] The bill would make it much harder for families in ] distress to write off their debts and make a fresh start. ] Instead, many debtors would find themselves on an endless ] treadmill of payments. ] ] The credit card companies say this is needed because ] people have been abusing the bankruptcy law, borrowing ] irresponsibly and walking away from debts. The facts say ] otherwise. ] ] A vast majority of personal bankruptcies in the United ] States are the result of severe misfortune. One recent ] study found that more than half of bankruptcies are the ] result of medical emergencies. The rest are ] overwhelmingly the result either of job loss or of ] divorce. Paul Krugman was on the daily show railing about this bankruptcy bill, which we feels has not received adequate press coverage. The State | 03/09/2005 | Bankruptcy bill another blow to safety net |