President pays for Internet porn

Davey Winder
Saturday, 05 July 2008 14:46

Business IT - Networking

The Economic Stimulus Plan, which saw President Bush giving tax rebates of up to USD $600 (AUD $623) to every citizen, seems to have stimulated one part of the economy more than others: the online porn business. Research suggests that since the cash went out, subscriptions to Internet porn sites have gone up by 30 percent.

The Economic Stimulus Plan started in mid-May, involving payments to more 130 million American households. With the credit crunch gripping the United States and the economy facing troubling times, President Bush effectively thought he could give it a much needed boost by giving citizens 'free money' which they would then spend. Spending money stimulates the economy, helps create jobs and paints a pretty gloss over the underlying global situation.

As long as you had a valid social security number, at least USD $3000 (AUD $3114) of income and filed a 2007 federal tax return then the money was yours. Quite a lot of money as it happens. USD $600 (AUD $622) per person, plus another USD $300 (AUD $311) for every eligible child under the age of 17.

The big question, of course, was always going to be: what will people do with their free money?

Everyone has their own priorities and early reports suggest a wide range of possibilities, including: a new set of tyres for the Harley, a family trip to Disneyland, paying off the hospital bills and just helping to keep afloat in troubled times. Just the type of response that President Bush was expecting.

Nobody expected the kind of economic stimulation that has been uncovered by the Adult Internet Market Research Company (AIMRCo) it has to be said. A non-profit organization that specializes in gathering, interpreting and distributing data on the online adult market, it claims that "many websites focused on adult or erotic material have experienced an upswing in sales" in the weeks following the pay outs.

Just what kind of rise did the adult industry report as a consequence of this economic stimulation? Read on to find out...

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