Growing up, I was the son of a Navy man. My father served proudly for 20 years working on the engines of the ships that help to protect this country on a daily basis. He was good at his job and well admired for his experience. When he retired, he took with him a sea bag of knowledge and a decades of memories to fuel his desires for the next chapter in his life.
You’re probably scratching your head now aren’t you. This morning, thanks to @shannonpaul, I read an interesting blurb on IMDB about another industry asking for bailout money…porn. Yes, porn, as in “Debbie Does Dallas”, Hustler or Girls Gone Wild. This article gives insight into some porn leaders like Larry Flynt and Joe Francis doing their part to seek $5 billion to rejuvenate the dwindling porn markets.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?? Let me tie the two paragraphs together now. When I was a kid and even moreso as an adult, my parents have taught me, if nothing else, one thing…when times are tough, you buckle down the hatches. What does that mean for all my big baller friends? Probably nothing…but for all you normal Main Street folk that live on a budget, this means that when gas prices are up, unemployment is iminent, crime is rampant, and your annual bonus was cut, you cut costs where ever you can.
There are a few things that most of us need in order to get by: food, shelter, clothes, transportation, and maybe communication. I’m not gonna lie to you, things are tough for me at the moment…I’m no different than the rest of middle America. About 6 months ago, I turned off my Charter cable and internet services. I was paying almost $115/month for those services. I switched my internet over to AT&T DSL for $19.99/month; see the difference? I get basic channels now, and I’m fine with it. My kids don’t necessarily like it, but they’ll appreciate the lesson later in life. I used to shop at big-name grocery stores; now I stick almost exclusively to Aldi’s. I can feed a family of 3 for a month with about $150 as opposed to the $400 that it used to be. The food is not always name brand, but it’s food and it’s not moldy. I traded my mini-van in last year for a more economical car…the Nissan Versa (yes…hence Versa Dave). My fuel expenses were cut in half! When times are hard, you make changes!
The long and short of it is this: albeit there are industries that genuinly need our government’s help. I don’t necessarily agree with it, but because these inclusive markets have such a large demand or play such a massive role in this nation’s economy, it is important that we stabalize them so that the domino effect does not occur. The porn industry is NOT one of those markets…you want your jollies…go get a Victoria’s Secret catalog. Porn is on that little checklist of things you can live without when times are hard.
Larry and Joe…you want a handout, go stand on the corner in Manhattan…otherwise go home.
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