"50 instances in 22 states over three years" doesn't exactly sound like Backpage is a "hub for child prostitution and trafficking" to me. Such things aren't good, of course, but statistically speaking, it seems pretty insignificant. Sounds like more posturing by crusading Morally Superior Politicians(tm) to me, using the tired "it's for the children!" excuse to justify their wasting of taxpayer dollars.

We've all heard this before, but it still amazes me that they simply refuse to legalize prostitution. If they did that, not only would it be regulated and controlled like other businesses, it would be yet one more source of tax revenue (which every politician likes, no matter how hard they rail against it in the so-called "liberal" media). But we all know that the only thing stopping it from being legalized is the strong Puritan streak that still runs rampant in the "land of the free": if it's something that brings you pleasure, it's bad (unless you're one of the hypocrites in power, of course).