Those South Carolina lawmakers who shot down legislation to get rid of predatory payday lenders are unpatriotic. Does that seem like an extreme statement? Then consider this:

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, "predatory lending undermines military readiness, harms the morale of troops and their families, and adds to the cost of fielding an all-volunteer fighting force."

By that reckoning, it's not unreasonable to conclude that legislators who could rein in predatory lending practices, but don't, are unpatriotic.

Payday lending is the worst of those practices, and has been banned in most states, including Georgia - but not in South Carolina, where legislation gets bottled up each year, and payday lending storefronts are as common as mosquitoes in a summer marsh.

The Pentagon calls for state and federal lawmakers to move against predatory lenders because they make a point of targeting military personnel via the Internet, advertising and especially by clustering around military installations.

Predatory lending is basically legal loansharking. Loans are structured in short-term balloon payments, and when borrowers can't pay them back in time - which is often the case - interest rates are piled on, and the borrower is soon trapped in a cycle of expanding debt from which he can't escape.

Payday lending isn't the only example of legal loansharking. Title car lending and tax refund anticipation loans also are prevalent, not only in South Carolina but in many other states.

In Georgia, for instance, consumer groups note that car title lenders are allowed to circumvent the state's 60 percent usury cap by being allowed to charge up to 300 percent a year. Legislative attempts have been made to right this wrong, but they haven't gotten very far. Could this be because title lenders last year reportedly contributed more than $300,000 to state lawmakers and other elected officials?

The Department of Defense urges federal lawmakers to put a cap on APRs, or annual percentage rates of interest. That would make it harder for loan predators to exploit loopholes in state laws as they do in Georgia. State lawmakers are urged to shut down payday loan offices where they still exist, and to eliminate loans secured through car titles, tax refunds and bank accounts.

These recommendations should be heeded not just for the benefit of military personnel and their families, but for all families that loansharks drown in debt. They should be put out of business and replaced by regulated lenders who are honest and transparent in their dealings with the public.