This story is part of the Promise Commentary series, an intimate look at the promises candidates are making this election year. The was commissioned by the Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and is available to member stations nationwide.

In the small town of La Harpe, Illinois, high school students don't have access to classes most suburban kids take for granted. Not Spanish, not Calculus, not even Pre-calc. That's because La Harpe's homes and farms generate little property tax revenue. And in America, that's how schools get a significant portion of their funding. "Flatlined: How Illinois Shortchanges Rural Students," starts in the La Harpe high school gym, where the Sweetheart Dance is in full swing.

Consuming Desire examines Americans' love of shopping. In particular, what motivates us to buy more than we need and whether this culturally sanctioned pursuit hints at darker aspects, financial or emotional, in our lives. Central to the story are six or so Chicagoans who present an array of behavior that may or may not be problematic, depending on the listener's own point of view. These individuals "show" their collections of purses, pottery, designer clothes and more. They also talk about the exhilaration they feel when the buy, and also for some the negative emotions that come after binges. Their insights raise questions about the difference between collectors and compulsive buyers and how ephemeral and even addictive the "shopping high" can be.

Experts on collecting and compulsive buying place the sources' stories in a broader context. As many as five percent of Americans now show signs of being compulsive buyers, according to a soon-to-be-published study. Issues around medical treatments, legal precedents and other newsy bits are explored.

Rounding out the story is a critical perspective of rampant consumerism given by members of a Voluntary Simplicity group in Chicago. One member invites the listeners to shop "frugally" with her: It's for them to decide in what ways she's different from the other shoppers, or if the emphasis she pays to frugality is perhaps itself extreme.

The sexuality of older Americans is an unspoken subject. After all, who can imagine their parents having sex, much less their grandparents? But for many people age 70 and above, sexuality often remains an important part of life and their identity. And they may face obstacles to fulfilling their needs for physical and emotional intimacy -- among them, skewed demographics, lack of sexual information, health and medical issues, children's attitudes and the reactions of nursing aides and peers. However, at one Chicago-area senior apartment complex, Oakton Arms in Des Plaines, the sexual well-being of residents is supported, thanks largely to its executive director, Jay Lewkowitz, who is also a sex therapist. In this 28-minute documentary, four Oakton Arms residents -- Frieda, Bill, Si and Alice, each over age 85 -- talk candidly about their personal lives, revealing their desires, frustrations and joys of sex.