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Sioux Falls Paper Properly Distinguishes “Hard Cap” of IM 21 from Furlong’s Fakery

That Sioux Falls paper is quizzing online readers on what they know about the ballot measures. Their online quiz poses eight questions—one question covers both payday lending measures, and apparently Referred Law 19 is just too wonky to come up with a question.

I won’t spoil the answers for you, but one of my most eager readers notes that our journalist friends in Sioux Falls are getting the payday lending measures, the genuine rate cap of Initiated Measure 21 and the fake rate cap of Amendment U, exactly right:

Ballot question quiz question #2, that Sioux Falls paper, 2016.09.13.
Ballot question quiz question #2, that Sioux Falls paper, 2016.09.13.

“Only one measure would create a hard cap on payday loan rates,” and that’s IM 21. Amendment U offers a “soft” cap—so soft that simply putting pen to paper makes it go poof!

The Sioux Falls paper thus joins the League of Women Voters of South Dakota and the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce in rejecting Amendment U sponsor Lisa Furlong’s false claim that U is a “strict” cap that is “far more stringent” than IM 21.

Don’t let any payday lender propagandist delegitimize the press by saying this quiz question is biased and that that Sioux Falls paper is evidently campaigning for the IM 21 committee. Far from it: this quiz question states an objective fact which every responsible newspaper and other media outlet should be reporting loudly and clearly to every voter in South Dakota.

p.s.: It appears lots of people taking the quiz so far know the rate cap rates and other details of the ballot questions. When I aced the quiz thirty minutes ago, the website reported that 100% scorers make up the largest segment of quiz-takers:

screen-shot-2016-09-13-at-15-43-18

Grading strictly (requiring 70% or better not to flunk), a majority taking the quiz passed. That’s not bad two months out from the election, when the only major statewide advertising has been the anti-IM 22 noise from the self-serving Koch brothers. Maybe people clicking on a ballot question quiz while reading an article on the ballot questions might skew toward high-information voters who are seeking more details and eager to prove their knowledge. But we can hope those high-information voters will share the quiz online and share their knowledge with their friends as the election approaches.

10 Comments

  1. mike from iowa 2016-09-13 17:24

    When does the Payday Loans crowd editorialize you are tipping the election by giving out correct answers and when does the lawsuit to cease and desist show up.

  2. grudznick 2016-09-13 17:32

    There must be something wrong with their quiz. I just took it and got zero questions correct and it told me that only 1 person was in that 0-9% bracket too. The Argus is clearly doctoring the results or has fake ones to show only a single low information voter, despite however many might actually take their quiz. They might be nefarious in that way.

  3. Don Coyote 2016-09-13 19:25

    @grudz: I got 0% too but passed the quiz on laser hair removal and booked a trip to Paducah. Awright! Online polls rock!

  4. grudznick 2016-09-13 19:47

    I once again got zero right. Shucks, maybe next time. But I note that now the basket of despicables in which I reside contains 4 of us, if you count me twice.

  5. leslie 2016-09-13 21:39

    I love when grud and coyote get their heads together

  6. Darin Larson 2016-09-13 22:26

    Grudz, the Argus has sources all over this state and certainly on this site. They are familiar with your self-admitted work to skew Cory’s poll. Most likely, they have made you and your computer persona non grata for their poll. I hate to lecture someone I imagine to be my elder, but I hear complaints about the kids today from the older generations and then here you are setting a poor example. I do applaud you self-reporting your infraction to Cory, though.

  7. Don Coyote 2016-09-13 23:08

    @Darin: You hipster you! Linking to a 20yo movie and animated sitcom in the same post. Pure genius!

  8. mike from iowa 2016-09-15 16:30

    Here is an example of wingnut skullduggery when it comes to helping Payday lenders behind the scenes.

    Helping predatory payday lenders

    The Guardian records indicate that Walker was scheduled to meet EZCorp CEO Eric Fosse on January 11, 2012. WCFG secured $35,000 from Texas EZPawn LP a few days later. The next year, Republicans on the state’s budget committee quietly slipped a measure into the budget through a last-minute Motion 999 to allow payday lenders to declare a loan in default a mere 10 days after a payment was overdue, rather than the 40 days previously required, reported the Capital Times’ Jack Craver. The payday lending industry lobbied for the measure and Walker declined to veto it.

    This is part of the details behind the John Doe investigation in Wisconsin that wingnut Supreme Court got shut down. Much of the evidence was acquired by Guardian U.S. and released to the public. Appears Walker and friends were busting every applicable law but then Wisconsin’s wingnuts made it a crime to investigate Walker and wingnuts. (See Madison Capital Times for more)

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