Tim Burke: Looking at arguments for, against brothels

To keep or not to keep brothels?

That could be the question before voters this November if a petition filed in Nye County garners enough signatures to bring a vote before the county commissioners. The movement started here after local groups banded together following the lead of residents in Lyon County who started the “No Little Girl” petition to close the brothels in Moundhouse, Nevada.

A local brothel owner who owns all the brothels that would be affected by the proposed ban in Lyon County and two of the brothels in Nye County likes to state that it is a backlash against him brought about by his political opponents. Oh, if it were only that simple.

Rather than viewing it through that narrow perspective, let’s look at the much larger picture of the impact that losing them may or may not have and why there is a growing movement away from legalized brothels in rural Nevada.

The arguments for and against brothels are numerous.

There will be an outcry that people will lose their jobs if the brothels are forced to shut down. Yes, they will. Not just prostitutes but other employees from cooks to housekeepers. Fortunately, the State of Nevada Department of Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) has a program specifically for dislocated workers to assist them when a company or industry closes. DETR offers free job skills training and certification, job placement, and many other types of services to get someone back to work. So, hopefully, they wouldn’t be out of work for long.

There will be testimonials from prostitutes that they chose their profession and are very happy at what they do. They will also say they are making a lot of money. Both statements may be true, but there are probably prostitutes that are not happy at their profession. Prostitution is sometimes referred to as the world’s oldest sales profession. In sales, there is a rule known as the 80/20 rule, or more correctly, the Pareto Principle. The principle states that 80 percent of the income is made by 20 percent of the sales people. The reverse is also true. The other 80 percent of the salespeople are making only 20 percent of the income.

There will be an argument made that closing the brothels will be a significant loss of revenue for the counties. Certainly, Lyon County (which receives far more income from brothels than Nye) will have to figure out a way to replace that revenue but that county is growing rapidly with an expanding tax base.

In Nye County, there is some discussion that what is currently received in revenue may not cover the expense of enforcement, which would mean it would have much less impact on the county’s budget. Another factor that has been expressed by local economic development boards is that they get pushback from potential businesses not willing to locate here because of the brothels. There will be no Hobby Lobby’s or Chick-fil-A’s moving into Nye or Lyon counties as long as there is legal prostitution.

It will also be stated that closing the brothels will force prostitution underground. Prostitution is illegal in Vegas and Reno and is already underground there. In Las Vegas, all you need to do is walk down the strip for 15 minutes at night and I guarantee you will be asked if you want “companionship” by an attractive young lady. It does mean that tourists from Vegas won’t be driving or taking a limo to go to a brothel here.

Another discussion point will be that the petition drive infringes on “freedoms.” That, my friend, is a two-edged sword. You can argue it’s an expression of freedom to have the brothels and you can argue that it is an expression of freedom to choose to not have them.

This is a complicated topic with many more points to review. Next week, Part 2 on “for and against” keeping brothels.

Tim Burke is a businessman, philanthropist, educator and Pahrump resident. Contact him at timstakenv@gmail.com