Editor’s note: Ramsey continues to lie about Norm Sanderson’s record. This time he is lying about his support to our troops. If Ramsey so easily lies during the campaign, can you trust him as your NC Senator in District 2?

Ramsey is just wrong about what H115 is and he continues to send out these mailers.  He knows that negative campaigning works.  When you have a quarter of a million dollars to spend against Sanderson’s $30,000 you can buy your way.  It is unfortunate that this is the way a Republican works against another Republican and especially a VERY conservative one like Rep. Sanderson.

On House bill 810 the  “non bank” lenders  were asking the state to allow them to charge higher interest rates when they had not had an increase in over a decade.  I do understand that because they have a very high failure rate.  These are legitimate lenders and not “loan sharks”.  I have learned much more about this bill since I voted against it.  I spoke to a business owner who owned one of these loan companies and he said only 5% of his loans were military.    We all know how hard it is to get a bank loan right now and sometimes when people’s credit is not the greatest they go to one of these loan companies.  Many of these loan companies are just hanging on by threads. So it was a vote that I truly have mixed emotions about.  I certainly did not want a legitimate business to fail by my “against” vote.

I voted against  the bill in more of a “Navy Relief” volunteer way.  I remembered when I volunteered for Navy Relief as a budget counselor  that I saw the young troops get in trouble for bad loans.  I have realized since that by voting agaomst this, if it had passed ,could have  sent these young troops into the arms of loan sharks.  That was not my intention.  I had a friend at Family Services who asked me to vote against this bill.  Only a few Republicans voted against it because it was truly a “jobs” bill and a “pro business” bill.  I was very torn on how to vote for this bill but being a military spouse for 30 years, a volunteer for Navy Relief and a mother trying to protect our young military, I did vote for it.

Rep. Sanderson and all but a couple of us Republicans voted for this bill because it is a “jobs” bill and because they had amended the bill to make it more palatable to the military by saying that a service person would not be able to get one of these loans  without prior permission from his or her commanding officer.

A vote for this bill certainly was NOT an anti military vote.  I know Rep. Sanderson’s history on supporting the military.  The attacks on him again are just wrong and unethical.  When will it stop?

Thanks,
Pat

________________________________

Pat McElraft
pmcelraft@ec.rr.com
patm@ncleg.net