Sensenbrenner is consistently heartless;
blocks bankruptcy relief for victims, too
Sen. Russ Feingold's proposal to ease the financial strain on Katrina survivors picked up some editorial support from the Wisconsin State Journal, among others. But guess who's standing in the way of helping hurricane victims again? F. Heartless Sensenbrenner.
The newspaper says, in part:
As if Hurricane Katrina hadn't hobbled the lives of many, a new bankruptcy law next month could kick them while they are down.Sensenbrenner, taking a few minutes off from counting his millions, says he won't even consider re-opening the bankruptcy law and won't hold a hearing. New York Times story.
People have lost homes and jobs and are being financially crushed. Yet beginning Oct. 17, if they file for bankruptcy, they will find it harder to settle their debts.
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., is calling for a reasonable plan to delay the application of the law for Katrina victims. Feingold introduced a bill last week giving victims a year's grace period, during which the old bankruptcy law will apply.
He's also seeking changes to the new law that would help victims of other natural disasters.
Feingold's legislation, which has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, deserves support.
It may not be as crucial as finding shelter and jobs for the suffering people, but it will help them in getting back on their feet.
At least he's consistent. In this case that's not a compliment. Previous post.
ANOTHER COUNTRY HEARD FROM. BBC News story.
posted by xoff @ 1:17 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
People go bankrupt every day for reasons that are often tragic and out of their control. Houses burn down. Rivers flood. Stocks crash. People get sick. Income earners die. Why should the victims of Katrina be exempted from the same rules under which the rest of us must live? We may argue that the bankruptcy laws are too strict or too lenient, but I think we could agree that they should apply uniformly.
"why should victims of Katrina be exempted" Wow,that's compassionate, conservative or otherwise.
It's a serious question. I want our government to treat everyone the same and not make ad hoc distinctions. Why is it more tragic for someone to be bankrupt because of Katrina than it is for someone to be bankrupt because they got a debilitating disease?
Again, we may argue about how the bankruptcy laws should be crafted, but equal treatment under the law is a cornerstone of our society that should not be trifled with lightly.
You are right Owen.
Why not use this tragedy as an illustration of how heartless this bankruptcy "reform" is and just trash it.
After all, this was written by an industry that is already awash in profit. It doesn't need the help of the federal government.
While we are at it let's do something about our moronic healthcare system which leads to over half of these filings.
This does bring up a point of who really does Sensenbrenner represent in the 5th CD.
Both of those are reasonable and necessary policy discussions to have. Doubtless, we will disagree, but that's why we must debate it.
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