the hobby suddenly ended?

Here's what I would predict:

1.  Stocks of hotels, fancy eateries, perfume businesses, etc. would tank.

2. Productivity of businessmen would decline owing to the fact that they would be carrying around massive unrelieved stress and would find it less important to work hard and earn extra cash owing to their being on interesting outlet for same.  This is turn would lead to lower corporate profits and much lower stock prices.

3. Hospital emergency rooms would see a flood of cases of men with carpal tunnel syndrome in their wrists.  (For reasons that should be very obvious.)  This, in turn, would lead to increases in the cost of healthcare with negative consequences for the ecomomy.

4.  Divorces would increase as more and more men turn to having affairs with neighbors and co-workers which would get detected and become grounds for divorce.  The ineffiency of having so many more seperate living quarters for people would also become a strain on the economy (Although it would pick up the housing market.)

5.  Wages would become depressed, especially in occupations that attract women as many women in sex work would flood these fields to find sustenance.  This in turn will reduce consumer demand and lower the economy.

6.  Legal gamblings meccas like Vegas and Atlantic City would tank.  (People don't really go there to gamble, do they?)

If these arguments are valid, could they form the basis of a political party that can run on a platform that hobbying equals prosperity?

If so, my hat's in the ring.

Mr Fisher for Pres...

1. I agree

2. Actually productivity would go up since executives would no longer be taking 2 hour lunches for a nooner adn would actually be working at work instead of browsing the internet for hook ups.  

3. Agreed, not to mention an increase in deliveries caused by men actually having sex with their SO's as distasteful as that may be for some.  

4. Yes.

5. Agreed, wages would be depresses as unemployeed hookers flood the job market taking away the jobs of the men who previously hired them and doing the work better and more efficently.  And women owned businesses would florish as we bring our marketing  skills and experience running small businesses into the mainstream.

6. Nobody goes to Vegas to gamble anymore - they go to ride roller coasters and to see if Brittany has underware on...

I vote for...

Mr. Fisher for Pres.
Jamie for VP!

Giggle,
TS Jamie

Only one party is adult enough to realize that consenting adults are not criminals.

See Platform item III. 1. Crime and Victimless Crime

Libertarians are not Libertines.  They do not encourage people to be promiscuous.  Libertarians simply believe you should not be imprisoned for consensual sex acts.

Libertarians also beleive in free enterprise unfettered by out of control government control.

There might be some other consequences, not necessarily economic and not necessarily negative, would could also ensue.  Some of it, especially those involving male behaviors, could be seen as a a real boon to American women.  Other consequences, it remains to be seen.



1. Oversea travel to countries with a reputation for an open and above-board commercial sex industry would definitely increase.  A lot more of us would start to book trips to Costa Rica, Thailand, The Philippines and liked-minded climes to avail ourselves of those "advantages."

2. Persuant to the above, interest in foreign lanuage study, even if only of the most basic conversational, get-around-easily type, might be expected to increase.  Organizations like Berlitz, and the many companies which produce foreign langugs study guides and teach yourself materials, could be expected to take an uptick.

3. The US Passport Agency could be expected to be flooded with 1st time applications, further worsening the already interminable delays [it's currently 6+ weeks at the NYC PP office for first-timers].  Don't expect the gov't to do anything logical like increasing the workforce to deal with the backlog.

4. I would expect the most enterprising among us to start trying to develop ambidexterity as a very temporary, stopgap expedient, if only to delay the problems of RSI.  Look for an increase in silly household accidents and a definite deteriation in the quality of most male penmanship.

5. A lot more health club memberships would be taken out,and those already members would greatly increase their use of the facilities.  Strenous physical activity being one way to work off pent up stress.  Expect a surge of cardiac event cases in the beginning, but over time, a much increased level of physical health and fitness among middle-aged American males.

6. If civvies are the only game in town, expect a lot more men to respond rationally by cleaning up their respective acts.  Way more metrosexuality, weight loss, hair tansplants, liposuction, Lasik surgery for vision, reconstructive/cosmetic dental work and the like would be the order of the day,  A lot more sensitivity, no doubt much of it feigned out of necessity, could be expected from men toward women.  Which, paradoxically, could disadvantage women while advantaging men.  When they've cleaned up their acts and gotten their shit together, they'll be more attractive to more women, so...

7. Sadly, there aren't foolproof stress reduction techniques.  Depending upon a lot of other things,  a rise in physical violence against women, children and innocent hosehold pets might come to pass.

8. The number of cold showers taken could greatly increase, so private homeowners could expect to pay more as water rates rise due to increased demand.

9. Lots of men would decide they would have to make the best of it, and work much harder at their civvie relationships with wives and SOs.  Marriage counseling and couples therapy will experience a newfound popularity, and as time went on, those specialties could expect to attract more practioners.

10. Production and consumption of pornographic materials would probably increase.

"What's good for providers is good for the nation."

I would have this engraved on all currency, twenty dollar bills anyways.

All providers would provide receipts to clients and these receipts would have to be turned in with your income tax form.  If the receipts do not equal at least 50% of your adjusted gross income, then you could be subjected to an alternate tax to equal what you would have spent if it had.  These funds would, in turn, be earmarked for less well off hobbyists (and party members too ;o)

I'll come up with a few other snazzy platform planks tomorrow.

What do people think of the idea of a Secretary of Condom Affairs?  I'm thinking of Condomliza Rice for that post.

Of course, Bush will have a place in my cabinet too, in charge of providers who remain au naturale.

Yes the Libertarian party indirectly supports the Hobbiest.  Getting back to mrfisher's direct questions, IMO this country's economy would not totally collapse but a certain degree of his predictions may come to pass.  BTW-I do actually go to LV to gamble but I also enjoy the other entertainment the city offers as well, if you catch my drift.

Just my opinion, but I don't believe this entire hobby-industry, taken together, is much more than a tiny fraction of the overall economy.  US GDP is such an enormous number, that even if hobbying had an aggregate volume in the billions of USD (which is hard to imagine), then from an economic point of view, shutting down the hobby would barely impact GDP.  It wouldn't even be noticed.