Dems Grow Spine; Stem Cell Technology Suspected

Wow. Leaked to Raw Story, a memo from dissenting House Judiciary Committee Democrats on the Barriers to Bankruptcy bill currently before them, that starts out with this:

"Reform of the bankruptcy system, and the principle that every debtor should repay as much of her debt as she can reasonably afford, is a sound and uncontroversial idea. Were the legislation reported by the Judiciary Committee to bear any remote relationship to that laudable goal, this legislation would be wholly uncontroversial. Instead, by pressing legislation that is unbalanced and tilted toward specific special interest groups, the proponents of S. 256 have created a bill that would: impose monumental costs on the parties in the bankruptcy system, including the government; subject the “honest but unfortunate debtor” to coercion and loss of their legal rights; force businesses into unnecessary liquidation; and favor certain creditors over others."

The memo makes a great number of trechant points, including this:

"Means Testing and the Other Consumer Provisions Will Harm Low-
and Middle-Income People"

"The Consumer Provisions Will Have a Significant, Adverse Impact on Women, Children, Minorities, Seniors, Victims of Crimes and Severe Torts, Victims of Identity Theft, and the Military."

The memo is lengthy and contains too many gems to go into here. Read this important document and get a clearer understanding of the pain S 256 will cause. The vote on the bill has been postponed due to the Pope's death and the desire of a number of the legislators to attend his funeral, so it's not likely to take place until next week at the earliest. This means there is still time to make your voice heard. Here is the Judiciary Committee. Find contact info for your representative here.

While the belief is that the bill is sure to pass, what do you have to lose by fighting up to the last minute? It's only a phone call or fax away.

(cross-posted at corrente)