The US Senate has passed a credit card-company backed bankruptcy bill that will make it harder for many Americans to clear their debts. The vote on passage of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 was 74-25 [roll call] The legislation appears likely to become law this spring. The stiffening of bankruptcy rules sought by business was passed on a vote of 74-25. It now heads to the House of Representatives where leaders hope to act on it next month so that President Bush can sign it into law. Bush applauded the vote and urged the House to act quickly on the bill, the second item on a White House legislative agenda to overhaul the legal system. Congress passed the first item -- limits on class action lawsuits -- last month. Lenders such as credit card companies and retailers have lobbied for the bankruptcy changes for years, arguing it is too easy for people to game the system and walk away from debt. Critics charge the measure is too harsh and rewards lenders who have encouraged consumers to take on higher debt burdens. Opponents said most people in bankruptcy court were there because they faced crushing medical bills, the loss of a job or other calamities, not because they were spendthrifts. [more] and [more]

40% of Senate Democrats Support Bankruptcy Bill
What Do these Folks Stand For?
Republicans had ample Democratic help passing the bankruptcy bill on a 74-to-25 vote in the Senate. Eighteen Democrats and one independent joined with all the Republicans. Eighteen Democratic senators -- that's more than 40 percent of Senate Democrats -- voted for the bankruptcy bill. (Eighteen Democrats voted for the class action bill last month.) Along with the entire crew of Bush Republican puppeticians in the Senate, Here is list of Democrats who don't give a s**t about you:

1. Baucus (D-MT)
2. Bayh (D-IN)
   
3. Biden (D-DE)
4. Bingaman (D-NM)
5. Byrd (D-WV)
6. Carper (D-DE)
7. Conrad (D-ND)
   
8. Inouye (D-HI)
9. Johnson (D-SD)
10. Kohl (D-WI)
11. Landrieu (D-LA)
12. Lincoln (D-AR)
13. Nelson (D-FL)
    
14. Nelson (D-NE)
15. Pryor (D-AR)
16. Reid (D-NV)
17. Salazar (D-CO)
18. Stabenow (D-MI) [more]
    

• Ignoring Base "This is not where we as Democrats ought to be, for crying out loud," said Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa, after Republicans beat back amendment after amendment offered by Democrats in their efforts to soften the bankruptcy measure. "We are making a terrible mistake by thinking that we can have it both ways. We have to remember where our base is." [more]
  
• Bankruptcy Bill is Congress' Shame [more]
  
• Whoring for Credit Card Companies Among the interests lobbying in support of the bankruptcy bill currently before the Senate is the credit industry, which has contributed more than $40 million to federal candidates and political parties since 1989 [more]
• Pictured above: Senator Joe Biden from Delaware, home to many credit card companies. (In fact many Dems listed are from states in which credit card companies have major operations. [more]) and Senator Ken Salazar or "Sell-Out-Zar" [more],  the newly elected "Hispanic" Senator from Colorado. Diversity is about much more than skin color. Who is he diverse from? So far he's brought nothing different to the table from Peter Coors, his campaign opponent. He sounds, looks and votes like a white Republican male or Joe Biden.