Strayhorn: Shut down the topless bars (Texas)

AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF ^ | Thursday, April 22, 2004 | By Ken Herman and Michelle M. Martinez

[crz]

Thats a discriminatory remark against those who have "rolls" and wish to flaunt them.

[jpsb]

Perry was losing me, but I am now very supportive of him. Property taxes in Texas are out of control and he is willing to take a lot of heat to fix the problem. Way To Go Gov! Support Perry.

[Leroy S. Mort]

So you view the nude or partially nude female body as entertainment?

That entirely depends on the body in question. I would classify a lot as "comedy".

[Just another Joe]

Had you as in you were agreeing, or had you as in you understand?
What's so hard to believe about a woman putting herself through college by dancing at a nudie bar or waitressing at a topless club?
The fact that they can be an upstanding, moral citizen?
Sometimes you do what you have to to get someplace better. (As long as it's legal)
That's a fact of life that many people don't want to acknowledge.

[jimt]

I'm getting so tired of Carol I could barf. She's a sneaky partisan ambusher and exemplifies low-down underhanded 'rat tactics, even though she's nominally a pubbie. I'd vote for a 'rat before I'd vote for her.

[Vision]

I think we just see life differently. She didn't need to arouse guys to pay for her tuition. It was what she choose.

Personally, I don't think she could make a very good mother. Because she has shown that she does not value herself very high. So, can she raise a daughter to do so?

[hopespringseternal]

I'm in Baltimore.

It doesn't matter where you are. The whole situation isn't about topless clubs, it is about property taxes and school finances.

Is she a demonrat or rino?

Neither, really. She is an opportunist demagogue. She and Perry have an ongoing feud, probably because she wants his job. Perry is what passes for a RINO in Texas, although elsewhere he would be considered pretty conservative.

Personally, I would like to seal both of them in a concrete box and drop it into a deep part of the ocean. But Perry is on the right side of this issue, and she is just taking potshots at the expense of Texas property owners for her own political gain.

[Arrowhead1952]

This is just an example of the political climate in Texas. To think we still have several months of this garbage left, makes me want to scream like howie dean.

AAAHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Puddleglum]

Perry was losing me, but I am now very supportive of him. Property taxes in Texas are out of control and he is willing to take a lot of heat to fix the problem.

I agree - the taxes are outrageous. I say that every family that has a student in school should pay pay a little something per head above and beyond whatever 'share-the-pain' tax plan we end up getting. Say, pay $20 per month per student.

[Swiss]

No they may not be good for the culture but Texas has military bases and there is something unnatural if an Army base don't have pawn shops and strip clubs outside the front gate.

Hell if the soldiers just back from Iraq want to get drunk and look at naked women like soldiers since Ceaser has then I can't say I wouldn't let them.

[Puddleglum]

PS - I also agree that Strayhorn is a nut. A loud-mouth grandstanding media-grabbing nut.

[Little Ray]

I have not been to a strip club in years, but I certainly enjoy viewing the nude or partially nude bodies of attractive women, especially when they are dancing. So yes, they are entertainment.

Wouldn't have much control over my daughters after they left the house, but, I assume, if I set good enough of a role model for them this would not be an issue. From what I have been able to determine based on conversations with dancers (and a friend's conversation's with dancers - he had a lot more, ummm, "exposure") many (but by no means all) lead self-destructive life styles indicating that there are issues go much further than than their profession. Not my problem, though, and, hopefully, not the problem of any daughter of mine...

Incidentally, there are dancers who DON'T lead self destructive life styles and turn nude or topless dancing into a suprisingly lucrative profession. I suspect that they have little respect for their customers but they hide it well and put on a good show!

[Vision]

I said I'm in Baltimore because you said Don't be a dishonest jerk. That isn't the argument, and you know it and I don't know what you're talking about. I think you believe I know more about this local situation then I do.

It doesn't matter where you are. The whole situation isn't about topless clubs, it is about property taxes and school finances.

Oh...the article said it was about strip clubs

Neither, really. She is an opportunist demagogue.

What party is she from?

Perry is what passes for a RINO in Texas

Damn, cause Perry stood up to the Supreme Court on the sodomy issue. I respect that! Where does he become a RINO?

I'm heading to the store so if you want another reply, it'll take an hour or so.

[Vision]

I agree. Man I need to move to Texas!

[jpsb]

I'll tell you what I think the problem is, extremely bad management of the public school districts. Spending on public schools is outragious. There is one administrative employee of every classroom teacher. 50% of funding goes to admin.

We need to take the burden of funding public schools off the back of the property owner and then we need to fix the schools.

[red-dawg]

Ah, Texas politics is so much fun.
Ms. Keaton Whatever is going to lose anyway because everybody knows she's a demagogue.
Maybe should just "relax and enjoy it."

[Blue Collar Christian]

"You all believe topless bars are good for a culture. They produce positive rolls for young men and women and their relationships?"

No one said that.

Christians insisting that society conform to their morals are inviting justification for folks like PETA, or ELF, or any other popular, political correctness organization to insist on the same for them, which, of course, would be contrary to FREEDOM.

What is YOUR agenda? A legislated revival?

Don't get me wrong, I don't want any topless bars in my neighborhood, or yours, or anywhere. I don't want the proliferation of pornography that crowds our news stands(and television, and mainstream magazines, etc.)either. However, if we can outlaw porn, or whatever people want to call the sex industry, our Bibles could be next.

[Just another Joe]

I think we just see life differently. She didn't need to arouse guys to pay for her tuition. It was what she choose.

You see life through rose colored glasses, IMO.
As I said, I know, personally, a number of women who had to do this. It was their choice but it was, again IMO, their ONLY choice if they wanted to go to college and graduate in a normal time frame.
Their parents couldn't afford to pay for it. They made too much money working a normal job for a student loan. They didn't have the grades for a scholarship. What would you have them do? Try to work a normal job, go, part time, to college nights and graduate in 10 years? Yes, some have done that. Some have missed many years of good pay by doing it.
These women wanted to graduate in a normal 3 to 5 year time frame.

Personally, I don't think she could make a very good mother. Because she has shown that she does not value herself very high. So, can she raise a daughter to do so?

Personally, you shouldn't speak of things you don't know personally. Quite a number of these women have told me that one reason they did this was so their daughters, if they had one, wouldn't have to do it.
Because a women isn't afraid to show her body she doesn't value herself? As I said above, a number of these women are upstanding citizens at this moment, married, holding down good jobs, with children, someone that a young girl would do well to emulate.
They don't dwell on the fact that they succeeded by allowing others to view their nude bodies, neither do they try to hide it.
To them it's a fact of life just like someone that let their parents pay for their college education.

[deport]

You all believe topless bars are good for a culture. They produce positive rolls for young men and women and their relationships?

---

Good question..... but not the topic of the concern in the Legislature.... Now if the Legislature initiates legislation to ban them your question merits discussion...

However the question before the Legislature is school funding and how to do it. The Gov. has proposed a fee/tax on patrons frequenting topless bars..... It appears you may not approve. But as long as they aren't going to be banned or legislated out of existence then they seemed to be available as one of many options of raising a few dollars.... jmo and you have yours.

[hopespringseternal]

It was their choice but it was, again IMO, their ONLY choice if they wanted to go to college and graduate in a normal time frame.

Let's see, I can be a slut and graduate in five years, or retain my virtue and take six.

Their parents couldn't afford to pay for it. They made too much money working a normal job for a student loan.

If she made so much money in a "normal" job, she didn't have to strip. I worked 40 hours a week in college. I still qualified for student loans. Actually, nearly anyone can qualify for student loans. The question is whether you can qualify for subsidized student loans.

They didn't have the grades for a scholarship. What would you have them do? Try to work a normal job, go, part time, to college nights and graduate in 10 years? Yes, some have done that.

Money or morals, money or morals, money or morals, who can choose?

Some have missed many years of good pay by doing it. These women wanted to graduate in a normal 3 to 5 year time frame.

It took me eight years to graduate. Would I like to have been out earlier? Sure, but not at the expense of my dignity or morality. When someone is willing to sell those things it boils down to one thing: She is a prostitute. And as long as she can look back on doing it without regret she is still a prostitute.