With many adult clubs and bars in the area, it's not unusual for the Palm Beach Post to run classified ads for exotic dancers. But this spring, it was the state of Florida running the ads. That's right. The Sunshine State was looking for a stripper. And now it's asking for help from the feds.
Although the advertisements have stopped, the opening is still listed in the Florida Labor Department's data bank. In seeking an exotic dancer who can ‘‘perform modern and acrobatic dances, coordinating body movements to musical accompaniment,’’ the state says it’s doing what it would for any business. When a company can't find qualified U.S. citizens for a job, the state can help out. By law, Florida doesn't have to name the club, though it is located in Stuart. The dancer needs four years’ experience. Pay is $11 an hour.
Since there have been no takers, the business can hire foreign talent, which is where the federal government comes in. The state has asked the U.S. Labor Dept. for permission to look overseas. The feds say they may decide later this month. If approved, the stripper would get the same work visa awarded to 66,000 temporary foreign workers every year.
Source: Business Week, August 16, 1999, Page 4
Note: I have nothing against strippers, prostitution (ie; sex for hire), drugs, or anything else that an adult wishes to do provided that it doesn't harm another person. Strippers have as much of a right to employment and goverment assistance as anyone else, although I do think that the government should not undermine their wages by importing low paid labor from other countries. In fact, I believe the things I mentioned are more beneficial to society than our legislators are. I've reproduced this article here just because I thought it was rather humorous.
| ‘‘We don't seem to be able to check crime, so why not legalize it and then tax it out of business?’’ |
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— Will Rogers |
