Is this person singing the inner city blues over payday loans? Don't bet that it's that simple. (Photo: flickr.com)

Have you ever heard that statement before – that “correlation does not imply causation?” What it means is that even if one can identify a correlation (strength and direction of a relationship between two random variables), it does not automatically imply that one causes the other. Making such a connection is falling prey to a logical fallacy known in Latin as cum hoc ergo propter hoc, which translates to “with this, therefore because of this.”

People falling prey to a logical fallacy in conversation is one thing, but if a logical fallacy is central to the argument in a published academic paper that is attempting to shape public opinion and even advise lawmakers as to procedure, the work becomes irresponsible and even harmful. Such is the case with a recent intercollegiate study by Charis Kubrin and Gregory Squires of George Washington University and Steven Graves of Cal State Northridge entitled “Does Fringe Banking Exacerbate Neighborhood Crime Rates? Social Disorganization and the Ecology of Payday Lending.” Through the use of a logical fallacy, the authors attempt to link the rise of payday loan companies in middle- to low-income neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington with increased community violence. As if there could be no other contributing factors (which is something the authors even concede to more than once during their study, completely invalidating their previous hypothesis).

First, the Pro and Con Payday Loan Arguments

As we’ve heard many times before, those who are against payday loans claim that the businesses exploit the underprivileged and the uneducated. Supposedly, they cause poverty and an endless spiral of debt. On the other hand, supporters indicate that payday loans address a particular need for those who experience short term financial difficulty and are credit constrained and have little or no liquid assets to help deal with the problem. For every study that claims that payday loans cause bankruptcy, there are studies that indicate to the contrary regarding payday loans. Furthermore, numerous studies regarding the profitability of payday loans indicate that the rate charged is justified by the risk involved and that payday lending outlets do not reap excessive profits.

Causing Cities to Tear Themselves Apart?

The study authors take the angle of payday lending being an agitating agent that brings out the worst in the communities where brick-and-mortar stores are present. They see greater instances of crime in areas of Seattle where payday loan store penetration is most concentrated as a previously unstudied “price” that the communities pay for allowing the presence of payday lenders. The authors state that because payday loan stores operate with late and weekend hours – when hoodlums supposedly are out in force? –there is a greater potential for violence. Whether it is the stores themselves or their customers being subject to robbery, the authors would have us believe that providing consumers with payday loans when said consumers’ access to traditional forms of credit is restricted and short term financial need is great is somehow the fault for the violence. By that same logic, wouldn’t ATM machines, banks, liquor stores, gun stores or any other place where money is kept be a potential instigator of violence? It’s ridiculous. Capitalism should either be allowed to work as it can or American society should be dramatically restructured along the dreaded socialist lines that so many Americans claim to fear. Having payday lending outlets in your neighborhood is no more the cause than any other business where money is exchanged.

Why Seattle? Why Payday Loans?

The authors hold up Seattle as being representative of a typical large U.S. city, which sounds reasonable, but they admit that it may not create an accurate picture of the supposed payday loans/violence link for American as a whole. The Seattle communities with the greatest instances of violence in the authors’ study tended to be those where poverty was greatest. So are they saying that because payday loan outlets may be present in or near such communities that the payday loan outlets were the cause of the poverty – or the violence that stems from human frustration and need? That’s a very simplistic view that does not exist upon a well-reasoned, logical framework.

But Texas Payday Loan Customers Only Make $18K Per Year!

I’m not aware of the methodology of the Fox study that the authors cite for Texas payday loan customers, but the results seem highly unlikely (or need much greater clarification). Personal Money Store has found that the average online payday loan applicant makes $31,690 per year. For those approved for payday loans, that rises to $36,000. For those denied, it only falls to $30,672. It is indeed suspicious that there could be such a disparity between those results and those in Texas, but such questions could be indicative of the kind of care in research that the authors used in studying Seattle communities.

Repeat Customers: Beaten Down Victims?

Referring to other studies, the authors make the claim that as much as 60 percent of payday loan customers frequently and quickly borrow again. Personal Money Store customers don’t follow that model at all. Since only 4.64 percent of visitors to the site return and 7.36 percent of applicants are return visitors, it certainly doesn’t support the idea held by the authors that payday lending organizations create financial stress by hooking customers into an endless cycle of debt. It is implied that the stress such a situation could theoretically cause is in turn the flash point that spurs people in the Seattle communities to violence and violent crime. Illicit drug use and abuse, domestic violence, robbery and related crimes have what nearly any sociologist or psychologist would tell you are a complex chain of causes. The presence of payday loan stores in a community – once more – is too simplistic an answer.

Explain it Away, Social Disorganization Theory

The authors use the Social Disorganization Theory to attempt to explain their preconceived connection between the presence of payday lending and community violence. “According to the theory,” they write, “certain neighborhood characteristics can lead to social disorganization, defined as the inability of a community to realize the common values of its residents and maintain effective social controls.” Such social disorganization is the root of crime, according to the authors.

What role do payday loan stores play in the characteristics of a community? Do they structure the daily routines of residents, as the theory would require? The bulk of payday loan customer survey respondents say they use the product to help with an emergency expense, and that this hardly represents a daily occurrence. But more importantly, you cannot assume that one institution is responsible for a social problem. Bars, low-income housing and liquor stores tend to appear in distressed neighborhoods as well, but their financial import to the economic health of said communities is very real. The arguments that liquor stores and bars promote alcoholism or that gun stores promote violent crime will always be on someone’s mind, but that doesn’t make the arguments valid. The connection between payday loan stores and violence/violent crime is even more tenuous.

Build More Community Centers and Libraries

The authors (as well as many others) find that such institutions contribute positively to a community’s identity. Perhaps a lack of sufficient community resources along these lines would be a greater indicator of social disorganization? It’s no stretch to say that the community that is fragmented and the community that doesn’t spend time together would be more prone to communication breakdowns that can lead toward violent confrontation. Stifling market competition by singling out payday loan stores – not to mention robbing disadvantaged consumers of a choice that can genuinely help in the short term – is hardly a way to organize a community in a healthy manner.

While you’re at it, why not install greater security measures in areas where consumers are walking away with large sums of cash? This could be considered a failing of payday loan companies in at-risk communities. With proper security measures, perhaps robbery numbers would go down. If people know there’s a greater chance that they will be caught, they’re much less likely to commit a crime.

Payday Loans and the Drug Trade

Having cash on hand tends to be a prerequisite if an individual wishes to purchase any form of harmful street contraband. However, such behavior should never be encouraged. Payday loan stores certainly do not do so simply by nature of them providing cash to their customers. Banks do the same thing – even ones in less than reputable neighborhoods – but they are not being accused by the authors of this problematic study. Where’s the balance there?

Where the Need is Greatest

“The safest neighborhoods in Seattle have no payday lenders in them,” write the authors. There are many reasons this could be the case. Perhaps the larger, more established traditional banking industry in Seattle has effectively swayed local politicians into pushing their payday loan competition out of high-rent neighborhoods. It certainly wouldn’t be unheard of in big-city politics. What consumers in lower-income neighborhoods tend to face are situations where their restricted access to credit makes qualifying for traditional bank loans next to impossible. Hence, having payday loans they can qualify for in their own neighborhoods constitutes a great service.

Some critics would argue that big banks and credit unions are beginning to offer their own alternative to the payday loan, making those outlets obsolete. However, that’s just in theory. In execution, banks who participate in such programs admit that they do so at a loss. Their real goal – stated by none other than the FDIC – is to transition consumers into other products like overdraft protection and traditional loans. Is it any coincidence that these products can be much more expensive for consumers?

Property Values Go Down Because of Payday Loans?

Of course the authors claim that payday loans are the culprit in those at-risk communities. But remember, correlation does not imply causation. To assume that payday loans are the reason why is to be unintentionally simplistic at best, intellectually dishonest at worst. There are many factors that can contribute to a drop in property values. Many of them are beyond one’s immediate control.

The Effects of Over-Regulation

The study authors challenge lawmakers to enact policies to help control the “blight” of payday loan store presence in American communities. Capping the annual interest rate at 36 percent is one idea, which the federal government has already instituted on loans to active military. However, considering the costs of operating payday loan stores, being allowed to charge less than $2 per $100 loaned for the standard two-week payday loan duration is not enough to keep such businesses open. The result of removing the distressed consumer’s ability to choose payday loan credit is to drive them toward more expensive or even dangerous alternative. I’d like to see the authors connect those alternatives, from loan sharks to other illegal activities, to the violence they claim surrounds the payday lending industry.

Widen the Net for More Meaningful Results, Please

“An obvious extension of this research would be case studies of additional cities,” write the authors. “We suspect our findings are not unique to Seattle. But there may be variations associated with the size, demography, regional location, industrial structure, and other city characteristics that affect the linkage between payday lending and crime.” No, I’d say those factors could be some of the real causes of the violence you’re studying – rather than additional links between payday lending and crime. The authors suggest that further study in the matter is needed to fully understand the supposed connection. I’d agree that further study is needed, but that study should be based on sound reasoning and logic, rather than a logical fallacy. Politicians are easily swayed by things that resemble facts but are in reality statistical noise. On the count that their work could contribute to such institutional delinquency and laziness, Kubrin, Squires and Graves’ theory regarding payday loan stores and violence is irresponsible.

No, that’s not it. It much simpler than that, and much more sensational. The Montauk Monster continues to grab headlines! Happy July 4, you charred raccoon… or whatever you are… I can understand that the creature has its image to think about. And considering how much the paparazzi pay for photographs anymore (Where’s TMZ when you need them?) – it’s a great way to earn some spread and stay ahead of bill collectors. I had the unfortunate occasion to come into contact with bill collectors years ago, and each of them struck me as the type of people who would jump at the chance to set up an automatic deduction with a dried rat dog. If the Montauk Monster needs money to beat back the freaks, I say a payday loan (or payday loans) pave a great path. But once the public discovers the creature’s history, perhaps they’ll realize that all of this (except the payday loans part) is dumb-butt stupid.

Ancestral history – Um, OK

Russell Drumm writes in the East Hampton Star that the Montauk Monster is not a fluke. In fact, it’s history may date back 100 years, when a strange creature was discovered in a Montauk fish trap. The Star reported on it then, too, he says:

Great excitement has been caused by the finding, in a fish trap off Montauk, of what is declared to be a sea serpent measuring 22 feet in length, having a neck six feet long and a tail about eight feet. It is considered the greatest discovery of the kind ever made on the east end of Long Island, and seems to prove beyond a doubt that the sea serpent is not a myth, as everyone supposed, but a verity.

Verily, ’twas a verity. Aliens are among us, and we don’t need Rowdy Roddy specs to see them.

A ceremony worthy of Beowulf

Then there’s Camp Hero on Plum Island. Rumors have been spread about bizarre animal experiments that involve time travel, but the reality of the situation is that veterinarians have trained there. What about the guys who found a dead raccoon around Shelter Island? Reports indicate they put it in a child’s floaty and lit the beast on fire, Viking funeral-style. Post-immolation, it washed up on shore at Montauk, in front of Surfside restaurant. That seems plausible, and fun. A cell phone picture of the carcass has filled cyberspace with Montauk Monster fever. The symptoms are a fascination with the bizarre and a total inability to pee straight.

Sliced by a vorpal blade

Was there really a caravan of giant walrus cows in the Montauk marina? It was the summer of 1998. Back then, the creature turned out to be a manatee over 1,000 miles off course. How did it get here? Was it spirited away to Montauk by the ghost of Rod Serling? Was Miyazaki-san involved?

1909 – The Year of the Serpent

The newspapers raged over the topic. Sea creatures grabbed headlines in The Star, The Brooklyn Eagle, and The Suffolk Times, writes Drumm. Everyone was weighing in with their ideas as to what the next strange creatures discovered in the area was. Oarfish, not a serpent. Or perhaps a whip-tail shark. “Experts” appeared and floated their theories, which served only to whip readers into a frothy state of suspicion. What are newspapers for, anyway? The fisherman I cited at the beginning of this story was inundated with requests for photos, but he had none to give. Following the trail, The Star used their journalistic moxie to discover the following:

The fish is no longer on exhibition, because John Barre, who found it, thinks that the people are making more money out of it than he is, and so he has placed the serpent up in the garret of his house and now anybody who wants to see it or take pictures of it must pay his price. The figure quoted for taking pictures of it was $25.

A heft sum in those days, but Mr. Barre knew how to milk a cash cow. If payday loans had existed then, people would have used them to reserve their sports in line. Think of all the payday loans that would have circulated. What a miracle this think commerce is… Related Video:

As Illinois kicks off the world’s largest outdoor food festival, Eastern Washington’s claim to fame, Spokane Hoopfest, begins Friday.

Every year at this time, the City of Spokane and basketball fans from all over are thrown into a tizzy. Restaurant owners schedule extra staff to handle the crowds. People travel from all over to compete. Spokane Hoopfest is the world’s largest three-on-three basketball tournament.

They’re in the money

Spokane is commonly referred to as a “mid-size metro” and has a population of about 450,000 in the city and surrounding areas. However, that number grows significantly during Spokane Hoopfest.

Basketball enthusiasts book hotel rooms months in advance. Although some Spokane residents chose to stay home to avoid the crowds, Spokane Hoopfest brings in a huge influx of instant money for hotels, retailers, restaurants and plenty of other businesses.

Downtown gets shut down and riled up

To give you an idea of just how big a deal Spokane Hoopfest is for this not-so-big city, here’s a quote from the Spokane Hoopfest web site:

“Over 6,400 teams, 3,000 volunteers, 200,000 players and fans, 400 courts spanning 40 downtown city blocks, and that’s just on day one! Beyond basketball, though, Hoopfest is an outdoor festival chock full of concerts, shopping, food, interactive entertainment …”

This year, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be present at a Downtown Spokane venue. It promises to be “a great night of basketball, questions from the audience and book signing. ” Tickets are still available through TicketsWest for $48.

History of Spokane Hoopfest

Spokane Hoopfest started in 1990 and followed the tradition of many other Hoopfests in other cities at the time. Rumor has it the first Hoopfest three-on-three basketball tournament was held in a small town in Texas in 1974.

Spokane Hoopfest grew quickly, and it now is larger than the tournament named after Gus Macker. Macker is said to have started the Texas Hoopfest with 17 friends. Now, the Gus Macker Hoopfest is held in Michigan.

Sorry, too late to participate

If you want to compete in Spokane Hoopfest, you’ll have to start planning for next year. The brackets for this year’s event are already posted. But in case you’re interested for future reference, here’s how Spokane Hoopfest works:

Hoopfest competitions consist of three games in a double elimination tournament. Each team of four players (three players and one substitute) submits registration forms and a registration fee based on date of registration. The teams are placed in various divisions based on age (Youth divisions are based on the oldest players), height and experience.

Share the wealth

The city doesn’t keep all the hype and cash generated by Spokane Hoopfest to itself. Nike has come out with special Limited Edition Hoopfest Shoes: the Zoom Sharkalaid Hoopfest 20th anniversary customized indoor/outdoor basketball shoes.

This year, Toyota, Avista, Yoke’s Fresh Market and Bruchi’s Sandwiches are major sponsors of Spokane Hoopfest.

Something for everyone

Some play for fun, some play for laughs, and some play to win. Regardless of why players enter Spokane Hoopfest, they are helping the city thrive. They are also helping charity organizations. The Spokane Hoopfest Association distributes profits among Special Olympics teams and other basketball-related activities.

Whether you’re hungry or want to help someone who is, the annual Strawberry Festival in Indianapolis is there to help.

Statistics show that  one in 10 people in central Indiana are unemployed, and more than 80,000 children live in poverty, and for 44  years Christ Church Cathedral has been trying to do something about that. The church’s efforts start right at home, asking Indianans to “feed their hungry neighbors,” and extend all the way to Nigeria.

Donate food, and eat some

Offerings at the Strawberry Festival in Indianapolis include strawberry shortcake with ice cream or whipped cream of both for $6. They key for participants, though, is to bring canned food to donate to the cause. They’re not looking for cash now, they’re just asking for food.

Some people are skeptical about donating to charities because they are worried that the organizations won’t use their money for its intended cause. It’s not that they’re cynical, it’s just that they’ve been burned before. The Christ Church Cathedral gathering actual food instead of just taking monetary donations is a good idea. People are hungry, and we can give them food.
Pam Altmeyer of Gleaner’s Food Bank, says:

Collecting canned goods isn’t a solution to the hunger problem, but it is a start. “The real solution to hunger is jobs and ending poverty.”

Food for the masses

A local news source in Indiana reports that the Strawberry Festival in Indianapolis through Christ Church Cathedral benefits hundreds of nonprofit organizations around the world.

This year the canned food donations will go to help people in central Indiana, and profits will be spread among the charities that the Strawberry Festival benefits.

Making a difference

IndyStar.com reports that the annual Strawberry Festival on Monument Circle is:

One of the most successful church fundraisers in Indianapolis: … Last year, it raked in $80,000 that benefited a diverse group of charities.

Of course, locals worry that the economy will have a negative effect on the Strawberry Festival, but the festival chairwoman, Karen Farmer, says she doesn’t think people will be able to resist.

The Cathedral Women have held the line on prices for three consecutive years despite rising costs, Farmer said. And if the $6 works doesn’t fit the budget, there’s always the $2 bowls of the individual ingredients (strawberries, shortcake or a topping). Charities receive about 95 percent of the proceeds.

IndyStar doesn’t report on where the other 5 percent goes, but there are a lot of costs involved in putting on the Strawberry Festival in Indianapolis, and someone has to pay for it.

Thoughts on charity

This festival is a small initiative to clean up hunger and poverty. Many such charity events need to be organized on human grounds so as to eradicate hunger all over the world. I hope this festival provides an inspiration to all the people out there and inspires them to indulge in charity for a good cause. It’s only through the joint effort that all the anomalies in this world can be corrected. So let’s all do our bit for the world and indulge in charity.

If you live near Indianapolis and plan to attend and partake in the Strawberry Festival, you should know that not only does the festival help the hungry and those in poverty, it funds missionary work through Christ Church Cathedral.

President Obama is committed to improving the quality of American schools, and few cities are in need more more help than Michigan’s Detroit Public School system. Their cash flow problems have been so severe that not only has the quality of education for Detroit youth slipped significantly, but teachers and staff have been working while worrying about whether Detroit Public Schools will even be able to make payroll.

Jennifer Mrozowski of The Detroit News reports that the Michigan Department of Education will give Detroit Public Schools a cash advance of $69.8 million to ensure that payroll and other operating expenses are met.

Robert Bobb has much to do

Bobb, the district’s new emergency financial manager, asked the State of Michigan to advance its aid by a few days so that the district would not have to worry about being short of funds to pay its employees. This comes after Detroit Public Schools already had requested and received two $19 million cash advance payments on state aid for July and August of 2008. That enabled them to pay employees at the time.

Bobb doesn’t mistake the mountain before him for a molehill. “As you are aware, I have just arrived at the District, and have undertaken to assess a wide-ranging set of complicated budget issues for the District,” he wrote in his March 5 request for additional state aid. “The requested advance would afford me additional time to become familiar with the District’s finances without having to address an immediate payroll crisis.”

The education children deserve

Mrozowski writes that Bobb “doesn’t want employees to be concerned about whether they are going to get paid when they should be focusing on job performance.” Clearly that’s exactly what the children of Detroit deserve. What the teachers deserve is a system that understands their value and supports them. However, if the teachers are part of the problem, President Obama has a fix for that…

Related Videos:

What certain Salt Lake council members REALLY think

Interestingly, reporter Derek Jensen quotes Councilman Luke Garrott on the matter of having payday loan businesses close to schools. Garrott replies that “If you want to teach kids fiscal responsibility, put one of those stores across the street.”

Yet those in favor of the regulation argue in the direction of squashing a “vicious cycle.” In March of 2007, City Council Member Nancy Saxton raised the voice of payday lending opponents when she proposed the legislation that has essentially been adopted by Salt Lake City council. In a most contradictory fashion, Ms. Saxton first says this regarding no fax payday lenders

I believe their presence is detrimental to the aesthetic appeal of our City’s neighborhoods, commercial and otherwise, as people walk our sidewalks, and they detract from efforts to improve commercial areas.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

However, in her very next paragraph

(Payday lenders) generate little pedestrian energy or activity; their presence does not seem conducive to fostering commercial activities that help communities grow.

First of all, what does she mean by “detrimental to the aesthetic appeal?” From what I’ve heard, the stores themselves are very clean and family oriented. If she isn’t talking about the stores, is she talking about the clientele? You’ll have to be very careful there, Ms. Saxton. Even though your apparent assumption is untrue, there is a large religious organization that operates our of your state with a reputation to maintain. Be careful what you say in official documents.

And the contradiction

If there are people that “walk our sidewalks,” there is opportunity. It is not a zoning issue, not a “not-in-my-backyard” dilemma. It is a marketing issue. You develop a community that sells well to its people, you will thrive economically. That extra money coming in doesn’t seem so unaesthetic now, does it?

Payday lenders help people in need

Professional and academic studies show that the removal or unreasonable limitation of payday loans has a detrimental effect on communities. Salt Lake City is making a mistake that has been statistically proven to be avoidable. Payday loans are useful for consumers who encounter the occasional financial setback due to a surprise emergency expense. Regulate away, Utah. Send your people to the sharks and see how aesthetic that is.

Salt Lake Tribune

February 2009 will be the earliest that newly adopted rules can take effect.

They came to agreement in principle, but not on all the details

Here’s where the true method of Salt Lake City’s government becomes clear. The city’s Planning Commission recommended banning lenders from near schools, churches and government buildings. Since there are many of each of these throughout the city, many on the council argued that the idea is ridiculous. It would unjustly kill the industry’s ability to operate in Salt Lake City.

Councilman Van Turner, according to The Salt Lake Tribune, went so far as to express concern that something had to be done since Utah has no usury laws. Yet is that such a bad thing? A legitimate argument can be made that regulating away payday loans companies will drive consumers in need to dangerous alternatives.

Mormons against faxless payday loans?

“We’re stronger on this than we are on alcohol laws,” Turner went on to say in the Tribune article. Which is exceedingly odd, considering the Mormon stance on the consumption of alcohol, derived in large part from their interpretation of 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Thomas Aquinas

It must be that the “wickedness” of usury knows no bounds, eh? Let’s go to an ancient authority on the matter, St. Thomas Aquinas. His argument regarding the charging of interest (usury) is that it’s wrong because it is charging for both the thing and the use of the thing. He claims it is morally wrong in the same way as if one sold a bottle of wine, charged for the bottle, then charged for the person using the wine to actually drink it. Wait a moment, some states do actually charge for bottles – ever hear of redemption value surcharges? I guess rule of law is good enough for them.

Aquinas’ view seems to overlook basic operating principles of commerce

But let’s look at Aquinas’s argument for a moment as it relates to money and charging interest. If you produced something via your own labor, would you be eager to give it away for free if your livelihood depended upon the production of such goods and services? Of course not – you have to make a living.

Do faxless payday loan companies produce money for free? Do they print it in the back room for customers? Absolutely not – they have access to the money lending via business and banking relationships that must be cultivated – paid for. There is a business exchange going on for the lenders. Why should payday loan companies give away the fruit of their business labor at no cost? Aquinas may be a great logician, but he sure doesn’t seem to understand how to run a Popsickle stand, let alone a no fax payday loan business.

Payday lenders have been well-received in Utah

Again from the Tribune article, Wendy Gibson, spokeswoman for the Utah Consumer Lending Association, points out that the industry is regulated by the Department of Financial Institutions and receives “very few” complaints:

The simple fact is that residents have always needed a source for short-term emergency credit in order to meet the realities of life when living from paycheck to paycheck. This helps regular Utah families avoid higher-costing alternatives such as bounced-check fees, utility-reconnect fees or just the alternative of not getting a car repaired quickly when it is needed for work.

TUNE IN HERE for the conclusion of Salt Lake City’s disastrous decision about payday loans and the possible result!

Bus driver goes berserk

Jennifer Khonsair, a Plano Independent School District (ISD) parent in Plano, Texas is outraged. After her son Kaleb, 13,  was grabbed and spanked by school bus driver Gail Atkins,  the school district went on to suspend Kaleb for an unrelated incident that may or may not have happened.

Could it have anything to do with the fact that Ms. Khonsair threatened to go to the press with a video of the confrontation between Atkins and her son?

“I think they were doing it to get back at me,” Khonsair said. “My son swears it was totally fabricated, and I believe him.”

Just as banks and the media fabricate the “evil predator” propaganda machine against payday loans…

Plano ISD straps on the shield of “policy”

Here’s district spokeswoman Nancy Long in damage control mode:

The district is involved in an ongoing investigation and will not comment on allegations related to this matter. The district will not discuss discipline matters related to a specific student.

Ms. Khonsari claims that there were two separate incidents between Kaleb and Atkins, and she has security camera footage to back it up. While the school district won’t release the driver’s name,  it is known to be Gail Atkins.

What does Ms. Atikins have to say for herself?

A Dallas News reporter called Ms. Atkins for comment, and she said, “I’m not interested in anything you have to ask or say.”

Video footage shows Kaleb leaning from his seat and yelling toward the back of the bus. Atikins asks him to stop, Kaleb stands up and laughs at her then continues his conversation.

At this point, Atkins appears to lose control. She shouts at the boy, grabs him and pulls him over her lap. After a spanking, Kaleb is pushed back to his seat.

Clearly Kaleb is being disrespectful. But is this appropriate discipline?

Ms. Khonsari says her son has ADHD and is “rambunctious.” Despite clear provocation, however, the mother makes her stance clear:

That doesn’t give her the right to touch my child.

Gail Atkins is currently on paid leave. Payday loans are still around, but there are plenty of lawmakers who have never had to seek a short-term loan in their lives that want to take away your right to choose. Taking away choice is not discipline, whether it comes from a school district or a senator. Discipline is about choice.

• School bus cameras target dangerous drivers
• Bus Driver Fired For Harassing Special-Needs Children
• Pediatricians Don’t Routinely Ask About Mental Health
• No More Plan to Outfit Buses with Security Cameras

FRIGID TEMPS; LONG LINES

Braving near freezing weather, many huddled in groups and stomped their feet to keep warm and maintain circulation. Eager to be among the first recipients of the community’s outpouring of generosity, even the cold could not dampen their anticipation. Some, knowing that they would have to report to work in a few hours, arrived early to avoid missing any scheduled shifts. Sisters Shelli and Kirsten, came prepared with milk crates and blankets in tow. Both working moms, they were grateful for the added help this time of the year. Another, known only as Aaron, rode his bicycle as his wife needed the car for work. In addition, a grandfather who immigrated from Russia, slowly walked back and forth with his cane to maintain circulation. Even though the paper indicated that the doors would not open until 10 a.m., workers and volunteers mercifully opened their doors at 8 a.m. to provide shelter from the cold. As soon as they had their computers up and operational, the heaters were turned on as the many filed inside.

QUALITY GIFTS; OVERJOYED MOMS

Upon entering the heated building located at the Spokane fairgrounds, people were greeted with smiles and hot coffee. Cheerfully decorated with red carpet, the warehouse was transformed into a festive wonderland. There was a sea of volunteers in blue sweatshirts ready to dole out food vouchers, and brand new books and toys. Ranging from dinosaurs to digital cameras, parents were informed that they would be permitted to select one book and one gift for each child. Wide ranges of gifts, toddler-geared all the way up through the teenage years, were neatly displayed. Preschool kitchenettes, attack helicopters, radio controlled cars [with batteries!], mp3 players and more were there to make any child’s wish list a reality. Many, who donated their time, seemed genuinely happy to be there. “Merry Christmas!” rang out every so often and it was reciprocated gladly. Too many mothers to count embraced the volunteers as they carried out their bags of gifts for their children – - who would now have a Christmas this year that they would not have otherwise had.

It was a record- breaking day as the numbers of the most vulnerable in the Spokane community needing assistance was up. So far, the percentage of people requiring help was up 12% from last year and those figures are likely to increase. Theresa Dryden, Catholic Charities Special Events Coordinator, said that they had to close the door on a lot of people towards the end of the day, as the line had grown all the way to Havana Street . But not to worry! The Christmas Bureau will be open from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. through December 13th. Be advised that they will require picture identification and proof of residency. For those that do not live in the Spokane area, there are many different charitable organizations that advertise in the local paper offering outreach to those in need during the holiday season.

DON’T BE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD

Like the people who were turned away, don’t be left without any resources. If your holidays are looking grim, and you’re needing a financial boost – - payday loans can provide some relief. Funds for community organizations are usually based on a first – come, first – serve basis. Considering that, payday loans are readily available without any lines.

PARKSLEY — The Accomack Board of Supervisors will hold a special session Wednesday to grapple with finances after twin revelations that the county finished Fiscal Year 2008 nearly $500,000 over budget and that the county had a $115,000 overdraft at the bank last week.

Your Payday Cash Advance Loans News Source Quoted With Edits From: Tight cash conditions vex county, supervisors (Eastern Shore News)

Carol Vaughn of Salisbury, Maryland’s The Daily Times sheds light on a fiscal reality that haunts not only individual consumers during America’s “Great Recession,” but governments as well.

I’m talking OVERDRAFT!

Accomack County had a very difficult fiscal year in 2008. They finished $500,000 over budget, and just a few weeks ago, the country had a bank overdraft of $115,000.

That’s a serious banking penalty. It’s no wonder Accomack County Administrator Steve Miner said that “significantly more work is needed on the budget.”

Accusations leveled against Finance Director Reed Ennis include that he had full knowledge of what was coming for Accomack County, yet he “painted a pretty picture” based upon pie-in-the-sky predictions of revenue increases that never came true.

What was Ennis’s response?

Accomack County Court House

He asked the county Board of Supervisors for the authority to borrow $800,000 – (that’s a hefty set of payday cash advance loans if you ask me.) but then he changed his mind. Good, sound political thinking, eh?

We would use every resource we have within the county before we would use the line of credit, including transferring money from a $2.8 million reserve set aside for landfill closure. That fund now stands at $1.3 million after recent transfers.

As “Joe Sixpack” consumers, we may not be able to relate to those kinds of numbers, but Ennis’s eventual thinking here is sound. Use the resources you have first when a financial emergency occurs. If you find that those resources run dry, payday cash advance loansmay be the attractive option you’re looking for.

The city of Florala’s most recent audit has uncovered several serious issues in the way the city handles its money — one of which cost the city nearly $8,000 in overdraft fees.

Quoted With Edits From: The Andalusia Star-News (The Andalusia Star-News)

Florala needs much more than installment loans now…

Andalusia, Alabama’s own The Andalusia Star-News brings to light some serious accounting problems on the part of city government that taxpayers ultimately end up paying for.

They always do, don’t they?

Ken Odom

Independent accountant Ken Odom of Rabren, Odom, Pierce & Hayes, P.C. gave the city an “unqualified report” on the recent audit that discovered the careless discrepancies. He even went so far as to say that the findings from the 2006-07 fiscal year audit showed Florala to be in “sound financial shape.” I guess no installment loans were needed that year, huh.

Here’s a lucky seven from the complete findings uncovered during the audit:

• Bank statements were, in some instances, accumulated for several months before being reconciled to the appropriate general ledger accounts. It was noted here auditors found insufficient fund charges totaling $7,500 for the year to the city’s general fund cash account.
• Checks are not being recorded in the check register on a timely basis.
• A reconciliation of accounts receivable from the general ledger to the accounts receivable detailed ledger should be prepared to check that the recording of transactions are accurate and proper and that any adjustments to or write-offs of accounts receivable have been approved.
• Accounts payable were understated due to lack of reconciliation.
• Grant revenues and expenditures were not recorded at all, recorded in the wrong fund or intermingled with other accounts in the ledger.
• In some instances, the city paid for both the gas and mileage to the employee for city travel.
• Purchases and disposals of fixed assets were not recorded properly.

Let this be a lesson to you. Make a budget, stick to it and keep track of all transactions in a timely manner. Then you’ll know if you really need installment loans when you’re in a pickle.