By Doug Smith on
11/1/2009 7:08 PM
Whoops!
The gun-guys, Virginia Citizens Defense League, endorsed the wrong guy in Harrisonburg and two days before the election and are now asking their members to vote for the incumbent. In an embarrasing email, their PAC Chairman admits their surveys are a total sham.
When asked why their legislative survey was bupkus they went running from the room screaming gun safety advocate Lori Haas would "never pry our survey from our cold dead hands." See the email below:
"The excellent pro-gun voting record for Matt Lohr, who is the incumbent running in the 26th District, was not properly considered when the
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By Doug Smith on
3/1/2009 5:37 PM
There is a new law that may help those committed to making a gift this year called the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. This new law contains incentives for charitable giving to qualifying non-profit organizations like the Virginia Interfaith Center.
In 2009, an owner of an IRA (traditional and Roth both qualify) who is age 70 1/2 or older may instruct the IRA manager to distribute directly to a charity such as the Center up to $100,000 without the distribution being included in taxable income. The distribution will count toward the IRA owner's mandatory withdrawal amount.
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By Doug Smith on
1/19/2009 7:15 PM
Some advocates may not have known that bi-partisan redistricting bills were being heard at 7am in the elections subcommittee of the House Privileges and Elections committee on Monday January 19th, Martin Luther King Day. The committee normally meets on Friday mornings.
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By Joe Stanley on
1/16/2009 8:25 PM
This Monday at 7am, three efforts to increase voter turnout in the Commonwealth will almost assuredly meet its death in the House of Delegates.
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By Grassroots on
1/15/2009 5:38 AM
Chris Flores, formerly of the Daily Press, has a new blog out. He covered the payday lending battle in Virginia extensively for the past few years and is now free to tell us what he really thinks about the predatory lending institutions in the Commonwealth. Check out his article HERE!
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By Doug Smith on
1/12/2009 8:21 AM
When we speak to legislators and citizens about the abuses of payday and car title lenders, the numbers we use are so hard to believe that they seem, well unbelievable. This contract from Advance America not only proves that they are making open ended loans like title lenders, but it also points out that the interest rate is 456%APR unless you are willing to give them access to your bank account electronically. Additionally, you will note that while Virginia used to have a $500 cap on payday loans, Advance America is now making up to $750 loans by joining the car title lenders in misusing open-ended credit laws.
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By Doug Smith on
1/11/2009 1:20 PM
Senator Whipple, the Center's 2006 Legislator of the Year, explains in this video how the 2008 Payday Lending reform was supposed to work.....before the payday lenders realized they could mis-use the same open-ended credit statute that Car Title lenders use to charge triple digit interest. It will be interesting to see, given how happy Senator Whipple is with the outcome of the 2008 debate, if Senate democrats will actually take leadership in ending predatory lending in Virginia.
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By Doug Smith on
1/10/2009 11:55 AM
Even before the Virginia General Assembly begins, Commissioner Joe Face this week sent a letter to the Daily Press asking readers to not blame him for predatory lenders continued attack on vulnerable Virginians. In an attempt to not be drawn into Virginia's perennial, "Opps, they did it again," with payday lenders, Commissioner Face reminds us all that it is not the SCC's fault that so many in the GA are uninterested in resolving the Car Title and Payday Lending industry abuses.
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By Doug Smith on
1/2/2009 4:28 PM
There is a great piece in the Washington Post about how stay-at-home moms have become an important new voice for justice and compassion in Prince William County over the Immigration debate.
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By Doug Smith on
1/2/2009 4:20 PM
In a not-so-surprising development in the world of predatory lending, the Payday Lending industry has decided to morph into Car Title Lenders, an unregulated industry.
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