Maybe they call them “judges” because they use “judgment.”
Today’s LA Times has an item called “Judges Say Overhaul Would Weaken Bankruptcy System.” Here’s the no registration required version. In short, a lot of bankruptcy judges — the guys who actually deal with debtors and creditors all day long and try to Get Stuff Done — say the bankruptcy overhaul passed by the Senate and under consideration by the House is a Bad Idea that will do more harm than good. The article is long, but meaty. Here’s a bit from near the end, emphasis mine:
Practically, they warn, debtors who would no longer qualify for Chapter 7 and fail to complete Chapter 13 repayment plans would either have to keep paying creditors indefinitely or drop out.
“If you’re confronted with a mountain of debt and have no hope of getting out from under it, you’re either going to go underground or turn to crime,” said Kenneth N. Klee, a former Republican congressional staffer who was one of the chief authors of the last major bankruptcy law change in 1978 and now teaches law at UCLA.
Yes, a Republican who has been a bankruptcy expert for 30 years says this thing is bad and he tells you why. It is not too late to write your Representative and tell him/her what you think.
Of course my favorite devilish detail is that this bill will drive up the costs to file bankruptcy. Brilliant. So it will be entirely possible to be too broke to go bankrupt.
Security Theatre Act VII: Insecure Flight
The latest version of CAPPS, known officially as “Secure Flight” is set to be implemented in 4 months despite the fact that it only meets 10% of required goals. Some of the little things that aren’t quite worked out yet include “developing redress procedures for passengers to correct erroneous information if they’ve been unfairly or incorrectly singled out for scrutiny on a watch list; conducting tests to measure the accuracy and efficacy of data used to screen passengers; establishing oversight policies for who can access data and how they can use it; ensuring that data is secure from outside intrusions or manipulation; and establishing privacy safeguards to preserve passengers’ rights.” No biggie, right? And experts say this is no surprise.
Of course it was just last week we found that the TSA lied about its use of information on 12 million air passengers. You can find top notch commentary and a link to the actual GAO document on Secure Flight in this post by security expert Bruce Schneier.
Get Out of My Bedroom!
Today’s big personal health news is that most people sleep poorly. I personally suspect that a lot of people simply don’t allow enough time for a “good night’s sleep” in the first place. Furthermore, half of Americans are at risk for sleep disorders and many are ahem too tired for intimate relations.
Speaking of intimate relations, I have something to say to the pharmacists who refuse to fill valid prescriptions for birth control on “moral grounds”: find a job that doesn’t conflict with your morals! Your job is to fill prescriptions. If you think there is a medical reason not to fill a prescription, take it up with the doctor. If you have moral problems with doing your job, you must quit. Today. Otherwise, you are saying your morals only matter when they inconvenience others. A vegan waitress knows she will have to serve meat unless she works in a vegetarian restaurant; a recovering alcoholic realizes he should probably not go to bartender’s school; pacifists normally don’t enlist in the armed forces. What is your excuse?
Maybe it’s time we all took a nap.