Many states are making moves in their legislatures to restrict or ban payday loans. While there are certainly two sides to this debate, and each presents points they feel are valid, I think we should look at the principle behind the debate.
Argue all they want, payday loan critics want one thing- payday loans to be banned. Every reason they give revolves around the same idea, that banning loans will protect people. They will show you their numbers and stats and all sorts of other things, but the reason is they thing they are protecting people.
So with this logic and this principle, we will now examine the newly defined role of our government, to protect us from danger. Obviously we as Americans must be too stupid to make our own decisions and protect ourselves from harm, so thank goodness the government will now protect us from the following:
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No more alcohol. Sure prohibition hasn’t worked in the past, but it will definitely go over better this time around! Plus, think of all the people who will be protected with alcohol off the streets!
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Cigarettes. All they do is harm you and those around you. But no more!
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Goodbye automobiles. How many pedestrians are hit by them,how many accidents are there and collisions? Not anymore,Only safe, responsible bus drivers and train operators from now on!
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Matches. Come on people, fires kill people and destroy property. No one should be allowed to use fire when it has so much potential for harm.
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Marbles. Infants can choke on those things, best to keep them away from consumers from now on.
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Credit cards. Tons of debt can’t be a good thing. Lots of people are hurt by credit card debt, so credit card companies should just be put out of business.
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Computers. All that typing causes carpal tunnel syndrome, so in taking away our computers, the government is actually helping us.
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Fast food. Face it, it’s just not healthy, better can all those fast food joints before they really hurt someone.
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Gambling. If odds of winning are one in a million, then that means 999,999 people are getting hurt for every winner. Axe it all.
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Electricity. So many pollutants being put in the air makes the air we breathe worse and causes global warming, so better to go without.
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Snow. Think of how many people get in accidents, catch a cold, or are otherwise uncomfortable in freezing weather. Anyone who lives in snow, time to move!
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Gardening tools. As movies have taught us, a stray rake on the ground can be very dangerous. Picks and shovels look dangerous too, so lets pull all of them off the shelves.
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Medicine. After all, is there any medication without side effects? Too harmful, ban them all.
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Scissors. We can just tear paper, we shouldn’t run the risk of hurting ourselves needlessly with such sharp objects.
Believe me, I could do this all day. The fundamental reason our governments are trying to ban payday loans is because they claim they are protecting us. But when is enough going to be enough? Where is the line drawn of where we can protect ourselves and make our own decisions?
Payday loans do nothing to harm anyone. Those who get harmed by taking out a payday loan feel that way because they couldn’t pay back the loan. If you can’t pay a loan back, why did you take it out in the first place? Who is at fault, the lender or the borrower?
It’s foolish to go and get a loan you can’t afford. By banning those loans, you aren’t going to stop people from doing foolish things. You’re only going to limit the freedom and opportunities of those who borrow payday loans responsibly.
