A Conservative Columnist Tags Her Party Over The Bankruptcy Bill

by Steve

I tagged San Francisco conservative op-ed columnist Debra Saunders earlier in the week for her premature piece supporting the wacky and ultimately disproven theory by the conservative blogosphere about the origins of the Schiavo memo. To her credit, a day later Saunders issued an apology in the online version of her column admitting that she bought the garbage that Powerline and others were dishing out.

In today’s column, Saunders actually comes out against the anti-consumer bankruptcy bill that the GOP is pushing through the House:

Make no mistake about it. This is a bad bill -- which is why the House, no doubt, will pass this bill this week and why President Bush, to his discredit, will sign it.

The lending lobby -- Big Borrow-mongers -- claims that it needs protections against deadbeats, who file for bankruptcy without even trying to pay off their debts. I would sympathize -- if the money lenders weren't so rapacious -- shameless, really -- about fleecing the poor.

As a Republican, it disappoints me to say this, but I understand why people call the GOP the party of big business. When Washington pushes for more responsibility among debtors, but not loan-shark-like lenders, when its "ownership society" principles don't make big corporations own up to their role in the bankruptcy problem, the GOP is toadying to big business. (Ditto the 18 Democrats and one independent senator who voted for the bill.)

Well, there is a reason to anger the credit industry -- to represent your constituents. If readers want the House to kill this turkey, they should let their congressional representative know that they oppose this bill. This bad bill probably will pass anyway, but citizens who care about good government and good business practices should at least make those lawmakers who vote for the measure sweat.

Amen to Saunders. Send her a note and thank her for agreeing with us on this one.