Should government have the right to dictate your morality?

Governments definitely acting like they are entitled to do whatever they like.

So prostitution should be legal, as long as all parties are adults and there aren't pimps threatening violence or illegally holding some poor Ukrainian girl's passport! Agreed! Brilliant point!

The GOP is very concerned with morality and the "decay" of society even though we've seen just the opposite when it comes to race and marriage, where rights are greatly expanded from years and decades past.

I've found any policy designed to "protect the children" is usually morally bankrupt. Children don't need to be protected, they need to be educated.

Way to complicated to discuss here, but if we followed the Constitution, a lot would be solved.

I count myself as a Christian and I do not think that the government has any business trying to legislate morality, as long as those acts do not bring harm to others (forced prostitution, child abuse, hard drug dealing, etc.)

+1 Clubber

The government has long overstepped its boundaries from what the framers of the Constitution ever intended.

The loudest voices proclaiming what everyone should believe when it comes to morality are also the biggest hypocrites. I grew up methodist in a dry county. I have heard my dad tell me too many stories about when he'd make a weekend run to the county line to buy alcohol and all his baptist friends would ask him to pick them up stuff as well because they couldn't be seen buying liquor. The people screaming at the top of their lungs in the media about morality are the same people who only show up in church on easter and xmas.

You keep your morality, sexuality, religion and political views to yourself. I could give a rat's ass what anyone's views and beliefs are. If some are the same as me then fine. If not, guess what? That's fine and dandy too. Not gonna make me mad. BUT if you think you're going to tell me I need to give a certain class of people special rights, or my religious views need to change, or my political views don't match yours, or I can't drink whatever i want when I want without driving to another city to get it, or i can't read certain material, or go to a SC, or do whatever I want to do in my own home that isn't illegal for a reason then you'll get a big FUCK YOU!! I still shake my head in disgust when I walk through the store on a Sunday here and the lights on the beer aisle are all turned off.

There's only 2 classes of people in my book who deserve special rights. Military and ACTUAL handicapped people.

sea,

You just f%$#ed up! "handicapped people"??? Got to get it PC!

azpowerpaws.org

Hey, at least I didn't say retarded.

I don't think anyone has a right to apply their moral beliefs on someone else.

It's why I respect libertarians but hate the modern republican party.

Yes, government should have the right to dictate morality.

OK, not really. Is any TUSCL member going to say so in seriousness?

how about this leftarded judge who is locking up 3 young kids in juvie until they turn 18 because they won’t follow her ORDERS to apologize to their father (who hit their mother) and have a “healthy” relationship with him. all government is evil

examiner.com

^^^^ I agree, whack judges are way worse than any whack pastor. But don't worry, we have SCOTUS to tell the American people what we should and should not accept

This is why I love otc with the right girl so much. It's completely off the government's radar. Just two consenting adults doing whatever the fuck they want to do with nobody to judge, watch, make rules, etc. lately I've been going to some low mileage clubs just to window shop and get take out. Sex itc has no appeal where the club can limit it, the givernment can prohibit it, and the cops can arrest you for it.

Simply put, I have no idea why the government makes prostitution illegal. "the world's oldest profession" is not a cliche. It's really true. It's existed in every country since the beginning of history.

Actually there is no "separation" of church and state. It is a made up judicial term used as a buzz word for politicians. The Constitution of these United States says the government shall not have an official state religion. So now the government is creating it own and enforcing it under the guise of "separation of church and state. I want the government to just get out of my face. The only favoritism the government shows to religion is tax exception status and that can be had by any nonprofit (unless you are libertarian or conservative). The worst thought police and creators of invasive laws are the liberals because they all think you need a keeper. The ultimate EVIL in the world was, is and always will be is government. The 9 most frightening words in the world are: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help"

The only reason the gov't is in the marriage business is for the taxes and gays only want to get married to avoid inheritance taxes! I used to be to be covered by employers health insurance but now the AHCA (Obamacare) is in place no one has insurance anymore unless you are a government employee and are exempt from the law. (I used to have adequate coverage now I essentially don't have insurance because i had to make deductibles and co-payments are out of site to try to keep my premiums affordable and they are still more than double)

When states banned gay marriage, wasn't that the government imposing their own morality on the people?

@Motor....I was under the impression that prostitution is legal in Detroit and at Follies...:)

+1 Tiredtraveler 3 sentences to dread: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help" "The check's in the mail" "Of course I'll respect you in the morning"

We've already experimented w/ prohibition and it did not work out well – prohibiting something as natural and instinctual as sex b/w consenting adults is stupid and it's bound to create more issues/problems than solutions just like alcohol prohibition did.

Both parties are screwed up in their views if you ask me. Republicans want to control you socially and Democrats want to control how you do business. It's all a crock.

All people should be treated equally under the law. No special favors for anything (race, creed, color, gender, sexuality, etc.). Why should a married couple have a better tax deal than two single people who choose to live together? Why should a female soldier or firefighter have different physical requirements than male soldiers or firefighters? Why should minorities receive special consideration on job and school applications? Everyone seems to want a special break at the same time they demand equality.

For our Judeo-Christian friends who like to claim the Constitution. Imagine it had been written based on Islamic morals and you were just a small minority of the population that is Christian....would you want to be treated the way Christians are treating our laws? Would you want to be held to the tenets of Taoism, or any other religion? Then don't ask it of the rest of us who may not be christians. I don't care what your god says or his messiah. I don't beleive in that shit any more than I believe in Zeus and the Olympians. Keep it in your home and in your church.

The constitution should basically say that anything two people (or more) want to do is okay as long as all members involved are of adult age and are consenting. That means you can pay for sex, have gay weddings, some crack, own guns, etc. etc. etc. as long as your activities don't impinge on the freedom of others. So no, you cannot force a christian church to marry a gay couple....you can't pay to have sex with a minor.....pimps would be straight out if forcing women to perform.....etc. etc.

Is this shit really that hard to figure out?

Forcing me to buy health insurance? Are you fucking crazy?!?! The founders of this country went to war with the strongest military of the time over a small tax on tea and some other bullshit activity. We should be embarrassed at the crap we're putting up with!

MrDeuce:

If you don't think the government is helping you, why do we keep re-electing the same people to Congress? After all, the government is just people. It's us. When the government does things you don't like, it's not like there's no recourse.

Who gets checks?? Electronic transfers are always the way to get paid. If someone promises you a check these days, you deserve the consequences.

I never sleep with a girl I don't want to wake up with in the morning, but I suppose it's possible it will still happen.

If you guys think legalizing prostitution is going stop exploitation of women, you're wrong. You just made pimps legal businessmen. Pimping is a HUGE money business, tied to organized crime. Women would still be forced to sell their bodies. Now if the girls could be convinced to turn in the pimps, and pimps get life sentences, that might be a good start.

No! The government should not dictate morality. Government should protect me from you and you from me. Government should protect those unable to protect themselves. Government should protect us from those that mean us harm (foreign hackers, terrorists, rogue nations, etc.)

@mikeya02, you'll never totally stop the exploitation of women but you can do things to reduce it.

Legalized brothels and required registration are good places to start.

If the libertarian party ever had a viable candidate I'd support them enthusiastically. That's the only political party that is sympathetic to the views expressed here.

I'm not much of a political-head but it seems Libertarians are a bit too much hands-off which of course is their appeal – but being too much hands-off although sounds great on-paper/in-theory; I'm not so sure in practice.

Politics is made up of human beings and human beings are far from perfect and thus why a certain amount of intervention/control is needed IMO. I'm def for small un-intrusive government but not too small that lets everything “just work itself out” and just stays out of the way – again – sounds good on paper but does not work in reality IMO.

hum... let's see if I can hit all the highlights....

no, the government should not be in the business of legislating morality.

Freedom of religion is supposed to be reciprocal. You get freedom to follow your religious beliefs, I get the freedom to not have your believes imposed on me against my will.

If churches want a say in government, then they should start paying taxes.

"The government has long overstepped its boundaries from what the framers of the Constitution ever intended" - absolutely. George Washington himself predicted as much in his farewell address to the nation when he voluntary stepped down from office. (There were no term limits them. You think King Bush or King Obama would leave after two terms voluntary?) Sadly, the majority of voters keep accepting shitty asshole politicians instead of demanding real leaders.

" loudest voices proclaiming what everyone should believe when it comes to morality are also the biggest hypocrites" - YEP!!!

Legalizing prostitution will not reduce sex trafficking... my understanding is the sex trafficking supposedly got worse in German and they went down the legalization rabbit hole. Traffickers simply pretend to be legit operations.

The 9 most frightening words in the world are: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help" True that!

"Both parties are screwed up in their views if you ask me" HELL YES!!!!!!! Too bad there is no alternative.

"Why should a married couple have a better tax deal than two single people who choose to live together?" Depends on how much you make. Two people with high incomes are better off single than married.... at least until you get f-ed on inheritance.

" Everyone seems to want a special break at the same time they demand equality. " yep, everyone likes to cheat the system.

"The founders of this country went to war with the strongest military of the time over a small tax" - Well... what do you mean by this? The founder of this country were not opposed to taxes which supported the common good of those citizen paying the taxes. They were pissed off that they were paying taxes to support the whims of the King of England. If you change "King of England" to "the elite ruling class", isn't that exactly the situation we are in now? WTF?

Um, I will point out that laws against murder, theft, rape and other such are "legislating morality" as well. I'm betting no one here would object to those. You should choose terms that aren't so ambiguous.

"Legalizing prostitution will not reduce sex trafficking... my understanding is the sex trafficking supposedly got worse in German and they went down the legalization rabbit hole. Traffickers simply pretend to be legit operations."

Legalized prostitution hasn't been a perfect solution in Europe but part of that is geography and Europe's attitudes on immigration.

Still better than keeping it illegal and hidden.

“... Legalizing prostitution will not reduce sex trafficking... my understanding is the sex trafficking supposedly got worse in German and they went down the legalization rabbit hole ...”

Legalizing alcohol purchase and consumption I imagine did the reduce the # of drunks – so should we go back to prohibition?

We have plenty of laws to protect the innocent. Driving a car while high on dope is a punishable crime. doing dope in my home is doing society no harm. So there are areas I would say there is government overreach. But to say the government doesn't help people as well is to foment revolution. Anyone who thinks the government in the big picture doesn't serve all of us is either talking treason or is unwilling to vote for non-incumbents. It's BS to say the government is a problem but wave the American flag like you're some kind of patriot.

"Um, I will point out that laws against murder, theft, rape and other such are "legislating morality" as well. I'm betting no one here would object to those."

That takes you into the territory of affecting the lives of others which is a no-no. If you want to rape yourself or commit suicide go for it. As long as it doesn't affect anyone else.

If you read up on libertarian views, they are not against all government. They just keep government out of this kinda crap. They support the military, public safety, roads, and crap we really need but not the massive amounts of government waste, welfare, and idiotic morality enforcement. Having a libertarian in charge is the only way all of the shit that everyone is complaining about would actually and fundamentally change.

Government is nothing more than coercive force - literally. If people did not have to be coerced to act or behave in certain ways, “donate” their money, etc then there would be no excuse what-so-ever for governments. And without the force aspect, up to and including the taking of life, then governments’ ability to coerce would be nil.

Just as a loaded pistol, government in and of itself is nothing until wielded by people. Therein lays the problem. Humans as a species are sick, vile fucks. The worst of them go into government service desiring nothing more than to use that coercive force to bully, steal from and rule over their betters. Thus both the tyrant and the mob are able to hide behind a claim of a righteous virtue for the common good while acting on their base natures.

I fear freedom’s light is fading. Is there no more fight left in you? I mean why haven’t you physically thrown those dirty knickered hooers in DC into the rubbish bin of history?

dirty knickered hooers in DC. no clue what it means but I like it. Brilliant as 4got would say.

Simply put - I want the Republicans out of my bedroom, and the Democrats out of my wallet.

Lopaw, you just defined a libertarian.

Yup....I was a registered libertarian for a few years. Now I'm just an anarchist.

Lopaw, I don't understand. Your'e in L.A? Neither Republicans or the church is stopping you from doing anything in your bedroom.

@mikeya02- yes, but it's not for their lack of trying. There are still rabid right leaning & religious groups out there that would love nothing better than to repeal all of the recent advancements that have been made. It will never happen, but that doesn't stop them and their hate filled bigotry. I don't give a shit about them nor listen to any of their rhetoric....but I'm far from naive in thinking that just because we have succeeded in establishing things like marital equality that the haters have simply gone away. They haven't. They either try and dig their heels in deeper, or move on to other "morality" issues that they try to influence.

Unfortunately government has the right to do anything we allow them to. We are a Republic. A representative government. If our representative s are making laws we do not like we should vote them out. Party Loyalty is going to be the demise of this country. We need to vote for the person that most represents our views no matter what party they belong to not for a party.

"People should not be afraid of their government. Government should be afraid of the people." V, V for Vendetta. Probably not an exact quote, but it still gets the point across.

And wasn't it Jefferson who said that a little revolution can be a good thing? It just might be time, starting with dethroning the Democrats and the Republicans.

@seaboardrr:

"Um, I will point out that laws against murder, theft, rape and other such are "legislating morality" as well. I'm betting no one here would object to those."

"That takes you into the territory of affecting the lives of others which is a no-no." - yes

as for suicidal people, they need help, not permission. Committing suicide adversely affects all the friends and family of that person.

For me, it depends on the reason for the suicide. A terminally ill person -- let them go with peace and dignity, not suffer a prolonged, painful, and degrading death. Someone who's having a major glitch in his life -- yeah, get help.

But whatever a suicidal person does decide, please, just take your own life and not the lives of anyone around you. When you cross that line, it isn't suicide any more -- it's murder.

@lowpaw: Actually, anarchy is the highest for of society. You have judges, but no police because we all do the right thing on our own because ts' the right thing to do. We all are free to make our own rules. I live by that tenant as much as I can.

Unfortunately our species is at least 5000 years away from being capable of handling anarchy. We still have too many people willing to use force to bend us to their will as opposed to letting us make our own decisions, as well as too many people who can't be trusted to make their own rules.

So we have a democracy as an interim system of government. I believe it's the best current system available to us.