by David Safier
Day 3 of Al Melvin week was actually Wednesday, but here I am posting about it Thursday. Better late, I guess.
Day 3 of Al Melvin's Greatest Hits brings us his support of, and vote for, payday lenders.
In 2008, predatory lenders spent millions to convince voters to let the industry continue but voters overwhelmingly rejected Proposition 200. Melvin’s own 26th Legislative District defeated this measure by more than two to one. These agents bet that short-term loans won't be paid back in time.
The industry hired big-money lobbyists in a failed effort to thwart the will of the voters. Their few friends included Al Melvin and the bill’s sponsor, Phoenix Republican Russell Pearce.
Here's the back story as I understand it. After payday loans were stomped by the voters and set to disappear from Arizona in July of this year, Russell Pearce and Al Melvin made a last ditch effort to keep the predatory lenders in business.
A few months ago, in March, Melvin, the Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, offered up an amendment to HB2370 which was sponsored by Pearce, the Chair of the Committee. It would have kept the payday lenders open for usury-as-usual.
The amendment was voted down. It got only three Yes votes: Pearce, Jack Harper, and Southern Arizona's own Al Melvin, voting, as he promised in his campaign, in lockstep with his most conservative Maricopa County cronies.
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I am beyond being fed up with people who claim to be religious supporting payday lending. The bible – both the Jewish and the Christian bibles – inveigh against usury. The interest rates of payday lenders are usurious. Now, if these religious, holier than thou, church going Christians are still supporting pay day lending, I have to think their ministers have their work cut out for them, teaching these people what the bible says about usury!!!!