A California legislator is pushing a bill in the state assembly that would essentially destroy buy-here, pay-here in the state. Among the practices he wants to ban is customers making payments at the dealership. Buddy, they call it buy-here, PAY-HERE for a reason. He also wants to ban payment assurance technology.

The legislation was inspired, of course, by Ken Bensinger and his misrepresentation of the business in the LA Times. Bensinger will win a major award for his work, I guarantee it. He will be held up to journalism students as an ideal.

If the bill passes, many fewer consumers will be able to buy cars. But this is California, the land of actions without consequences. Here you can have everything and never pay any price for it. It truly is The Golden State.

It once was that California was the leader in new laws, especially consumer laws, and other states followed suit. Let's hope the state's near bankruptcy has taught others not to act like lemmings.