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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:25 PM
Original message
Have you ever paid or been paid for sex?
With the recent conversations about Spitzer and Stabenow's husband, I thought it might be interesting to pose this question here on DU. I believe that prostitution will eventually be decriminalized in many places, but in order for that to happen, we have to be willing to talk openly about it.

I have both paid for and been paid for intimate time spent with another person, and I have no regrets about it.

Anyone else?
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Speck Tater Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:26 PM
Response to Original message
1. Never have, never would.
Had two partners in 60 years, my first wife and my second wife. Call me old fashioned.
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annabanana Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:27 PM
Response to Original message
2. ick. . . . .. .n/t
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stellanoir Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:27 PM
Response to Original message
3. No but a few years ago, I asked an uber successful local businessman if he
thought I could charge retroactively.

He said. . . ". . .ahhhhh. . . NO. . ."
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YDogg Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:27 PM
Response to Original message
4. Nope. Sorry.
Although some would argue that some marriages effectively work that way. Not mine.
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no_hypocrisy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:28 PM
Response to Original message
5. Does marriage count? n/t
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Nederland Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:23 PM
Response to Reply #5
80. There is an old saying
"You don't pay the whore for the sex. You pay her to leave."

The idea is that people who pay for sex are people that don't want a relationship.
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polichick Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 07:31 PM
Response to Reply #80
117. That's the way it was explained on some talk show (Larry King?) after the Spitzer thing...
The guests, who ranged from glorified pimp to psychologist to escort, agreed that these days it's not just sex, but emotional intimacy, that clients are looking for ~ but the money is to ensure that there's not a relationship with the usual expectations.
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Hugabear Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:28 PM
Response to Original message
6. I personally see nothing wrong with it
I can't say that I've been paid for it, but I have been known to drop a few bucks here and there.

As George Carlin says, fucking is legal, and selling is legal - so why isn't selling fucking legal? Sex is the ONLY legal service which is illegal to exchange money for.

I can understand not wanting to have streetwalkers loitering in front of businesses, and I don't mind having prostitution regulated - ie regular testing, etc. But what two consenting adults do in private should be nobody's business - let alone the governments.
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mondo joe Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:30 PM
Response to Original message
7. I had a guy give me a set of encyclopedias for having sex with him.
Edited on Wed Apr-02-08 03:38 PM by mondo joe
Neither was worth much.

Edit to add: I neither have nor had any bad feelings about it, and I don't think he should either.
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:31 PM
Response to Reply #7
9. Did you at least sell them on eBay? (n/t)
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mondo joe Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:32 PM
Response to Reply #9
12. I'm old enough that the last time anyone thought I was worth paying for sex,
eBay wasn't even an idea yet. :-)
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Warpy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:30 PM
Response to Original message
8. There are men who think dinner and a movie entitle them to sex
but it's never worked out that way for them when the sexual prey was me.

So, no.
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dysfunctional press Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:53 PM
Response to Reply #8
33. and there are just as many women who expect dinner and a movie or the equivalent for sex.
as long as there are buyers, there will be sellers.
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Warpy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 06:39 PM
Response to Reply #33
109. .....
Edited on Wed Apr-02-08 06:40 PM by Warpy
Don't bet the rent on that, son.

:rofl:
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mondo joe Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 07:14 PM
Response to Reply #109
114. I wonder how often affection (love?) and sex are traded for one another.
In hetero relationships it seems not infrequent.
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 07:23 PM
Response to Reply #114
116. Agreed.
Edited on Wed Apr-02-08 07:24 PM by MarkInLA
Gay guys don't have to play games to get sex as much as straight guys do.
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dysfunctional press Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 08:49 PM
Response to Reply #109
120. so, women never think "if i'm going to sleep with him, i'm going to get something in return"?
i know of one of my wife's friend who said just that.
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Ilsa Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:31 PM
Response to Original message
10. No. It is also a question for blood donors, automatically excluding
them from donating, last time I donated.
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:35 PM
Response to Reply #10
14. I think that gay male sex also excludes you from donating
As far as I know, if you're a man who's had sex with just one other man since 1977, you're not allowed to donate blood. But if you've had sex with 10,000 women, donating blood is no problemo.
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Ilsa Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:54 PM
Response to Reply #14
34. Well, it could be. If you happen to recall that maybe one of those women said
that she had been to certain places, or that she had a bisexual boyfriend, you'd be obligated to answer the question honestly about that, or place the "decline my blood" secret barcode on your paperwork.
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:59 PM
Response to Reply #34
41. I forgot about that
So if you're a woman who had a boyfriend back in 1979 who said he was bisexual, you're also excluded from donating blood? Unbelievable. And the authorities complain that there are blood shortages, and that they need more donations.
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Ilsa Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 06:35 PM
Response to Reply #41
108. Pretty sure, yeah. They test the blood
in batches, you know, and most blood comes back negative, and if one comes back positive, they isolate the batch until the determine which unit is undesired.

In San Antonio a few years ago, a "bad" unit got through and infected several people since the blood had been split into components (plasma, RBC, etc). The level of infection was below the threshold of detection, according to the bloodbank. IIRC, they said the blood came from a donor who probably had a sexual encounter with a person they didn't know was bi or was using injected street drugs.
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liberal4truth Donating Member (309 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:53 PM
Response to Reply #10
31. Sex at legal NV brothels doesnt count for blood donors.
if they are gay it does count. go figure!
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:56 PM
Response to Reply #31
36. Outrageous.
It's pure discrimation. They may as well prohibit certain skin colors from donating, or maybe people who make less than $15,000 a year. It would be just as (ir)rational.
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orangerevolution Donating Member (282 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:31 PM
Response to Original message
11. contributed 1/8
but the other 7/8 chickened out after fronting the money.
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mitchtv Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:33 PM
Response to Original message
13. Been paid
Edited on Wed Apr-02-08 03:38 PM by mitchtv
I was arrested in a Gay demonstration in SF.
The "civil rights"lawyer blew me for his retainer. I git out of jail that's what's important
His name was Billy Joe Beckwith (BJ) and it was a demonstration outside Macy's on Union Sq.
I feel history demands the truth. This was in 1969, I believe
also posed for "Christmas cards" as long as I'm confessing.
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:37 PM
Response to Reply #13
16. Wow!
That's a great story. Glad you got out of jail.

Thanks for posting.
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mitchtv Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:40 PM
Response to Reply #16
19. when you wind up in jail...
you just gotta get out! Believe me No one else was even thinking about helping me
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:45 PM
Response to Reply #19
25. Trust me, I know
I was in jail for one night. That was enough for me, although I think it was the emotional trauma that was much worse than simply being there.
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dsc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:55 PM
Response to Reply #13
35. wow man
Now I had sort of the flip side. I was jailed for a protest in the 80's and spent one night in jail. My lawyer didn't require a bj but one of my cell mates did. I figured one bj would be better than a beatdown and the police sure weren't going to step in to help.
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:01 PM
Response to Reply #35
44. That's wild
During my one night in jail, I noticed a number of other gay guys in my "quad". I think they must have put me in the gay wing of the jail, so I felt pretty safe.
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dsc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:17 PM
Response to Reply #44
54. I had pissed of my arresting officer and think it was payback time
To this day I wonder if I wouldn't have caved if somehow I would have been rescued but I didn't want to find out the hard way. I did learn my lesson though. No more pissing off the po po. Glad you got put in with your peeps so to speak.
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:25 PM
Response to Reply #54
62. One of the only good things that came out of being in jail for a night...
...was that, if it ever happened again, I don't think it would be as traumatic as it was the first time around. Of course, if I wasn't in the "gay wing", that might not be the case.
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dsc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:35 PM
Response to Reply #62
68. I was in my pissed at the world phase
and have to say that I sure won't be going to jail again soon. BTW what was your night for?
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:27 PM
Response to Reply #68
83. Prostitution :D (n/t)
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dsc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:59 PM
Response to Reply #83
98. ah
guess that makes sense and explains why you would have been put in the gay section.
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 06:04 PM
Response to Reply #98
103. Yeah, being outed as a gay prostitute in the straight section probably wouldn't have been good
While I was being processed, this guy next to me said, "What are you in here for?"

I paused for a second and said in a remorseful tone, "I don't want to talk about it."

He responded, "I hear ya, man."

heh... He thought I was too upset to talk about it. I was just trying to protect my butt (so to speak)!
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dsc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 06:07 PM
Response to Reply #103
104. there I kind of had an advantage/ disadvantage situation
I was in ACT UP so I was assumed to be gay but also to be positive so my butt was safe. My mouth not so much.
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blm Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:39 PM
Response to Reply #13
89. my pal.....I always loved your forthrightness.
Forthrightness is as cool as it gets for me. ;)
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mitchtv Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 09:26 PM
Response to Reply #89
121. why thanks
Edited on Wed Apr-02-08 09:29 PM by mitchtv
I"ve always resented that lawyer,he was, as we used to say "a real toad". 1969 was a long time ago.. Then there was the time I smuggled weed into the tank..but that's a story I have to really think about to remember.Oh by the Way. I heard your man Obama on the tube tonite, I was pleasantly suprised
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Iggo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:36 PM
Response to Original message
15. No and Yes.
Never paid. Was paid once...with a classical guitar. Didn't feel dirty at all.
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dsc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:39 PM
Response to Original message
17. No but I considered it at times
Honestly though, there are some advantages to being gay. One of those is that if I really want to find sex I probably can without paying.
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mondo joe Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:44 PM
Response to Reply #17
22. On the other hand...
...a lot of gay guys are pretty open about paying and being willing to pay.

There are whole "escort" review sites.

But I do think the other advantage to being gay is that we tend to be more aware of the diversity of sex lives - of all orientations.
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:47 PM
Response to Reply #22
27. Totally agree
And if you're buying, it's nice to get exactly what you want without going through the games that people play.
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dsc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:53 PM
Response to Reply #22
32. true on both
I have seen several of those plus craigslist lol. I also know that I would be a hypocrite for condemning other conscenting adults for sex.
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ThomWV Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:39 PM
Response to Original message
18. No, but I'm certainly Owed quite a lot.
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Redstone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:41 PM
Response to Original message
20. You mean besides Mrs R cooking all those great dinners for me? No.
Redstone
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LanternWaste Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:44 PM
Response to Original message
21. No, neither. But then again, I've never charged or paid for a hug.
No, neither. But then again, I've never charged or paid for a hug either, or even a sympathetic ear when I'm feeling down.

Seems to me that if it's not genuine, there's no point in first place...
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lukasahero Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:45 PM
Response to Reply #21
92. Have I told you lately that I love you?
Your posts always delight me.
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LanternWaste Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-03-08 12:05 PM
Response to Reply #92
126. sometimes I think I would have better off in England in the 1820's.
Yeah... sometimes I think I and my prudishness would have been much better off in England in the 1820's.


But thanks... :)

(although with the responses I've been getting lately, I initially thought you were being sarcastic)
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lukasahero Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-03-08 07:28 PM
Response to Reply #126
131. Oh, I'm sorry - no sarcasm here, not from me
And there's a difference between authenticity and prudishness. I'm not big on pursuing inauthentic experiences either - just because we "can" doesn't mean we "should". I'll stick to searching out experiences and relationships that are real.

But that said, I'm not exactly in the popular cliche here either so take the admiration and camaraderie for what it's worth. :rofl:
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Harry Monroe Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:44 PM
Response to Original message
23. I was in the Navy overseas
Does that answer your question??
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tkmorris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:15 PM
Response to Reply #23
77. So was I
I never paid for it, but an awful lot of people did.
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Broken_Hero Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:44 PM
Response to Original message
24. No, never been paid to have sex with
anyone...never have paid for sex, although I have thought about it.
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GoneOffShore Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:46 PM
Response to Original message
26. Do lap dances count?
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:49 PM
Response to Reply #26
28. You'll have to consult your local law enforcement authorities for the answer to that ; ) (n/t)
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lonestarnot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:49 PM
Response to Original message
29. bwwwwa ha hahahahahahaaha
:rofl:
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balantz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:51 PM
Response to Original message
30. Sure.
Paid and been paid in several different forms of pay.

A lot can happen in a life.

I suppose one could call self-judgement of sordid habits a "dirty" feeling.
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Dorian Gray Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:57 PM
Response to Original message
37. No...
and no....

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Stinky The Clown Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:59 PM
Response to Original message
38. Beyond your specific question, 'paying for sex' ought to be legal.
I have never understood why it is not. I *know* why it is not. I just never *understood* why it is not.
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fasttense Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:59 PM
Response to Original message
39. No but a couple of guys should have paid me.
When I sobered up, I realized I was selling myself cheap. But It made me stop drinking.
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mrcheerful Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 03:59 PM
Response to Original message
40. The funny thing about it is no one defined paying for sex
Theres two types of sex relations and even more ways to pay. The first type marriage, weather we admit it or not a committed relationship is expensive and often sex is traded for services the couple do for each other. Heck, if a guy remembers his wifes b day, anniversaries, there the one for first date, one for first time sex, one for getting married, and lovers day and sends flowers and a card he gets sex. I once got sex because I just remembered the womans b day.

Then theres sex with a stranger, the girl you picked up at a bar after buying her a few drinks or you got high with the other stuff, people have sex for drugs and alcohol. Then theres the street walker, or how about the woman next door that needed help and then gave you sex and a free meal because she felt she owed you something and found you attractive. But then again everything is a two way street, men sell themselves as well. It's all in the way you look at sexual relationships. What about men and women who marry to get a step up on the social ladder? Isn't that selling self to the highest bidder?

The point I'm trying to make is, its not the selling of sex thats outlawed, its the way one sells sex that comes under the eye of public outrage. And from what I seen, the bottom line is its a matter of jealously that drives these types of laws, someone is doing something someone else wants to do but is to afraid to admit it to themselves let alone another so they want laws to force others to be just aS unhappy as they ARE.
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mondo joe Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:24 PM
Response to Reply #40
61. Indeed. And there's trade: sex for affection, affection for sex.
There's so much commerce for sex it's amazing anything else gets done.
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NMDemDist2 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:00 PM
Response to Original message
42. this should be a poll so you can get anonymous answers n/t
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:03 PM
Response to Reply #42
45. I would have done that but only donors can start polls (n/t)
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Xithras Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:00 PM
Response to Original message
43. Yes and No.
Many years ago. I have no qualms about it. I also dated an escort in college, though our sex was always free :)
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Winterblues Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:04 PM
Response to Original message
46. Long time boom boom only five bucks
I was in the military in a foreign land and a long way away from my girl friend. :shrug:
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:07 PM
Response to Reply #46
50. Ah, yes, back when the dollar was worth something :D (n/t)
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truebrit71 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:04 PM
Response to Original message
47. Everytime I shag the wife I pay for it in say way or another...
...:hide: :evilgrin:
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Ezlivin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:05 PM
Response to Original message
48. I've been paid to STOP
As ol' Jerry Reed said, "When you're hot, you're hot."

:o
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Lorien Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:07 PM
Response to Original message
49. No, but a family member of a very famous politician once offered to
make me his "paid mistress". He supposedly had an open marriage with his wife, and offered me a six figure income and a condo in one of the most beautiful places in California. That was about seven years ago. I've since become neck deep in debt and life has become a non-stop struggle, but I've never yet regretted turning down his offer.
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Hekate Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:39 PM
Response to Reply #49
70. I actually understand your position very well
In context of this thread I won't elaborate -- especially since I've never actually had an offer quite like that one! -- but I do understand that inner sense of where the limits for you are, and mine are very similar. You just end up sleeping better at night.

Best of luck with what's going on with you now. :hug:

Hekate

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Lorien Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-03-08 11:18 AM
Response to Reply #70
125. Thanks Hekate!
I'll admit that there have been moments when, after days of gnashing teeth over a sky high medical bill, I did have fleeting thoughts of "maybe I should have..." but thankfully they are only FLEETING thoughts. I sometimes wonder what I would have done back then if I had been in the same financial situation I am in now, but had also had a dependent or two to worry about. That's one of the reason why I try not to judge others if they do take up such an offer. It's hard to really know what another person's situation is, and sometimes people do feel forced into compromising themselves as they never imagined they would just to survive. Hopefully neither you nor I, nor anyone else here will ever have to make such a choice!

:hug:
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DCKit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:08 PM
Response to Original message
51. No, but I've donated to charity once or twice. n/t
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Arkansas Granny Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:08 PM
Response to Original message
52. Are you speaking of payment with money only? There are a lot of ways
to pay for and be paid for sex without any money changing hands. I think most people would have to answer yes if money isn't the only payment recognized.
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:10 PM
Response to Reply #52
53. I know what you mean, but yeah, I was thinking strictly about money (n/t)
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trof Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:20 PM
Response to Original message
55. Yes, but you have to guess which.
;-)
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:26 PM
Response to Reply #55
63. Post some pictures and let everyone here take a guess (kidding, of course) n/t
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Jed Dilligan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:21 PM
Response to Original message
56. No, except for a couple of lap dances
I did receive gifts from older women I had sex with as a teenager (cigarettes, etc.)
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Chiloe Donating Member (23 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:21 PM
Response to Original message
57. EVIL
Prostitution is immoral. When people say 'what's the harm in it?', I tell them to imagine their daughter was a porn star or prostitute.
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:28 PM
Response to Reply #57
65. Well, guess what...
Adults generally make their own decisions, whether their parents agree with them or not. I sure wouldn't want my mother deciding what I do in my personal life.
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balantz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:43 PM
Response to Reply #57
71. "Evil" is a value of judgement from an individual's belief system.
Many of the beliefs often come from others' beliefs pushed by social organizations that wish to control behavior by narrow definitions of what is allowed behavior.

One is generalizing, judging and condemning others when lumping individual experiences and behaviors together as "evil".

Thankfully I have escaped such a prison of beliefs and judgements that themselves might often be called "evil" when they can negatively affect another's life.

Seeing someone suffering can call up actions of compassion, which is a 180 from calling someone's actions evil.
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LanternWaste Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:12 PM
Response to Reply #71
75. And many of those individual value...
And many of those individual value systems become shared, hence making them collective value systems which then validates a contemporary use of terms such as good, evil, good, bad, ugly, etc.

The values being not so much pushed by any organizing force any more than our perception of what tastes good is-- and generally, most people will agree within a broad set of social/cultural parameters what tastes good and what doesn't. Differences within are mainly relegated to mere degrees of difference rather than any dramatic difference.

Although there will be statistical aberrations, a norm becomes de facto existent.

Also, there's the Albert Schweitzer view (of which I subscribe to): That which denies life is evil, that which promotes life is Good.
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Dissent Is Patriotic Donating Member (793 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:58 PM
Response to Reply #57
73. And if she were...Would they love her less? And why the focus on
daughters...I don't think the question specified women only...
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mondo joe Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 06:16 PM
Response to Reply #57
105. Appeal to emotion. Almost no one wants to think of their children or other close relatives
having sex under any conditions.

People should be free to make their own choices about their own bodies. People who force others to use their bodies against their own will are criminals who should be prosecuted.
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devilgrrl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:22 PM
Response to Original message
58. Ick.
:puke:
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Mountainman Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:22 PM
Response to Original message
59. Some woman picked me up in a bar one time, does that count?.
She bought me drinks.
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KansDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:23 PM
Response to Original message
60. Do dinner and flowers count? (nt)
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NoGOPZone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:26 PM
Response to Original message
64. First Question: No, I'm not that wealthy. Second question: No, I'm not that good, either nt
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:31 PM
Response to Original message
66. To clarify - I'm talking about paying or being paid with MONEY
Not flowers, dinners, movies, prenuptial agreements, etc.

Come on, people.
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balantz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:35 PM
Response to Reply #66
69. Do drugs or shoes count?
Or how about giving someone a ride?

Barter happens for those who have no cash, which has been the case for me and friends in rougher times.

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LanternWaste Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:14 PM
Response to Reply #69
76. Giving someone a ride home for sex? Holy cow!
Giving someone a ride home for sex? Holy cow!
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balantz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:17 PM
Response to Reply #76
78. It was offered.
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LanternWaste Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:25 PM
Response to Reply #78
81. No judgments here. Just... wow.
No judgments here. Just... wow.

That sex could be either offered or accepted for a ride home is quite outside my world-view.


Although I do hope everyone... got where they wanted to go in the end :evilgrin:
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balantz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:30 PM
Response to Reply #81
84. Who ever gets fully satisfied?
Edited on Wed Apr-02-08 05:32 PM by balantz
Satiation by its very nature never is fulfilled beyond a temporary fix, it always comes around to wanting more.

In the world of hard-core drugs many things happen outside the social norm.

Thankfully I am still here to talk about it.
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LanternWaste Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:52 PM
Response to Reply #84
94. I dunno...
"Who ever gets fully satisfied?"

I dunno. The older I get, the more satisfied I am with less than I thought I'd have.

That's a question for the ages though. Heck, I imagine that if we're still around in 5000 years, that question will be asked again...

I guess I'm glad I never graduated beyond pot and the occasional hit of acid-- I don't have much willpower and can succumb to temptation easily-- illustrated by the fact that I *still* can't seem to quit smoking cigarettes. I'd hate to see that weak willpower of mine confronted with the hard stuff...

(Good prayers, thoughts and vibes coming atcha, pal...)

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balantz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 06:21 PM
Response to Reply #94
107. Hey, thanks!
"(Good prayers, thoughts and vibes coming atcha, pal...)"

And to you too! Life is difficult enough without all the judgement that goes around in this world.

Inner peace is my refuge now.

Hey, I'm one up on you! I quit cigs too! Just joking around of course, though I did quit smoking there's no judgement here either.

Peace to you
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seabeyond Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-03-08 12:35 PM
Response to Reply #94
127. i am totally satisfied
i can identify with what you say "The older I get, the more satisfied I am with less than I thought I'd have". i have the means, and i dont have the want. my son said the other day when he grew up he would be RICH... i tell you. i ask, will you take care of your mama. oh ya he says... i will buy you tons...

i dont need tons

i dont need much

he laughs, no , i dont, he agrees


anyway..... chantix. i smoked for a couple decades, not good at quittin at all. and i was able to with this. now... i still want one, the urge doesnt go away, but it does something odd... that makes it easier to not want. even if i do smoke a cig, i dont get that total pleasure, like before the drug

for when you are ready
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LanternWaste Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-03-08 12:49 PM
Response to Reply #127
128. Thank you, my fellow Texan amiga!
"for when you are ready"


Thank you, my fellow Texan amiga!

When I was in HS, my dream was to be U.S. Secretary of State (yeah.. I was a bit of a dork), living in a huge mansion in Georgetown, and making plays on the world stage.

These days, I'm happy when Friday nights arrive and I can sit on my balcony, drink a beer, and listen to the some classic rock or jazz. "And I say to myself, what a wonderful world..."

:)
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seabeyond Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-03-08 02:13 PM
Response to Reply #128
130. ha.... you may get a black eye for that one.... my texan friend, lol
Edited on Thu Apr-03-08 02:16 PM by seabeyond
my hubby is a texan, i gave birth to two texans, but i have been assured i can live here the rest of my life, and I

will never

be

a

texan

lol,my friend.

oh.... i thought it was friday. like third time today my bubble has been busted to find it isnt friday, it is thurs.
i am from calif. you talk maine? my hubby promised me he would relocate. texans never leave. wink.
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Hekate Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:32 PM
Response to Original message
67. No, thank you. But I get asked that question every time I donate blood.
LOL -- the list of questions for blood donors is pretty comprehensive, and by the time they're done I usually joke that I must lead a pretty boring life.

Hekate

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SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 04:54 PM
Response to Original message
72. Sorry to say this, but many young women who have a "boyfriend"
are "paid"..maybe not in $$, but many young girls/women who get lots of "gifts" , but no real commitment, are being "paid":(
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SammyWinstonJack Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:04 PM
Response to Original message
74. No on both counts and sex is highly overrated.
Why would anyone pay for it? :shrug:
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:31 PM
Response to Reply #74
85. Ths is an instance where I think your gender factors into your response n/t
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SammyWinstonJack Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:39 PM
Response to Reply #85
90. Well I am a female so?
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:56 PM
Response to Reply #90
96. I hate to generalize, but...
I think that men could more easily come up with reasons to pay someone for sex. Women could probably come up with more reasons to not pay for sex.
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seabeyond Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:59 PM
Response to Reply #96
97. let this old myth go long enough.....
i love sex... women love sex especially if the guy is any good. bullshit women dont want it.
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 06:00 PM
Response to Reply #97
100. The question was specifically about paying for it...
...Not whether or not women enjoy sex as much as men.
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seabeyond Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 06:01 PM
Response to Reply #100
101. the only
reason i said anything is this little sub thread is suggesting women dont want it....

thought it was stupid
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Withywindle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:20 PM
Response to Original message
79. Was I paid in cash? No.
In presents and favors and access to various things? Yes.

In retrospect, I'd have been better off with the cash. Or better yet, bonds.


(Call me unsentimental).
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TomInTib Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:26 PM
Response to Original message
82. Does cocaine or really fine wine count?
Thinking back on it, I have paid dearly.

Paid with my soul, a few times.
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Hekate Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-03-08 11:48 PM
Response to Reply #82
132. I would have called that exchange old-fashioned seduction. "Have some Madeira, m'dear"...
It's supposed to be more fun than that...

Hekate

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alarimer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:32 PM
Response to Original message
86. No and I wouldn't be with someone who would either.
That is a deal-breaker.
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El Pinko Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 09:35 PM
Response to Reply #86
123. Too bad you have such dumb and arbitrary criteria.
I paid for it - my first time, actually. Peer pressure was a factor, but anyway, I was open about it with my wife when we were dating and We have been happily married for 13 years, no infidelity.

There are a lot of guys who "would never pay for it", but who would cheat in a heartbeat because of their outsize egos...
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shaniqua6392 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:35 PM
Response to Original message
87. I made my abusive ex husband give me $100.00 for sex once.
I told him I hated him so he would have to pay since he treated me like a whore anyway. I clutched that $100.00 bill in my hand for the whole two minutes that he took to finish! Then I used the money to take my baby and run like hell out of there. I never looked back. It took a lot for me not to feel like I had sold out. It was better than refusing him and paying the price for it.
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:54 PM
Response to Reply #87
95. That's intense
Glad you got out of there.
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shaniqua6392 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 06:02 PM
Response to Reply #95
102. I will never forget it as long as I live.
I am glad I got out of there too because my life is fantastic now. I have a great hubby. My daughter is 26 now and we have a 15 year old daughter together. Peace is priceless!!
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hyphenate Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:36 PM
Response to Original message
88. No--should I? eom
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MrSlayer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:43 PM
Response to Original message
91. No, but I am taking offers. I'm quite good.
Definitely worth the money.
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seabeyond Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 05:51 PM
Response to Original message
93. at 18 in san diego, i was hungry enough. the offer was there. no and no
so much so.... when i dated it was dutch so no man would say.... i paid for it. when i married and since, i have contributed as much fiscally, .... so man cant say if marriage pay one way or another.

and if i had made the choice, i would not have had regrets either. not the way i do life. i might have learned lessons from, just as i did by choosing not to be paid and finding another way to eat.

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laylah Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 06:00 PM
Response to Original message
99. NO...
but I should have been.. :rofl:
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Lone_Star_Dem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 06:16 PM
Response to Original message
106. Does paying off his credit card debt count?
They say there's a sucker born every minute. I'm the living proof that it's true. :banghead:
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GOPisEvil Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 06:41 PM
Response to Reply #106
110. Sheesh, where were YOU before I grew up and started being responsible?
Edited on Wed Apr-02-08 06:46 PM by GOPisEvil
I could have saved myself THOUSANDS!

:pals:

Edit - how'd it go Saturday? Did your bribery work?
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MarkInLA Donating Member (267 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 06:43 PM
Response to Reply #110
111. lol... Have you considered running for office? You sound perfect for the job! n/t
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Lone_Star_Dem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 07:07 PM
Response to Reply #110
112. I was too busy working my butt off supporting a bum to have a social life
Edited on Wed Apr-02-08 07:08 PM by Lone_Star_Dem
:rofl:

I had a great, GREAT day on Saturday! 100% turnout!!

It was a bit hectic, but I was able to get 18 new names and numbers for our local Democratic group. :bounce:
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GOPisEvil Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 07:12 PM
Response to Reply #112
113. Congratulations on your turnout!
You done good! :thumbsup:

Oh well, it was my (and my checkbook's) loss! :D

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BlooInBloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 07:16 PM
Response to Original message
115. hahaha! Great thread!
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mdmc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 07:33 PM
Response to Original message
118. just emotionally
xoxo
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B Calm Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 07:44 PM
Response to Original message
119. 4 years in the US Navy. . . I have memories that would blow your mind!
I'll never forget my visit to the women debtors prison in Curacao, and I was high on Orange Sunshine Acid.
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Recursion Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 09:28 PM
Response to Original message
122. Does an unspoken trade-off based on an expensive dinner count?
Most of my hook-ups have been like that.
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Richard Steele Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Apr-02-08 09:39 PM
Response to Original message
124. I have paid for sex in blood, sweat and tears. Not necessarily in that order. nm
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Terran Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-03-08 01:10 PM
Response to Original message
129. Paid once, and got paid once
if you count posing for printed erotica (magazine) as getting paid for sex.
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Marr Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Apr-04-08 12:01 AM
Response to Original message
133. No, and it's a shame, too. I'd be a real bargain.
If the ladies would only ask, I'm sure we could work out a deal. I'm open to lowering my price. Free samples even.
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BreweryYardRat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Apr-04-08 03:26 AM
Response to Original message
134. I categorically refuse to do so.
Edited on Fri Apr-04-08 03:44 AM by seawolf
Any temporary pleasure I'd get would be vastly offset by the depression I'd get from feeling so pathetic.

Oops: Missed the "have you been paid for sex" part. No, but if I found a woman willing to pay me, or a guy willing to pay for blowing me, I wouldn't have a big hangup about that, so long as I didn't have to worry about it being a police setup.

A guy on another forum I frequent once claimed to have been jogging in Hawaii, had a snazzy sports car roll up, and the guy at the wheel offer him $2500 to receive a blowjob. This dude said no. My reaction was: Why?!
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and-justice-for-all Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Apr-04-08 03:27 AM
Response to Original message
135. No I have not and no I would not...
and if someone does, I really could careless.

Spitzer was framed, it was a political hit job.
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