Evil, Thy Name is Earl (or ALEC)
Posted On Tuesday, February 20, 2007 at at 1:59 PM by Dan
I've been meaning to post something on ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) for a bit. Fortunately, the Progressive States Network beat me to it. Even better, they wrote about the tie between Rep. Earl Ehrhart and ALEC. ALEC is the vehicle for corporations to better control their toadies in state legislatures. If you don't have cheap wireless in your city or can't find a living wage job, you can thank ALEC. ALECWatch, a coalition headed by Defenders of Wildlife and the National Resources Defense Council, has a great report on them. The Progressive States Network also has a list of articles on ALEC here.
GA: Rep. Earl Ehrhart Goes to Bat for Corporate Interests. Again.
If you've read PLAN's report on how the right-wing operates in the states, Rep. Earl Ehrhart's name probably rings a bell. The Georgia legislator is a past chairman of ALEC and takes the cake for his unsurpassed willingness to loudly and proudly announce his desire to work for the corporate interests who line his pockets.
So it shouldn't be too surprising to read today in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Rep. Ehrhart is really working hard on behalf of title loan companies, who provided over $15,000 in campaign contributions to Ehrhart last year alone.
The bill that Ehrhart is carrying is, like most legislation, straight from ALEC. And why is it so bad?
Well, under current Georgia law, 300% is the maximum allowable interest on a title loan. Under Ehrhart's ALEC-backed proposal, even that standard is gone.
Think about that for an instance. 300% APR isn't high enough. These creditors aren't even willing to settle for usury. They're plainly aiming for extortion.
Meanwhile, Rep. Ehrhart is laughing at his fellow Georgians, declaring his own bill to be "comprehensive" and "consumer-friendly." Luckily, consumer groups aren't buying it and are fighting back.
Rep. Ehrhart's Greatest Hits
