I don’t usually get into political crap, but this issue just really annoys me.  It’s a little confusing and misleading… I can’t see how it could possibly be voted down.

From http://ballotpedia.org

The Ohio Payday Loan Referendum is a veto referendum proposed in order to stop House Bill 545 that would cap the Ohio payday loan industry’s interest rate at 28%. The previous cap was 391% ($15 per $100 on a two-week loan).

HB 545 was approved by state lawmakers and the governor in late spring. Opponents of the new restrictions (mostly the payday lending industry) quickly sprang into action to try to overturn it using Ohio’s veto referendum process.

Opponents of HB 545 are asking for only a partial repeal of House Bill 545; the portion that eliminates the current payday interest rates.

Payday lenders have until September 1 to collect the needed 241,365 valid signatures to qualify for the November 4, 2008 ballot in Ohio.

The payday loan industry is dumping millions of dollars into a campaign against this issue.  Well of course they are, if isssue 5 passes, they’ll lose millions.  They’re using every angle:  Financial freedom, privacy, keep jobs in Ohio, big brother government.  Their tactics are about as sleazy as their industry.  Paying homeless people to get signatures, deceased people’s signatures showing up, misleading statements to people signing the petition.  If you’ve seen any of their commercials on TV, they’re disgusting.  So here’s the arguments they give on their website:

1 – To Protect Over 6,000 Jobs in Ohio.
Really?!  What jobs?!  The only jobs I can see threatened are employees of payday loan shops.  The only way those people lose their jobs is if the payday loan shops get rid of them.  This issue isn’t forcing them to close their stores, it’s forcing them to stop raping people who use their service.

2 – To Preserve Financial Options for All Ohioians.
Again, Issue 5 is not banning payday loans.

3 – To Keep Ohioans’ Private Information Out of Intrusive Government Database.
Ok, this sounds really scary and their ads play on this – “Big brother is watching you and keeping track of your information!”  The big scary government database is this:  part of the bill only allows people to use payday loans 4 times a year… the database is used to keep track of that.  Have you bought any medication containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine lately?  They scan your ID and make you sign a log because they’re limiting how much you can buy in a 30 day period.  No one against that measure brought up all these ‘privacy’ issues.  They’re keeping track of how many times you’ve used the service… that’s it.

4 – Because  Short-Term Payday Loans are Cheaper than Alternatives like Bank Overdraft Fees.
It may be cheaper than overdraft fees, but I don’t know about ‘other alternatives’.  For a two week loan, the payday places charge $15 for every $100 borrowed.  This translates into something like a 391% APR.  Yes, three-hundred and ninety-one percent.  As an aside, one of the other things the bill is doing is extended the payback period to 30 days instead of two weeks.  Here’s my main problem with these places – if I’m $100 behind on my bills this week and use a payday loan… aren’t I going to be $115 behind next time?!  $130 the time after that… $145 the time after that.  So cheaper than overdraft fees…well sure.  But bouncing a check should be an accident, not a short-term loan.  Do people intentionally write a bad check!?  I hope not, because it doesn’t actually pay your bill and it results in fees.  So I don’t think you can even compare the two.

5 – Issue 5 is Supported by Out-of-State Special Interest Groups
Ha!  It’s also opposed by ‘out-of-state special interest groups’  People in glass houses…

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio has become the epicenter of a national debate on payday lending restrictions.

The payday loan industry is trying to get issues on the November ballot in Ohio and Arizona that would overturn restrictions on the interest rates it can charge.

Uriah King, a policy associate at the industry-critic Center for Responsible Lending, says Ohio’s size and status as a battleground state make it the center of attention for those watching the payday industry.

Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have passed laws restricting the industry, while four other states are watching Ohio to see what happens.

The industry is spending millions of dollars to gather signatures and run television ads to keep restrictions from taking effect.

So yeah, people on both sides from all over the country are active in this one.  What cracks me up is that there’s really no opposing industry – no one fighting these payday loan predators has a financial reason for doing so. It’s mainly non-profit organizations like Center for Responsible Lending and the Vote Yes on Issue 5 Committee
Guess you know how I’m voting on this issue.  Anyone have a compelling argument for the other side?

Why do people talk on speakerphone by themselves?  Maybe I’m just cranky today – but when you’re in a confined area with a couple other people, try to pay attention to how loud you’re talking on the phone and you really don’t need to use the speakerphone and talk louder.  They’re usually pretty sensitive, you don’t need to talk really loud into the phone.  Try a headset.  And use headphones when you’re listening to music/videos.

Double doors.  Seriously – if you’re going to unlock one, unlock both.  I don’t know if I’m just backwards from the rest of the world, but 90% of the time I will try to walk through the one you were too lazy to unlock.  One of these days I’m going to end up with an arm through the glass and sue someone’s ass.  Maybe even make it some kind of law.  Am I alone here?  I’ve started unlocking the other door if I can get to it.

Stop using your cell phone in a public restroom.  I cannot stress this enough: stop.

If you are a merchant taking my credit card as a method of payment, do not have the reciept print out my entire card number.  I can and will scratch it off.  It’s already in your little machine, I do not need you throwing that paper in the trash for someone to find.

If you are jaywalking and a car honks at you because they’re about to hit you – do not give them the bird.  You are in the wrong, they have every right to lay on the horn.  Conversely – if you are driving and turning to go through a crosswalk and almost run-over a pedestrian that has the right-of-way, accept the angry look/gesture/pocket full of change thrown at your car.

I’ve been riding my motorcycle to work as much as I can lately – with gas over $4/gallon, every little bit helps.  I have a slightly amusing story about my commute this morning:

The interstate is under heavy construction, and I don’t like taking it when I’m on the bike anyway, so I take surface streets into work.  It’s not too bad, there’s a handful of lights and it’s multi-lane roads almost all the way.  I’m not a crazy-aggressive  rider, but maybe a little ‘spirited’.  I won’t split lanes (at speed at least) but I don’t wait for a ton of room between cars to move.  I tend to accelerate quickly away from stop signs and lights – not WOT or poppin wheelies or anything… I just like my space, and want to get away from other traffic when possible.  So this morning, coming up to one of the few lights, there’s a car in the right lane that changes to the left lane for no apparent reason, causing the van that was in the left lane to change to the right – presumably so no one was in front of him at the light.  Unless you’re planning on actually accelerating away from the light faster than normal, please don’t change lanes just to be first in line.  I stayed in the right lane with the van in front of me.
We leave the light, the car in the left lane was moving every-so-slightly quicker than the van, so I changed lanes.  As soon as I appeared behind her, she started waving her hands in the mirror and giving me a ‘get back’ arm/thumb waving something-or-other.  Here’s a tip people: a bike like mine can stop in about a tenth the distance it’ll take you to stop.  And I’m usually in one side of the lane or the other, so I’m not going to hit you, don’t wave me back.  Even if by some odd chance I did hit you, I’ll barely leave a scratch in your bumper.  Go about your day, drive like you normally do.  If possible, please let me around you – you’re making me way more nervous than I could possibly be making you.  I was close to her, I’ll admit that, but at this point I’m boxed in and am hoping she’ll catch the hint to speed up just a hair so I can get out from beside the van next to me.  As soon as there was room, I changed lanes and accelerated past her.  Again, my bike is 1/4 the length of your car – what looks close to you isn’t that close at all.  And as soon as I was in front of the van, within a second I was 100 feet in front of him.  They’re both still getting up to the speed limit, I’m already 10 over it.  (Yes, I was speeding… trust me, if you’re not doing 55-60 on this stretch of road people are flying past you)  There are places in the world where lane-splitting is perfectly legal because people understand the concept of motorcycles getting up to speed faster than other vehicles.
I look in my mirror and see crazy arm-waving lady’s car only has one headlight and it’s really bright.  Probably aimed incorrectly.  I also notice she seems to have pulled away from the van by a good amount.  I continue my ride, picking my way through the relatively light traffic and catching mostly green lights.  When I get into downtown, I notice she’s come into view again.  I’m in the left lane, she’s in the right.  She almost rear ends the pickup truck in front of her.  I glance over and I think she’s giving me the finger.  I say think, because it’s like she’s trying to be sneaky about it and hoping I don’t actually see it.  She probably insults people under her breath as they walk away too.  As long as you feel better lady.  Going around the corner, I end up behind her, and she brake checks me!  What kind of d-bag brake-checks a bike!?  Seriously lady, pull that crap with a stereotypical biker and you’re getting a window kicked in or your mirror taken off.  So I get over in the lane next to her to give her a “What’s your problem?!” look and she’s giving me the finger again!  She’s caught at a light, so I actually stop next to her and yell “What the fuck is your problem?!” (so much for the look, I’m pissed now)  She rolls down her window and turns into a raving loon, “You’re one of those guys that’s going to get himself creamed and make whoever hit him feel bad!  Zipping up behind people and cutting in front of them!”
I was dumbstruck.
The best I could up with at the time was “Lady, I’ve been riding for 15 years, I know what I’m doing”  She continued ranting about something … I shook my head and rode on.

The more I thought about it, the more it just all seemed absurd.  First of all, I was never in a bad or dangerous position.  When I was behind her, I had plenty of room to stop if she had to.  When I pulled in front of the van, I was in a less-than-optimal position for about a second until I got some space.  I had my outs, I saw all the potential threats in front of us, I knew where everyone was and where I was in relation.  If I startled the van driver, I apologize, but by the time he might have even moved his foot to the brake, I was 5 car-lengths in front of him.  Trust me, I don’t like cars/trucks/vans anywhere close to my rear tire.
So given that, which is worse?  The fact that I may have startled the van driver?  Or the fact that this lady did at least 75 (in a 45-40-35) and cut off who knows how many people to catch up to me.  And when she did, she almost caused two accidents right there.  And her comments… if I ever hit someone that was doing something stupid, I wouldn’t feel bad at all.  “You’re going to be one of those guys…”  Really?  After 15 years, I have never been “… one of those guys…” — never even close, usually the exact opposite.  You’ll probably never see me riding without a helmet and jacket, popping wheels, stoppies, or doing 130mph down the interstate.
So lady in the gold Saturn-looking car with the one misaligned headlight – you’re going to be ‘one of those ladies’ with your arm waving and ranting, you’re going to hit someone because you’re too busy telling someone else how to drive.  Worry about yourself.  And if you’re going to throw someone the finger, throw it.  Don’t try to insult them under your breath to make yourself feel better.  And find some help – you have anger issues.  I’m an angry driver sometimes, and I yell at people… I have never in my life chased them down to do so.

And fix your headlight – that’s a hazard.

… at least get close to proper English.  I’m far from being an English major.  My writing style is proof of that – can’t spell to save my life, misuse commas all the time, and make liberal use of “-” and “…” to cover up my inability to form correct sentences.  (Not a word from ‘the’ grammar Nazi please)  But here are some things I do know:

• The truck did not spin out into the ‘medium’ – it’s called a ‘median’
• Don’t use the word “irregardless” – just say “without no regard” and be proud of your double-negative heritage instead of trying to sound smart.
• Don’t use the word ‘moot’ (and it’s moot not mute) – you don’t actually understand the meaning of the word
• Stop trying to speak text – the next person that says “Loll” to my face may get hit.  The only exception to this rule is “Berb”

On the subject of texting… if you’re walking into lampposts, just throw your phone in the river.  If you’re not, but you still abbreviate everything… throw it in the river.  Seriously… there should be a “three letter rule” – if you’re not saving at least three letters per word, don’t do it.  “y r u procrastin8ing 2” is not acceptable (acceptable, not exceptable) it takes a normal person more time to translate what you’re saying in their head than you save.

And now that I’ve opened a can of stupid… for the love of all that is holy learn the difference in these:

• where vs wear
• its vs it’s
• there vs they’re vs their

Ok I’m done … my brain hurts just thinking about all the stupid.  Just remember:  half the world population has below average intelligence.

Ok, where’s the flat-tax idea again?  So doing my taxes with a Killians on the desk is probably not my best move ever, but let me just vent for a moment ….

A few years ago when I bought my house, I didn’t have 20% to put down on it.  I know, bad move on my part, but whatever.  When I was looking at financing options, I decided to not get too complex with it, do one mortgage and deal with the PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance)  Now a friend of mine did one of the more convoluted “negative points” deals where he’d have a higher interest rate but wouldn’t pay any PMI.  For those of you unaware, PMI is something you pay the bank (usually about $100 / month) for no good damn reason.  It’s crap, it really is.  It’s insurance you pay for the bank in case you default on your loan.  You pay it until you have 20% equity in your house.  I guess the theory at that point is that at that point they can repo your house and at least break even by selling it.  PMI does me as the borrow no good.  Does nothing for me.  I could have gone the higher interest rate route – at least interest I could deduct from my taxes at the end of the year.  I did the math (it actually involved a rather large Excel spreadsheet) and decided that I’d be better off with the lower interest rate but paying the the PMI.  As a bonus, there were rumors of Congress actually passing a law that would allow borrowers like myself to deduct PMI as well.  This may surprise you, but it was actually the lenders that lobbied for this – they were losing money because people were creatively financing loans – negative points, 80/20 loans, etc.  So hey, if that passes, bonus for me, right?  Well it passed, but no bonus for me.  In a crock-of-shit move to beat all crock-of-shit moves, the law that got passed at the end of 2006 applies only to mortgages originating on 2007.  Yes, because I bought my house a year earlier I get no benefits from that law.  I paid the same PMI for the same reasons as everyone who bought a house in 2007, they can deduct it from their taxes, I can’t.  Horse shit, (as my father has always been found of saying) complete horse shit.  Yes mother, sorry for the language… I’m angry and “crap” just doesn’t convey exactly my level of discontent.  Blame dad.

So the other “Are-you-freakin-kidding-me?!?” moment comes when it’s time to “e-file”  (leaving the f-bomb out because I’m not that angry about this part and that would cause my mother to send me an email chastising  me for my lack of less-offensive vocabulary)   Someone explain to me why me “e-filing” should cost me money?!  I could print and mail my return to the IRS – it would cost me thirty-some cents (yes, I actually don’t know what a stamp costs these days – I don’t mail anything) and in the process kill a good sized tree, increase carbon emissions of the USPS, and cause some poor sap making too much money to enter all my information into the IRS’s big computers.  Inefficient and costly.  However, if I “e-file” then it just goes right into the IRS’s big computers saving everyone time/money and better for the environment.  But it costs me $20.  What is this $20 for?!  I already gave H&R Block $40 for the stupid program – they should send it to the IRS for me for that price.  Has the USPS lobbied against e-filing?!  The IRS should be thanking me for e-filing, I’m saving them time and less paper they have to shred.  I already have a pile of papers on my desk – various W2s, 1099INTs, 1099Bs, 1098s, etc.  Why create more waste by printing everything I’ve done electronically just to mail it in so the IRS can convert it all back to electronic??  I’m confused.  And upset by this extra $20 I have to spend.  You want my money?  At least make it easy and efficient for me to give it to you (or get back what you owe me).  Next thing you know they’ll charge you extra to direct deposit your refund into your checking account.  Jerks.  I have to give it to Ohio – they actually have their “I-File” website setup – you can fill out all the forms and submit your tax information – get this: for free.  Yes, they will allow you to get your return faster and easier, and in exchange all you have to do is save them time and money by entering your information on a website.  Brilliant.  Oh, but H&R Block want another $20 to e-file your Ohio state return for you.  How about this:  The state tax departments and the IRS get together with the TurboTax and H&R Block people of the world and say “Hey, let your customers e-file for free, and we’ll go ahead and give you the $20 it’ll cost us to process it”  Win/win.  Am I asking too much?

Ok… I feel better.  Maybe later this week I’ll actually get back to some of the other stuff I normally do… I haven’t done a movie or game review in awhile.  And Eastern Promises was actually a pretty good movie.  Pirates : At World’s End wasn’t.  More on that, and maybe my newfound Wii.  I’m tired of the election crap already… and the writer’s strike.  Let’s just elect the writer’s guild for president and call it a day.  Man… I really should just have my own country – I’m a problem solver.