Another money grab by our politicians

Two Texas lawmakers say topless clubs should pay for sexual assault prevention.

Even though they both admit that there is no relationship between topless clubs and sexual assault:

“No one is insinuating that there is a direct connection” between sexual assault and patronizing men’s clubs, Kelly [Cohen's Chief of Staff Bill Kelly] said

If there’s not direct connection, then why are you arbitrarily taxing them? That’s a pretty strong “insinuation” if ever I saw one.

Let’s take a closer look at who’s proposing this and maybe we can get a better understanding of why they’re proposing this:

Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, and Representative Ellen Cohen, D-Houston, say they will file legislation within the week that will raise millions for sexual assault programs and indigent health care in the Lone Star State — at the expense of the patrons of strip clubs.

The first shocking thing is that they’re both democrats. I fully expected this to be coming from the Religous Right as nothing more than a sin tax to help shut down strip clubs.

The next “thing-that-makes-you-go-hmmmmm” is that Rep. Cohen — a freshman in the Texas House — is president and CEO of the Houston Area Women’s Center, a private non-profit that is the largest shelter for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence in the U.S.

The bill could pump as much as $12 million into programs for victims of sexual assault. Programs like the Houston Area Women’s Shelter. Where Cohen is the CEO. Ellen Cohen is paid $114,448 in her role as CEO of the Houston Area Women’s Shelter.

Conflict of interest anybody? I wonder if she will get a raise if this passes?

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Now, don’t get me wrong — I think that programs for battered and abused women are very worthwhile ventures. And I think that private programs funded by charitable organizations are the best way to go (I believe this to be the case for almost all social services). I don’t think that you raise taxes to fund these types of private organizations.

I especially don’t think that you arbitrarily raise taxes on a group that has no direct relationship to what it is you are trying to fund.

Again, from a different source:

There is no cause and effect here. Neither lawmaker is saying strip clubs are related to sexual assault. They say it is an untapped resource that could pay for a sexual assault program in Texas that is desperately in need of funding.

Ah…right there is the truth and the bottom line, isn’t it?

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If you really wanted to tax a particular group that has contributed to the denigration and subjugation of women, instead of taxing strip club patrons $5 everytime they go to the club, tax $5 everytime a man walks into a mosque…

Linked at the Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns

Posted by Robbie Cooper on Friday, February 16th, 2007 | Trackback |