I Guess this Rich Fuckin' Banker [Dominique Strauss-Kahn] is Too Cheap to Hire a Hooker

I hope not, otherwise you’d be harboring some pretty nasty thoughts you pervert.

Hey dude, you’re the one who put the two statements directly adjacent to one another.

WAIT!!!

Was the maid dressed like a slut?!

What I meant was that “sex with a minor” being a crime in the US brings to my mind (and, I assume, to the minds of many other people) Dio’s frenetic comments about teenage sex and those stories about 18-year-old guys being condemned to 10 years in prison for getting a blowjob from their 17-year-old girlfriends. (Though perhaps that only happens when they’re black and the girlfriend white.) And this probably did influence how Polanski’s offense was perceived outside the US.

And as pointed out, while I don’t think an adult guy having sex with a 13-year-old girl is acceptable behaviour, it is over the age of consent in many countries. Even in Canada the age of consent used to be 14; I think the current government’s raised it though.

She was dressed like a maid.

So…yes.

Yes, it is now 16, however there are a couple of exceptions that make it possible for youths to have sex with other youths – for example, a person less than five years older than a 14 year old, or a person less than two years older than a 12 year old.

Most of us don’t start that early, but Roma traditionally did; that low age made it possible for them to marry each other without following non-Roma paperwork and without being tossed in jail for accusations ranging from “sexual misconduct” to “rape”.

As for the weather, hot and getting hotter. If you do come down, remember to stay hydrated and to avoid sunlit areas when temperatures outdoors exceed 36ºC.

Ha ok, it’s a gypsy thing. Thought it was the heat that made you start a whole lot earlier. Was trying to mentally counterbalance that with the Catholicness of Spain.

Your issue then seems to be conflating “early sex” with “sex outside marriage”, “married” with “has had a wedding recorded by an appropriate officer of the State” and “Catholicism” with “must be a virgin on his/her wedding day”. Whether those pairs conflate or not varies wildly throughout Spanish history and geography.

I haven’t heard of 13 year olds, but I think at least a couple of US states allow marriage at the age of 14 with parental apptoval.

I don’t think Greece is expecting loans which have no strings attached. In fact IMF loans often have lots of strings, painful ones.
If you had complained that the accusation he was responsible for the meltdown in any way was totally false, then you’d have been correct. He was not running any of the banks that caused problems.

And I suspect Gates doesn’t personally negotiate loans, nor that these loans have the kind of impact that IMF loans do.

If the guy can afford $3000/night suites, a $1000/night call girl is certainly a better deal!
Does France allow business deductions for hookers?

Again, there is no connection between sexual assault and the hiring of prostitutes. Having access to funds sufficient to hiring a prostitute has no bearing on a rapist’s decision to rape.

But a $1000 call girl is willing.

Ben Stein brings up an important point that I think we’re neglecting: economists can’t commit sex crimes.

I mean, have you ever seen an economist rape a girl? No? Well QED.

A pretty stupid article, but on the plus side, I (honestly) think this is the first Stein article I’ve ever read without a non-sequiter about Hitler.

Stein also argues that the fact that she reported the assault is proof that she wasn’t sufficiently intimidated for whatever happened to constitute assault.

So, women who are assaulted would never report it, because they’re intimidated. Women who report it aren’t intimidated, so they weren’t raped.

Wow.

Meant to link to the actual article above.

Heres the highlight:

Sadly, I’ve heard that logic IRL.

Here is the front page for the IMF announcing the Ireland financial rescue package. Note that the headline says, “IMF Releases €1.58 Billion in Aid for Ireland”. The key word is “aid”.

Of course there are strings attached. I didn’t say they were in the business of throwing money down a sinkhole. They note themselves:

[QUOTE=IMF]
IMF financing provides member countries the breathing room they need to correct balance of payments problems. A policy program supported by IMF financing is designed by the national authorities in close cooperation with the IMF, and continued financial support is conditioned on effective implementation of this program.
[/QUOTE]

They give aid to countries that need it in the form of loans. The countries have to adhere to certain guidelines to continue receiving the loans. Then, at the end, many of the loans are forgiven. They don’t run a profit. They have none of the goals that an entity typically called a bank would have.

Are you really making the statement that Gates doesn’t directly negotiate loan terms for his charitable loans, so he is not a banker; however, the head of the IMF does directly negotiate loan terms for his charitable loans, so he is a banker? Please tell me that’s not your argument. Obviously, both of them have high level supervisory roles. However, considering the relative infrequency, unusual nature, and several other factors, it wouldn’t surprise me if either of them actually do get into the terms of loans. However, this is clearly not a determinant of what makes someone a banker. I can guarantee you that Jamie Dimon doesn’t negotiate any loan terms for JP Morgan, but anyone on the planet would consider him a banker. You want to know what the key difference is? It is working for a bank. If you negotiate the terms for a $20 loan for your brother to help him buy a video game, you are not a banker. If you manage a pool of loans that were all negotiated by loan officers and you work for a bank, you are a banker even if you have never talked to a customer in your life. When President Obama directly is in talks with the head of GM over a restructuring that includes direct discussion on loan repayment terms, he is still a politician.

Oh, so I guess it is the magnitude of impact that makes you a banker according to your definition. So, is George Bush a banker for working on a multi-billion loan package for the auto companies? What about the random guy whose title is personal banker and he works inside a bank branch for a bank and gives you a $10,000 loan to buy a car? I guarantee you Bush had a much larger impact than random personal banker.

What a beautiful circle he draws. Crimes are committed by criminals. Economists are not criminals. Therefore, economists don’t commit crimes.

If Strauss-Kahn were to confess, doubtless Ben Stein’s next column would be about how he was never really an economist.