Politicians shutting down entire industry

It's almost laughable to hear politicians and activists talk about Issue 5 and payday lending. They're in a competition to see who can sound more pious and self-righteous, and it's like hearing Britney Spears talk about the virtues of responsible parenting. I'd laugh if it weren't so insulting. They're shutting down an entire industry and killing 6,000 jobs over politics - nothing more.

Yet they want us to believe they're just looking out for the little guy, that they're "taking care of us." If Governor Strickland cared about Ohioans getting a bad deal, he'd set his sights on the biggest rip-off of all: the Ohio Lottery. Millions of Ohioans spend millions upon millions of dollars tossing it down the Mega Millions toilet, all under the outright lie of it being for education. Credit card companies sit pretty across the street from the statehouse.

But no, let's reserve our selective moral outrage for $100 loans to middle class folks trying to make ends meet. Let's take aim at a $15 fee. Pay no attention to the fact that the $15 charged by a payday lender pales in comparison to the money people throw at state government through the lottery. Ridiculous. Please put an end to this foolishness and vote NO on Issue 5.

Shannon Karnowski

Wauseon