GOP Bankruptcy Vote Comes Back to Crush U.S. Troops

[im10ashus]

GOP Bankruptcy Vote Comes Back to Crush U.S. Troops

By David Sirota

Back in 2005, when the credit card industry lobbyists were corralling republican and Democratic lawmakers to vote for the corporate-written Bankruptcy Bill, Sen. Dick Durbin offered an amendment (details attached) to preserve existing protections for troops serving in Iraq. National guardsmen, for instance, sometimes are forced to take a pay cut from their regular jobs when they are called into service and deployed overseas. Lord knows our soldiers serving in Iraq have enough to worry about - and gutting their bankruptcy protections while they were deployed was something Durbin thought was unacceptable. Unfortunately, only 38 of his Senate colleagues agreed with him, and his amendment was defeated. Those voting against the amendment included Montana Sen. Conrad Burns (R), Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine (R), Virginia Sen. George Felix Allen, Jr., Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (R), Missouri Sen. Jim Talent (R), Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R) - all incumbents facing serious challenges for reelection.

Now, according to a new Pentagon report highlighted by USA Today (story linked below), "As many as one in five members of the armed services are being preyed on by loan centers set up near military bases that can charge cash-strapped military families interestso of 400% or more." Let's be clear - trying to take advantage of soldiers at a time of war when they are under stress is a form of war profiteering. And thanks to our bought-off Congress - it's all perfectly legal. Here's hoping the senators who voted against Durbin's amendment get hammered for it.

To see the original Senate vote, go to:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00013

To see background on Durbin's amendment, go to:
http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=233501

To see the USA Today story, go to:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-08-30-military-loans_x.ht

Sirotablog

[eccles12]

1. Now wouldn't you think the Dems would be using this? But noooooooo!

They are too busy responding to the Rove talking points on Iraq, Iran and terrorism. In effect, Republicans control both parties.

[TygrBright]

2. They CAN'T... far too many of them...

...are wholly- or partially-owned subsidiaries of the banking/finance industry and voted FOR this anal rape of the American worker & family.

Check the list, you won't believe some of the names on it. I still do a slow boil thinking about it.

ominously,
Bright

[Raster]

17. Support the troops my ass. Shameful!

Grouped By Vote Position YEAs ---38
Akaka (D-HI)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Specter (R-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---58
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bennett (R-UT)
Biden (D-DE) (Senator MBNA, bought and paid for)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Carper (D-DE)
Chafee (R-RI)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-NE)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)

Not Voting - 4
Coleman (R-MN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Dayton (D-MN)
Inouye (D-HI)

Only ONE rethuglican had the balls to support America's servicemen and women over the interests of the banks and credit card companies. Only one.

[Supersedeas]

23. Biden was one that all but spear-headed it.

[RangerSmith]

3. bingo

one only needs to look at the votes on all these bills they have shoved down our throats and it's apparent that outside of the rhetoric... judging only by actions, there is no appreciable difference.

[atreides1]

4. They can't use it

Because of these distinguished Democratic Senators. To use it would require the Democrats to eat their own.


NAYs

Baucus (D-MT)
Biden (D-DE)
Byrd (D-WV)
Carper (D-DE)
Johnson (D-SD
Nelson (D-NE)

This was just for that one amendment

When it came time to pass the S256

These Democrats voted in favor of the final bill.

Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman(D-NM)
Byrd (D-WV)
Carper (D-DE)
Conrad (D-ND)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Stabenow (D-MI)

[Drum]

5. Well then...it's time to....

That's called accountability, isn't it?
:shrug:

[im10ashus]

15. Time to start a phone campaign.

Maybe I should cross-post in the Activist HG. :shrug:

[Skidmore]

22. Dems deserve to be slapped down a bit too. Particularly when

they have betrayed the interests of the working man. If we can deal a smack to a self-serving, self-aggrandizing warmonger like Lieberman, we can sure give corporate Dems the backhand too.

[Jacobin]

12. They can't

too many of the jumped on the GOP money bandwagon

[kurth]

6. 18 Democrats voted with 55 Republicans to pass

That bill could have been filibustered.

-----------

"The banking, credit card and retail industries, which have pushed for the legislation for more than seven years, argue that changes to current law are needed to end abuse of the system by people who shirk their financial obligations when they could repay some of what they owe. The three industries gave more than $56 million to political parties and candidates in the 2004 elections, most of it going to Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan nonprofit research group that tracks political contributions. For example, more than 60 percent of a combined $44 million in political contributions by banks and retailers went to Republicans."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24940-2005Mar10.html

[wicket]

8. Where can I find out who the shits are that voted for this?

Thanks. So goddamn infuriating!

:grr: :grr:

[kurth]

9. See:

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00044

YEAs
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Byrd (D-WV)
Carper (D-DE)
Conrad (D-ND)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Stabenow (D-MI)

[existentialist]

10. A tougher bankruptcy law does not provide a means for

a bankrupt individual to actually pay his debts.

I remember reading an article a few months after the law passed that the lenders were very disappointed and in fact felt very burned because they had spent all that money to push bankruptcy "reform", and then after the law had gone into effect they discovered that it had minimal effect in actually helping them to collect debts.


First there was the rush to file before the new law went into effect, and then they discovered that the new law, although it prevented actual discharge of the bad debts, did not actually do much to collect the bad debts.


Since then, bankruptcy filings, even under the new law, have increased again.


As if it could have been otherwise.


Mark the new bankruptcy law as exhibit 10701 as to how the Republicans and neoconservatives are out of touch.

[existentialist]

7. Surely you don't mean

That Republicans don't really support our troops?

How could you suggest such a thing?


I went through the voting list. I found only one Republican Senator that voted for the Amendment--Senator Spector of Pennsylvanian.

My own Senators, both the Republican and the Democrat voted against it, and my Democratic Representative voted for the final bankruptcy bill when it passed the House.

Still, this clearly should be a Democratic issue--after all, 36 Democrats and one Independent voted for this amendment.

[On the Road]

19. "Well No Shit, Sherlock!"

(the financial companies, I mean.) What were they thinking?

As I understand it, one of the big differences in the legislation is that a creditor can now seize the house on declaration of bankruptcy in order to pay the debts. But guess what -- there are other options these days. Once a debtors realizes that his or her house is unprotected, it can be sold quickly through a broker (the "We Buy Houses" people). The debtor can walk away with some cash and the creditors get screwed. Perfectly predictable.

Protection for debtors is not only a progressive issue, it goes right back to the founding of the Republic.

[ellenfl]

11. k&r eom

[cyberpj]

13. Sponsor and co-sponsors - DLC vice chair Carper co-sponsored this bill.

And Joe Biden voted for it too.

They're both my senators and proved that one of our largest employers, MBNA, had them by the short hairs on this one.

Months later, MBNA sold out to Bank of America and BOA has been cutting employees and benefits to our state ever since.


S.256
Title: A bill to amend title 11 of the United States Code, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Grassley, Chuck (introduced 2/1/2005) Cosponsors (12)
Related Bills: H.RES.211, H.R.685
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 109-8
House Reports: 109-31 Part 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COSPONSORS(12), ALPHABETICAL : (Sort: by date)
Sen Carper, Thomas R. - 2/1/2005 Sen Crapo, Mike - 2/7/2005
Sen DeMint, Jim - 2/7/2005 Sen Enzi, Michael B. - 2/1/2005
Sen Hagel, Chuck - 3/3/2005 Sen Hatch, Orrin G. - 2/1/2005
Sen Nelson, E. Benjamin - 2/1/2005 Sen Sessions, Jeff - 2/1/2005
Sen Shelby, Richard C. - 2/1/2005 Sen Sununu, John E. - 2/3/2005
Sen Thune, John - 2/1/2005 Sen Vitter, David - 2/16/2005

[K8-EEE]

14. Biden Lost My Primary Vote

He is owned by those credit card companies!! I know DE is a big credit card processing state but this is ridiculous.

[Javaman]

16. Exactly, this is why I will never ever support him

he lent his vote to the screw job of the century to the poor.

Bastard comes to mind.

[kurth]

21. Biden is an MBNA whore

and a "centrist" asshole.

[KamaAina]

18. Can't the troops use the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act?

http://www.jagcnet.army.mil/JAGCNETInternet/Homepages/AC/Legal%20Assistance%20Home%20Page.nsf/0/0806a532899687ce852568a800531506?OpenDocument

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act of 2003 (SCRA) formerly known as the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act of 1940 (SSCRA) is a federal law that gives all military members some important rights as they enter active duty. It covers such issues as rental agreements, security deposits, prepaid rent, eviction, installment contracts, credit card interest rates, mortgage interest rates, mortgage foreclosure, civil judicial proceedings, and income tax payments. It also provides many important protections to military members while on active duty.

[lectrobyte]

20. The USA Today link you have doesn't work, try this

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-08-30-military-loans_x.htm

[w4rma]

24. LIEberman is a *huge* supporter of this law. (nt)