time it came up”, I knew for certain that was time to return to the boonies from whence I came. Are you able to get out of the city itself? Better yet, what are the chances that Bloomingidiot can be voted out?
I call shenanigans!!!
I helped found this nation, not you! I get to determine what is right and wrong, not you!
And you'll just have to take it!
(Which is your argument, boiled down and distilled.)
I agree. What goes on in your bedroom is my business. Therefore, you cannot do anything in your bedroom without my express permission beforehand.
I expect daily updates...
And keeping with the spirit of the law, I won't give you guidance as to what I deem offensive, but I'll prosecute you if you fail to comply.
Ahh, actually, he gave us free will, expecting us to good. However, it's up to us, as individuals, to actually *choose* to do good. Robbing people of their ability to choose strips them of their free will, which G-d expressly gave us.
A very good article on the matter can be found here:
I wish we lived in the country. We live in the suburbs. I come from a huge family which is really nice. My mom was the odd one who only had to my sister and I. My sister is in Colorado and my mom died a few years ago, so I’m so glad to have my mom’s family here.
-—Robbing people of their ability to choose strips them of their free will, which-—
Only God could destroy free will. I know you don’t mean that.
What do you mean?
Should we decriminalize everything?
“I agree. What goes on in your bedroom is my business. Therefore, you cannot do anything in your bedroom without my express permission beforehand. I expect daily updates...And keeping with the spirit of the law, I won’t give you guidance as to what I deem offensive, but I’ll prosecute you if you fail to comply.”
I will go one step further. I do not trust people to provide daily updates. I want every bedroom, television and computer in America to be monitored by a newly created Department of Obscenity.
My mom had only my brother and I-12 of her 14 siblings survived to adulthood and they have between 3 and 12 kids each-I literally have dozens of cousins. And not a liberal in the bunch, either-if there were any, they would be banished from family renunions...
My family is also very conservative and all have strong faiths. We have to rent a hall to get everyone; aunts, uncles, cousins and their kids together. We do every so often. Family is such a comfort to have. My mom and I were really close; she was my best friend & I hers. Losing her was overwhelming for me. Even though she was dying she pulled her younger sister aside (one who is only 8 years older than me) and told her to take her place and call me, be their for the big events...she has been a real blessing; but not the same. I know I will see my mom again, so that keeps me sane.
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