Moronic Legislation our speciality.
May. 3rd, 2007 06:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moominmuppetSubject: PLEASE HELP!!! CONTACT OHIO HOUSE REPS. AND ASK THEM NOT TO SUPPORT THE STRIPPER BILL
Dear Colleagues:
On Tuesday the Ohio State Senate passed a legislative initiative to further regulate adult businesses (see article below). The legislation now moves to the House.
"The act would require dancers in adult clubs to maintain a 6-foot distance from patrons at all times and clubs to halt exotic dancing from midnight until 6 a.m. Clubs with liquor permits could remain open, but not offer adult entertainment after midnight. Violation of either provision would be a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $1,000 and up to six months in jail."
The reasoning for enacting this bill is to curb prostitution, crime, and drug activity in communities. There are no studies done on adult entertainment businesses that relate an increase in drugs, crime and prostitution. Furthermore, there are already laws against prostitution and drug activity on the books. Why enact a bill that is not backed by statistical evidence?
The main community group that have been facilitating this legislation for the past 2 years (Joe P.Tone from Scene Magazine, as well as myself testified in front of the Senate in May 2005 when this bill was introduced first) is called Citizens for Community Values (CCV www.ccv.org ) from Cinncinati. This same group has been very vocal against same sex marriage in Ohio. Apparently, when the inital bill was voted against, CCV went back out (in Cinncinati) and gathered 200+ more signatures in favor of the bill.
Please contact your local House Representatives and ask them to reject this new legislation. Please feel free to use the following statement:
As a concerned constituent in your community, I ask that you reject the "Stripper Bill." There is no scientific evidence that links adult entertainment businesses to increased crime, prostitution, and drug activity. This bill will put individuals and families who live in the "Largest, poorest city in the United States" at risk of losing a significant source of income.
I thank you for your continued support in the Cleveland area community.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
Contacts:
Mike Foley (D), district14@ohr.state.oh.us (614)466-3350
Mike Skindell (D) district13@ohr.state.oh.us (614)466-5921
Sandra Williams (D) district11@ohr.state.oh.us (614)466-1414
Eugene Miller (D) district10@ohr.state.oh.us (614)466-7954
Timothy DeGeeter (D) district15@ohr.state.oh.us (614)466-3485
Barbara Boyd (D) district09@ohr.state.oh.us (614)644-5079
You can also go to http://www.house.state.oh.us/index.html to contact all legislators.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070418/NEWS01/704180425/1056/COL02
Strippers, keep your distance
BY LIZ LONG | ELIZABETHANNLONG@GMAIL.COM
COLUMBUS - Despite testimony from strip-club owners and dancers Tuesday, a legislative initiative to further regulate adult businesses easily passed the state Senate, 24-8.
The bill now moves to the Ohio House. If it passes both chambers, it can become law, and supporters will not have to seek a fall ballot issue. Gov. Ted Strickland has not publicly taken a stand on it.
"The governor has not had an opportunity to review the legislation," Strickland spokesman Keith Dailey said after the vote.
Karen Tabor, spokeswoman for House Speaker Jon Husted, said House members have not expressed any significant opposition.
Citizens for Community Values of Sharonville, which previously led the effort to ban same-sex marriage in Ohio, urged lawmakers to pass the Community Defense Act to reduce crime, particularly sexual assaults, prostitution and illegal drug use.
The act would require dancers in adult clubs to maintain a 6-foot distance from patrons at all times and clubs to halt exotic dancing from midnight until 6 a.m. Clubs with liquor permits could remain open, but not offer adult entertainment after midnight. Violation of either provision would be a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $1,000 and up to six months in jail.
Several adult business owners testified in opposition to Senate Bill 16 before a Senate committee Tuesday morning.
Tom Klein, state vice president of Ohio Licensed Beverage Association and adult club owner from Cleveland, testified the new law is redundant and not necessary.
"The restrictions that are being proposed are currently covered by House Bill 23 and the draft ordinance from the Attorney General's Offices," Klein said. "If there are problems, local law enforcement has the tools to close adult entertainment businesses."
Angelina Spencer, a former dancer, Cleveland club owner and executive director for the National Association of Club Executives, said CCV has alleged exotic dancers are drug-addicted prostitutes who spread sexual diseases, and adult club and bookstore owners are infiltrated by the Mafia and destroy Ohio families.
"Tony Soprano and his family have never been on our payroll," Spencer testified.
Spencer wondered why no law enforcement associations testified in favor of the bill and asked why the bill is a legislative priority, with all of Ohio's other problems.
"The controversies over gay marriage and adoption, gambling and adult entertainment are distracting our state leaders from the real moral issues facing Ohio: issues of child poverty, hunger, job growth, public education, health care for our elderly and veterans and home mortgage foreclosures," she said.
Small-business owner Luke Liakos, president of the Buckeye Association of Club Executives said he is involved with several adult clubs with more than 200,000 members in the Greater Dayton area.
"Let's be honest: CCV doesn't want to empower local governments, it wants to close down all forms of adult entertainment and continue promoting its narrow social agenda," Liakos said.
Barry Sheets, CCV's director of governmental affairs, said nothing could be further from the truth and in 24 years CCV has tried to reduce the harms of such businesses.
"These businesses do have a right to exist," he said. "We are not trying to challenge that. This bill is about one thing and one thing only - it's about reducing crime."
In addition to increased crime and lethal drug usage around adult businesses, Sheets said, dancers have reported being spit on, bitten, licked, punched and slapped.
Sheets' organization wants more protection for dancers.
"Most people would not want an adult business close to their residence, child's school or place of worship," he said.
Dear Colleagues:
On Tuesday the Ohio State Senate passed a legislative initiative to further regulate adult businesses (see article below). The legislation now moves to the House.
"The act would require dancers in adult clubs to maintain a 6-foot distance from patrons at all times and clubs to halt exotic dancing from midnight until 6 a.m. Clubs with liquor permits could remain open, but not offer adult entertainment after midnight. Violation of either provision would be a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $1,000 and up to six months in jail."
The reasoning for enacting this bill is to curb prostitution, crime, and drug activity in communities. There are no studies done on adult entertainment businesses that relate an increase in drugs, crime and prostitution. Furthermore, there are already laws against prostitution and drug activity on the books. Why enact a bill that is not backed by statistical evidence?
The main community group that have been facilitating this legislation for the past 2 years (Joe P.Tone from Scene Magazine, as well as myself testified in front of the Senate in May 2005 when this bill was introduced first) is called Citizens for Community Values (CCV www.ccv.org ) from Cinncinati. This same group has been very vocal against same sex marriage in Ohio. Apparently, when the inital bill was voted against, CCV went back out (in Cinncinati) and gathered 200+ more signatures in favor of the bill.
Please contact your local House Representatives and ask them to reject this new legislation. Please feel free to use the following statement:
As a concerned constituent in your community, I ask that you reject the "Stripper Bill." There is no scientific evidence that links adult entertainment businesses to increased crime, prostitution, and drug activity. This bill will put individuals and families who live in the "Largest, poorest city in the United States" at risk of losing a significant source of income.
I thank you for your continued support in the Cleveland area community.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
Contacts:
Mike Foley (D), district14@ohr.state.oh.us (614)466-3350
Mike Skindell (D) district13@ohr.state.oh.us (614)466-5921
Sandra Williams (D) district11@ohr.state.oh.us (614)466-1414
Eugene Miller (D) district10@ohr.state.oh.us (614)466-7954
Timothy DeGeeter (D) district15@ohr.state.oh.us (614)466-3485
Barbara Boyd (D) district09@ohr.state.oh.us (614)644-5079
You can also go to http://www.house.state.oh.us/index.html to contact all legislators.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070418/NEWS01/704180425/1056/COL02
Strippers, keep your distance
BY LIZ LONG | ELIZABETHANNLONG@GMAIL.COM
COLUMBUS - Despite testimony from strip-club owners and dancers Tuesday, a legislative initiative to further regulate adult businesses easily passed the state Senate, 24-8.
The bill now moves to the Ohio House. If it passes both chambers, it can become law, and supporters will not have to seek a fall ballot issue. Gov. Ted Strickland has not publicly taken a stand on it.
"The governor has not had an opportunity to review the legislation," Strickland spokesman Keith Dailey said after the vote.
Karen Tabor, spokeswoman for House Speaker Jon Husted, said House members have not expressed any significant opposition.
Citizens for Community Values of Sharonville, which previously led the effort to ban same-sex marriage in Ohio, urged lawmakers to pass the Community Defense Act to reduce crime, particularly sexual assaults, prostitution and illegal drug use.
The act would require dancers in adult clubs to maintain a 6-foot distance from patrons at all times and clubs to halt exotic dancing from midnight until 6 a.m. Clubs with liquor permits could remain open, but not offer adult entertainment after midnight. Violation of either provision would be a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $1,000 and up to six months in jail.
Several adult business owners testified in opposition to Senate Bill 16 before a Senate committee Tuesday morning.
Tom Klein, state vice president of Ohio Licensed Beverage Association and adult club owner from Cleveland, testified the new law is redundant and not necessary.
"The restrictions that are being proposed are currently covered by House Bill 23 and the draft ordinance from the Attorney General's Offices," Klein said. "If there are problems, local law enforcement has the tools to close adult entertainment businesses."
Angelina Spencer, a former dancer, Cleveland club owner and executive director for the National Association of Club Executives, said CCV has alleged exotic dancers are drug-addicted prostitutes who spread sexual diseases, and adult club and bookstore owners are infiltrated by the Mafia and destroy Ohio families.
"Tony Soprano and his family have never been on our payroll," Spencer testified.
Spencer wondered why no law enforcement associations testified in favor of the bill and asked why the bill is a legislative priority, with all of Ohio's other problems.
"The controversies over gay marriage and adoption, gambling and adult entertainment are distracting our state leaders from the real moral issues facing Ohio: issues of child poverty, hunger, job growth, public education, health care for our elderly and veterans and home mortgage foreclosures," she said.
Small-business owner Luke Liakos, president of the Buckeye Association of Club Executives said he is involved with several adult clubs with more than 200,000 members in the Greater Dayton area.
"Let's be honest: CCV doesn't want to empower local governments, it wants to close down all forms of adult entertainment and continue promoting its narrow social agenda," Liakos said.
Barry Sheets, CCV's director of governmental affairs, said nothing could be further from the truth and in 24 years CCV has tried to reduce the harms of such businesses.
"These businesses do have a right to exist," he said. "We are not trying to challenge that. This bill is about one thing and one thing only - it's about reducing crime."
In addition to increased crime and lethal drug usage around adult businesses, Sheets said, dancers have reported being spit on, bitten, licked, punched and slapped.
Sheets' organization wants more protection for dancers.
"Most people would not want an adult business close to their residence, child's school or place of worship," he said.
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no subject
Date: 2007-05-04 03:13 am (UTC)The story focused on one of the Republicans, and he said that he hates the bill, thinks it interferes too much into free enterprise, that it's completely unnecessary, and that CCV seem unnaturally obsessed with sex, and specifically the sex lives of others. But he explained his vote to recommend the bill by saying that if he blocked the bill that it wouldn't be good for his career to have made an enemy of CCV. So, rather than dealing with the real issues that face the state, he said, they have to deal with whatever whim CCV wants them to chase.
In other words, CCV is running Ohio, because they have so intimidated our legislators that they won't stand up to CCV and say "ENOUGH".
no subject
Date: 2007-05-04 11:34 pm (UTC)And that's common about almost any kind of intersection of free speech (or just common sense) and sexuality -- it's too "politically dangerous" to make the appropriate, correct, and constitutional decisions.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-28 05:42 pm (UTC)shakin'my head
Date: 2007-05-07 03:54 am (UTC)While they don't have any evidence that "they" can publish re: crime, drugs and prostitution, I have to wonder if they're not basing it on personal experience. funny but not so funny: when I was dancing, it was amazing the number of law enforcement officers, etc. who were more than willing to pay for more than just lap dances. Between Stage 2, Bugsy's, Christies and The Gold Horse (Amber's and Gigi's seem to follow suit) the heaviest drug use was generally found with the barmaids and waitresses, and the "clients" who were more than willing to share space in locker/dressing rooms if lines were available; and the waitresses who were willing to do special favors (because for all public appearances sake, they are "always" several feet away from customers) were making more money than the dancers by closing the curtain on the champaigne rooms. That's got nothing to do with the dancer's themselves.
I don't know how one would measure the higher rate of prostitution that is supposedly encouraged by such venues... sure there's prostitution. There's money in prostitution. But who's keeping tabs? At Stage 2 alone, the one barmaid showed me that we gave away more than 2 grand in top shelf liquer a month to a number of law enforcement officials and that seemed to be enough to keep them from noticing any other violations (lack of pasties, inappropriate contact, used condoms on the floor...) Do they go back to their offices and write up reports that say "we could have busted so and so and fined them, but we were too busy having a good time, so just make some vague claim..." ???
And as for the whole after midnight thing... that's been an ongoing threat. and it sucks. That's when the women make the most money. The men are unbelievably drunk at that point, half ready to pass out, and more than happy to keep stuffing tens into the garter of any girl who'll grind her ass raw. They're trying to kill the industry by chasing out the money, and the girls.
Ugh.
So, I'll be cutting and pasting to our House Rep.