Previously:
Campaign Finance: Payday loans get the big bucks, again (September 27, 2011)
Campaign Finance: Isn’t that interest(ing)? (August 24, 2011)
Campaign Finance: big bucks for a payday loan PAC (August 20, 2011)
Limit predatory interest rates? Why would anyone want to do that?
Today, at the Missouri Ethics Commission:
CONTRIBUTION OF MORE THAN $5,000.00 RECEIVED BY ANY COMMITTEE FROM ANY SINGLE DONOR – TO BE FILED WITHIN 48 HOURS OF RECEIVING THE CONTRIBUTION
C111153 MISSOURIANS FOR EQUAL CREDIT OPPORTUNITY [pdf] 11/10/2011
Missourians for Responsible Government P O Box 45571 Kansas City, MO 64171 11/10/2011 $150,000.00
[emphasis added]
Why, there must be grassroots support for the payday loan industry, right? One would have to look at a previous quarterly campaign finance report to ascertain that:
REPORT SUMMARY
MISSOURIANS FOR EQUAL CREDIT OPPORTUNITY [pdf] 10/15/20111. Total Receipts For This Election Previously Reported $107,279.50
2. All Monetary Contributions Received This Period $250,000.00
10. Expenditures made by cash or check this period $18,777.75
12. Expenditures incurred this period (not Indebtedness including loans) including payments made by credit card (line 17 CD3) $30,129.50
27. Money On Hand at the close of this reporting period $246,633.10
[emphasis added]
Yep, add $150,000.00 [from who?] in one fell swoop to that and you’ve got a nice pile of cash.
And the previous grassroots contributions?:
CONTRIBUTIONS AND LOANS RECEIVED
MISSOURIANS FOR EQUAL CREDIT OPPORTUNITY [pdf] 10/15/2011Missourians for Responsible Government P O Box 45571 Kansas City MO 64171 9/26/2011 $250,000.00
B. NON-ITEMIZED CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED AMOUNT
(LIST BY CATEGORY, NOT BY INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS) RECEIVED11. TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED AT FUND-RAISERS AS REPORTED INLINE 8 ON FORM CD1A $0.00
12. TOTAL ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSON GIVING $25 OR LESS $0.00
13. TOTAL MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS GIVING $100 OR LESS $0.00
14. TOTAL IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS (NOT COMMITTEES) GIVING $100 OR LESS $0.00
[emphasis added]
Nope, no grassroots there.
And what are they spending money on?:
EXPENDITURES AND CONTRIBUTIONS MADE
MISSOURIANS FOR EQUAL CREDIT OPPORTUNITY [pdf] 10/15/2011A. Expenditures of $100 or Less by Category
Check Printing Fee $20.95
Wire Transfer Fee $11.00B. Itemized Expenditures All Over $100
Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP 230 W McCarty St Jefferson City MO 65101 9/30/2011 Legal Fees $18,745.80
Graves Bartle Marcus & Garrett LLC 1100 Main Street Suite 2700 Kansas City MO 64105 9/30/2011 Legal Fees $30,129.50
[emphasis added]
Well, that’s special.