Seattle's voters are about to decide whether to overturn new draconian rules that essentially shut down the city's tame strip clubs. Meanwhile Portland has at least 12 times as many clubs and looser rules than Seattle ever has, according to an excellent story by Jim Brunner in The Seattle Times.
"Would anybody say Seattle is a superior place to Portland because it has fewer adult bookstores or strip clubs? I think that's such a bizarre notion," said Charles Hinkle, a Portland attorney who specializes in free-speech cases and has argued against strip-club regulations in Oregon. "I don't think anybody in Seattle would list that in the top 100 factors as to why they chose Seattle to live."
Somehow Portland still manages to be rated one of the most livable cities in the country. Ditto for Vancouver. Any idea how many clubs they have?
The Seattle strip club initiative is yet another one of those "wedge" issue. It forces the hands of candidates to be "for" or "against". It allows politicians to avoid talking about the issues that really matter.
My opinion : Create a red light district and make it a tourist attraction. Works for Vegas!
Posted by: vincent | November 03, 2006 at 16:01