Past Issues :: 2007 May 1 :: Act Now

Contents

Cover Story

Act Now

Editorial

Horoscope

Street Poetry

Columns

• Director’s Desk
• Paul Boden
• Memoirs of a Vietnam Vet
• Zeke Martin

Street Culture

• In Memoriam
• Ghosts in the Flophouse, Conclusion
• The gunsmith from New Sharon, Maine

News

• Access center delays changes to homeless proposal
• Pangaea Project targets a change for homelessness

Viewpoint

• Open letter on improving police oversight
• Civic Action Group delivers outside voice
• The future of City Hall

Tell your lawmaker to reel in payday loan sharks

Fifty-one million dollars — that's how much money payday lenders collected in 2005 through their predatory fees of Oregon families desperate for cash.

The Oregon House of Representatives is about to vote on a bill that would end legal loan-sharking by payday and car title lenders. The bill follows the lead of the national Military Family Protection Act and implements a 36 percent interest rate cap on all small consumer loans.

Across Oregon, hardworking families are struggling to simply get and stay ahead. The economic health and well-being of families has undergone a massive transformation over the last generation. In the face of rising expenses and stagnating wages, more families are turning to credit in order to finance everyday living.

It's time to help people like Karri Miller put her paycheck back in her pocket. In a desperate effort to plug the gap between her wages and her bills, she took out a payday loan with interest topping 400 percent. That was the beginning of her slide deeper into debt. For her, each payday meant a mad rush from one lender to the next, giving over a slice of her check to the lenders. The fees and interest on the loans were all she could manage, making it impossible to pay down the principal.

It's time to put the lid on predatory interest rates by capping all loans at 36 percent.

— From the Oregon Economic Fairness Coalition

What can you do?

House Bill 2871 is the right thing to do, but the industry is fighting it tooth and nail. The only way to fight back is to contact your lawmaker directly. Please call or e-mail your representative today, and let them know you support House Bill 2871.

• Dist. 33: Mitch Greenlick (D), 503-297-2416, rep.mitchgreenlick@state.or.us
• Dist. 36: Mary Nolan (D), 503-221-4999, rep.marynolan@state.or.us
• Dist. 41: Carolyn Tomei (D), 503-653-5180, rep.carolytomei@state.or.us
• Dist. 42: Diane Rosenbaum (D), 503-231-9970, rep.dianerosenbaum@state.or.us
• Dist. 43: Chip Shields (D), 503-231-2564, rep.chipshields@state.or.us
• Dist. 44: Tina Kotek (D), 503-449-9767, rep.tinakotek@state.or.us
• Dist. 45: Jackie Dingfelder (D), 503-493-2804, rep.jackiedingfelder@state.or.us
• Dist. 46: Ben Cannon (D), 503-236-4078, rep.bencannon@state.or.us
• Dist. 47: Jeff Merkley (D), Speaker of the House, 503-986-1200, rep.jeffmerkley@state.or.us

Current Issue

Dec. 26, 2008

Past Issues

(web format)

2007 July 13–present (pdf) July 1 June 15 June 1 May 18 May 1 April 13 April 1 March 16 March 1 February 16 February 1 January 19 January 1

2006 December 15 December 1 November 1 October 13 October 1 September 15 September 1 August 18 August 1 July 14 July 1 June 16 June 1 May 19 May 1 April 14 April 1 March 17 March 3 February 17 February 1 January 13 January 1

2005 December 15 December 1 November 15 November 1 October 15 October 1 September 15 September 1 August 15 August 1 July 15 July 1 June 17 June 1 May 15 May 1 April 15 April 1 March 17 March 1 February 11 February 1 January 14 January 1

2004 December 17 December 1

Oct. 17, 2003–Oct. 1, 2004

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