EDITORIAL
Turn around and
make brothels legal
City-run bordellos — San Francisco has considered
the idea after many complaints from merchants and res
idents. City officials are considering whether to establish
city-run brothels that would rent rooms to prostitutes,
check their health and collect taxes on earnings.
The way prostitution is handled right now is horrible.
The spread of sexually transmitted diseases is running
rampant through that community. The underage prosti
tutes who are selling themselves to people on the streets
need to be stopped. The income that is earned through
prostitution is. for the most part, tintaxable.
Right now the police are simply looking the other way.
If prostitutes are arrested, they are usually in jail for oniy
a few days before being released because of overcrowd
ing. As far ns the police are concerned, prostitution is
legal. If it were legalized and state—run, tnen the streets
would be a safer place.
Legalizing prostitution and mandating a state—run
agency could potentially involve a system of registration
— one where the prostitutes involved are screened for
diseases, checked for a legal age and permitted a place to
legally practice thoir trade, which would successfully
encourage a safer environment where the use of a con
dom would be positively mandated and readily avail
able.
This would have a drastic effect on eliminating the
spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Not only would
the prostitutes be screened, but the interested party as
well. If the government is simply going to turn its back
on the problem, then it should at least provide an accept
able environment for prostitution. Having the city sur
vey the involvement would certainly be better than a
pimp with a selfish self-interest further polluting the
streets.
At the moment, there is no plato for prostitutes to go
to promote their business, except the streets. If prostitu
tion were legalized, it would ho removed from the streets
and put into a state-run facility where prostitutes could
meet the prospective john. No longer would prostitutes
need to advertise themselves on street corners and bus
slops — a first stop to cleaning up the streets rather than
simply turning the other way.
Right now, prostitution is spreading into neighbor
hoods that are historically nicer simply because they arc
safer With prostitution comes problems that exist on the
streets and follow the lead of prostitution, problems like
drugs and crime. If prostitution is loading the way. then
it should be the first thing taken off the streets. Certain
ly not first in a series of steps to legalize other things like
drugs, but rather first off the streets, leaving drugs and
crime with no leader to follow.
Prostitution is an age-old dilemma that the police have
turned their bat ks on, in a sense legalizing it. If it is
going to be lognl. then it should bo done In a beneficial
way. it should be done in a way that takes it off the
streets, makes it safer, curbs the underage aspects and
pays for all the cost incurred above with income that
could be directly taxed by users of the city—run broth
els. Instead of ignoring the problem, mandating state—
run facilities would encourage a responsible alternative.
Emerald
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WHAT 00 VOU SAY?
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OPINION
Husky-Duck rivalry non-existent
Cara Ecchev \ki\
During my firs! week her*.'.
I was doing the typical
freshman shopping at the
University Bookstore, trying to
improve my collection of Du< k
wear. While perusing the T
slnrts, I (ante across a shirt that
left me confused. The tee read.
"My two favorite teams are Ore
gon and whoever is playing
Washington."
Now I grew up rooting for the
Washington Huskies Yes. I
know that many of you are
ready to turn the page, but wait
I have something to tell you that
will keep you from continuing
to make fools of yourselves 1
hate to tell you this, but I feel
some sort of responsibility After
all. I am a University of Oregon
student now, and I feel like I
should be looking out for my
peers So I am going to In* blunt
(straightforwardness is a quali
ty we should all admire) and tell
you crazy Duck fans how d real
ly is.
The Huskies do not care about
the Ducks. Having grown up
praising Don James and wearing
the holy purple and gold. 1 know
what I'm talking about. I was
just a youngster when my moth
er was earning her degree at the
University of Washington, so I
spent a lot of time on campus
during my early years. 1 started
following the Husky football
team at an early age. I had a
Husky Rose Howl tee at the age
of eight that I wore religiously.
You might say that a love for the
Dawgs was deeply embedded in
me.
After following the Huskies
for so many years, it's likely that
I would know who their big
rivals are Miami rings a bell, as
does Michigan, but not once* did
I hear anything about Oregon.
Like I said earlier. I'm telling
you tins for your benefit. The
Huskies do not care about the
Ducks.
Why do you think they sched
uled their homecoming for the
weekend that they played us?
OK. I'll admit they did not have
a good year, hut they will be
back next season. It's been a
rough time for the Dnvvgs; the
loss of coach fames, bowl sus
pensions, lame actions of once
promising players . 1 could go
on forever. But what I'm trying
to su\ is that Washington does
not bat ;m eye when the liusky
l)u< k game comes up. Does the
story of David and Goliath
sound familiar? Well, when it
comes to the Huskies, David just
isn't going to win
You may be wondering why
I'm tolling you this Well, put
yourself in my shoes I could
have gone to the University of
Washington (for a lot less mon
ey). but I wanted to he a Duck.
Of c ourse 1 didn't base my deci
sion on the reputations of the
football teams, but nevertheless
here I am. And I'm proud to bo a
Duck Bec ause I'm proud of our
school, I’m trying to help save a
little face.
What would you think of a
US(J student who won* a tee that
read. "My two favorite teams am
the Trojans and whoever is play
ing the Ducks." Chances are you
would think he or she is an
idiot. Reason being that there
isn't much of a rivalry between
The Huskies do not
care about the
Ducks. Having
grown up...
wearing the holy
purple and gold, I
know what I’m
talking about.
the Ducks mui Trojans. We real
ly don’t care about USC. And
the Huskies really don't core
about us.
What do you think University
of Washington students (or a
hardcore fan like myself) would
think of someone who wore the
T-shirt that reads, "My favorite
team is Oregon and whoever is
playing Washington." Yes. they
would think that person was an
idiot If you truly disliked the
Huskies would you want their
fans to think you were an idiot7
Probably not. Do you under
stand now7 Do you see7 1 speak
the truth
I know 1 probably should have
said something several weeks
ago. but keep this knowledge in
the back of your mind. There's
always next year. And keep
wearing that Duckwear. school
spirit is a positive thing. And
who knows, maybe by the time
my senior year rolls around and
we're playing the Huskies, 1
might just be rooting for the
Ducks. Maybe.
Coro Echevarria is a colum
nist for the Emerald.
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