A Blue Bailout?

It might be laughable — but, in today's economy, who's laughing?

After seeing other sectors of the economy receive bailouts from the federal government, representatives of the adult entertainment industry — specifically, the infamous Larry Flynt and "Girls Gone Wild" video series producer Joe Francis — say they're asking the feds for a $5 billion bailout.

That figure, Francis says, reflects the drop in revenue from the level of three years ago.

"The government's handing out money to the auto industry," Francis told the Los Angeles Daily News. "Why shouldn't it hand some to an industry the nation could not live without?"

Well, technically, I suppose, that's a valid sentiment. But it isn't the same thing.

The nation could live without pornography. But, unless they happen to live within walking distance of their jobs (for those who still have jobs), most Americans need transportation. Whatever one thinks of how the domestic auto industry has handled its business, people need transportation.

People need lots of things to survive — food, clothing, shelter, transportation, heat in the winter. They need jobs to pay for these necessities.

They can live without pornography.