I've been watching C-SPAN 2 the last few days and I called up to my
senators and to the office of the office of the man who sponsored the
bill and it seems like BARF isn't high on the list of things to get
done today. With the Senate set to go on the Summer recess at 10/11
PM tonight and so many other issues, and the fact they said not votes
today, what is the likely hood of BARF being voted on today-- teh end
of the spring session-- or even being a issued raised on the floor?
Far as I know thye've nto even touched Union Calendar 50 yet, which is
supposed the calendar with BARF on it?

I have to agree with you. As sad as it is, our economy functions only
if the majority of people/corporations take on debt. Perhaps debt
should be the first thing that economic students learn. Capitalism
101?

Back when I was younger, I was always divided on whether I should pay
off my house OR continue with the mortgage payments and invest the
extra money in the stock market.

EVERYONE advised NOT to pay off the house. You know why, you get tax
credits.......Well, I paid off my damn house in 7 years flat to the
chagrin of all the others saddled with 15 and 30 yr. loans. The
interest is outragious on a 15-30 yr loan. My house has tripled in
value. And it is mine.

Our government speaks out of both sides of its mouth. On one hand,
they complain that people do not save enough money. Yet, on the other
hand they say consumer spending is slowing and consumers are
responsible for 2/3rds of the economy. Which is it Bush? The ultra
wealthy in power and control of this country keep the middle and lower
class slaves to the system.

The reality of the situation is that CASH is king. Save your damn
money. If you want something, then save for it and then buy it. Get
your impulse shopping under control. My grandparents were young teens
during the Great Depression. They learned from their hardships. They
have been spendthrifts their entire lives. Never ever invested in the
stock market. Never ever had a credit card. Somehow, they managed
to start their own business around 1950. Their philosophy of paying
cash has worked wonders for them. If they ever needed a new car, they
payed cash. Anything.

If the power circle in DC are smart, they will leave the BK rules as
the status quo. The middle class are already burdened financially.
And if they pass these new rules, well mafia credit card companies
will continue to reap their outragious 20+% interest rates and the
economy will continue to be wrecked. Funny how Greenspam has
lowered the fed rate to 1%, but NOT ONE CREDIT CARD has passed on
these savings to the consumer. NOT ONE.

My advice to anyone in debt is to file bankruptcy now and be done with
it. To hell with the wealthy crooks running the country. Use the
system to your advantage.

When corporations can pay their upper brass multi-million dollar
salaries and with an assortment of bonus stock options etc.... while
paying the workers pittance wages,......don't think twice. The
corporate brass could care less if they have to lay off thousands of
workers making meager wages as long as they make their milllions every
year.

Scandalous American Corporations are more interested in making sure
their brass keep their multi-million dollar salaries than worrying
whether you have a job or not. Proof of this is that the brazen brass
bastard passed something called NAFTA. The bastards also find very
cheap labor in 3rd world countries. They pay these people anywhere
from 25 cents to one dollar per hour. The middle class Americans
only notice that they have been layed off while the corporate brass
still retain their multi-milllion annual salaries.

There is a HUGE discrepancy in wealth in this country. Something has
to change.

On Fri, 1 Aug 2003 22:41:22 -0400, "Robert Stumpf"
<rob@online-law-firm.com> wrote:
It's been my opinion (which has known to be correct now and then) that therereally aren't enough votes in the Senate to pass this version of Bankruptcy"reform". At the end of the day, I think the argument that this isn't agood time to burden the stuggling middle class with limitations on thebankruptcy option will sway enough Democratic Senators to prevent thenecessary 60 votes to stop debate during any filibuster.Like any bill Congress comes up with, there is both good and bad in thispackage, though I agree that the crap far outweighs the gold. If the 6 yeartime bar on filing Chapter 7 is lengthened, I don't necessarily think thatis a horrible idea. On the other hand, forcing people into creditcounseling is just plain stupid, and the new requirements on bankruptcyattorneys are mind-bogglingly daft. (An attorney can be responsible forclient misrepresentations? Even AUDITORS don't accept that responsibility.)A lot of the rest of the bill's provisions seem needlessly punitive innature...it's as if the banks have decided not only to tilt things back intheir favor, but get EVEN with these $#%(@ debtors....!

Once upon a time I actually believed that bribery of an elected
official was a crime. Both the person/entity making the offer and the
official taking the offer were criminals and would be punished
appropriately (prison for briber and loss of office for official). Was
this ever a law, or was I having some utopian dream? I don't know...

Our elected officials can no longer be trusted to pass laws that
directly affect the citizenry. Bills like BARF need to be voted on by
the public - those most affected by its words. I remember something
about California having a law that failed to be passed that would have
required companies whose customer database was stolen/copied/hacked to
report that fact to current/former customers as well as the FBI.
Perfectly reasonable bill to stop/slow identity theft. Corporations
killed the bill by lobbying (bribery) of official(s). This bill should
have went to the people at the next general state vote.

This country is moving farther and farther away from any form of
democracy and closer and closer to a fascist republic (<cough> Soviet
Union <cough>). Loss of civil rights, loss of political rights, loss
of consumer rights, loss of employment, loss of respect in world
population, increase in pro-corporate rights, increase in polution,
increase in military actions - going to hell in a very big
handbasket...

-- Styro

On Mon, 4 Aug 2003 10:26:01 -0400, "Brett Weiss" <lawyer@erols.com>
wrote:
BARF is the worst anti-consumer bill in the past 40 years. Thecredit card industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars incontributions and lobbying expenses trying to get this billthrough.And they should--they wrote it.