As the state of the economy continues to suffer, industries are struggling to break even and

hoping for bailouts.

The government has already bailed out groups like AIG and must determine whether to satisfy the

numerous other requests. According to a Jan. 7 CNN article, one of these requests came from

Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis. Both said they will ask

Congress for a whopping $5 billion to bailout the pornography industry, or, more softly called, the

adult entertainment industry.

Argue how you may about the morality of pornography, but if the government was ever so bold as

to give our tax money to support the nation’s fetishes, a lot of people would probably move.

As outrageous as it already sounds, it becomes worse. The article goes on to report both Flynt

and Francis admitting that, even though DVD sales are down, the industry is actually in no monetary bind. Their argument for the bailout is essentially this: the current state of the economy has depressed the nation to the point that people’s “sexual appetite” is sickly absent and government funding toward pornography is needed to restore it. The day the entire nation needs financial support to fornicate is a day that will never come.

“So I think it’s time for the government to step in and rejuvenate the libido and enjoy the one thing that’s left that’s still free,” Flynt said in a Jan. 11 NPR.com article

People love having sex. It is basic instinct to procreate and is one of the largest factors that influences the jobs we get, the clothes we wear or even the way we talk.

If ever people stopped wanting to have sex so much, though, it might not be such a bad thing, seeing that over-population is a global issue.

“It’s arguably one of the oldest professions in the world,” said James Hayes, junior psychology major. “It is a basic human desire that some financial trouble shouldn’t hurt it.”

Flynt and Francis should consider themselves lucky to be able to work in the field they do and hold the jobs they have. How dare these men try to justify their greed with lust.

“There is one old saying: sex sells,” said senior philosophy major David Ludewig. “I think it’s pointless for a bailout. To me, it is a another profession, like the movie industry, that will continue through, no matter what the times are.”

Congress should not hesitate to decline their request immediately, not just for the sake of the public, but for the sake of their jobs. The economy will be in great shape, and not the point of every discussion, when the state of the porn industry is the focus of any Congress agenda. Until then, let us focus on issues like education, the war, healthcare and corrupt politicians. This request is a joke and proves the maturity level of the industry itself.