Hustler founder Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild Founder Joe Francis are planning to lobby congress for up to $5 billion dollars in bailout money for the adult industry:

Francis is in the process of drafting a petition requesting financial assistance from the newly assembled 111th Congress in response to a drastic 22-percent drop in DVD sales and rentals in favor of adult websites over the last year, as well as general financial downturn as a result of the economic recession. Upon completion of the petition, Francis is planning to present it to Congress in person, Owen Moogan, LFP press relations representative, told XBIZ.

I would have preferred my tax money go to the adult industry than to the UAW. I know some people scoff at the thought, but the adult industry is as important a business as any other especially in California. The adult industry contributes about 15% of the total tax revenue for California every year.

More porn movies are filmed in the San Fernando Valley than anywhere else on earth. The adult industry employs thousands of people who are feeling the economic downturn as much as anyone.

I’m not in favor of bailouts period, but the porn industry deserves the same consideration as any other business if money is being handed out.

(image via XBIZ)

Larry Flynt will host a fundraising event benefiting the presidential campaign of Dennis Kucinich, tonight at Hustler-LFP headquarters in Los Angeles.The party is the first time Flynt has hosted a political fundraiser, though he is politically active and has attended many similar events in the past.

Flynt, Hustler-LFP founder and longtime Kucinich supporter, said, “I support Dennis Kucinich because not only have I been a friend of his for 40 years, but I believe he offers an essential, viable and exciting option to the candidates that are more popular at the moment.”

Flynt with his wife and the host committee are throwing the fundraiser. The list of committee members includes several mainstream personalities including Woody Harrelson, Ed Norton, Sean and Robin Wright Penn, Frances Fisher, Stephen and Kristen Stills, Melissa and Tammy Etheridge, Esai Morales, Thom and Gail Steinbeck, Michael Des Barrs, Amy Smart, Shelley Morrison, Jodie Evans and Max Palevsky.

The evening will consist of a cocktail reception, and both Kucinich and Flynt will speak during the event. Approximately 150 contributors are expected to attend.

I think Dennis Kucinich is a kook, but I applaud his willingness to allow the adult industry to be apart of the political process. I think it’s unfortunate that most Republicans and Democrats refuse donations at least publicly from the dreaded “porn industry.” The adult entertainment industry is a legal business in the United States and represent a significant portion of California’s economy.

The adult industry is not just made up of performers or so-called “pornstars,” but of college educated professionals that in many cases run multi-million dollar companies. Yet these businesses and their leaders are treated like second class citizens, because some people find there job kinda “icky.”

We need to move forward in this country and stop vilifying the adult entertainment industry and those who work in it.

-Chris Jones