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Debt Slavery? Congress Approves Bush's Bankruptcy Bill
War Tax Resistance: Refusing to Fund War on Tax Day
Chicano Leader Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales 1929-2005:
"He Was the Fist. He Stood For Defiance, Resistance"
Debt Slavery? Congress Approves Bush's Bankruptcy
Bill
A major overhaul of the nation's bankruptcy laws won final
congressional approval Thursday, in a move that will make
it harder for Americans to rid themselves of debt by filing
for bankruptcy. We speak with Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) and
David Swanson of DebtSlavery.org.
The House overwhelmingly approved a major overhaul of the
nation's bankruptcy laws Thursday, in a move that will make
it harder for Americans to rid themselves of debt by filing
for bankruptcy.
The measure cleared the House on a vote of 302 to 126. It
passed the Senate last month by 74 to 25. The bill now goes
to the White House, where it is expected to sign it into law.
President Bush commended the vote in a statement. He said,
"These common-sense reforms will make the system stronger
and better so that more Americans - especially lower-income
Americans - have greater access to credit."
The bankruptcy legislation has been a priority of the credit
card and banking industries for a decade, and it is the first
rewrite of the bankruptcy code in a quarter of a century.
A central feature of the bill imposes a new means test on
Americans who file for bankruptcy protection to determine
if people should enter compulsory repayment plans, rather
than have their assets liquidated to repay creditors.
The bill would also impose significant new costs on those
seeking bankruptcy protection and give lenders and businesses
new legal tools for recovering debts.
The core of the bill was written in 1997. The House passed
versions of it eight times but it usually stalled in the Senate.
When the bill did pass the Senate, then President Bill Clinton
refused to sign it.
This time around, House Republican leaders refused to consider
amendments on the floor and voted down a Democratic attempt
to return the bill to committee. The amendments would have
forced lenders to keep fees in check, expand disclosure, and
would have given extra protection to victims of identity theft.
In an editorial, the Washington Post writes that the bill's
"staunchest proponents should be embarrassed that it
was muscled through the House in this kind of Potemkin-democracy
way. This process-or, more precisely, lack of process-is becoming
routine."
- Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), Democratic Congressman representing
the Seattle area. He joins us on the line from Washington
DC.
War Tax Resistance: Refusing to Fund War on Tax Day
Today is Tax Day - while millions of Americans are scrambling
to file their income taxes on time, others are protesting
the use of tax dollars to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
by refusing to pay some or all of their taxes. We speak with
a member of the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee.
Today is April 15th - Tax Day.
While millions of Americans are scrambling to file their
income taxes on time, some people are taking a different route.
In at least 50 communities across the country, demonstrations
will be held at Internal Revenue Service offices, Federal
buildings, post offices, and other public places to protest
the use of tax dollars to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Some are making their protest stronger by refusing to pay
some or all of their federal taxes that help pay for war.
Chicano Leader Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales
1929-2005: "He Was the Fist. He Stood For Defiance, Resistance"
Chicano political and civil rights activist Rodolfo "Corky"
Gonzales died Tuesday at his home in Denver, Colorado. He
was 76 years old. We speak with his friend, columnist Roberto
Rodriguez.
Chicano political and civil rights activist Rodolfo "Corky"
Gonzales died this past Tuesday at his home in Denver, Colorado.
He was 76 years old.
Gonzales was an iconic leader in the movement for justice
and equality for Mexican-Americans in the Southwest and he
is credited with raising the nation's awareness of the plight
of urban Chicanos.
In the mid-1960"s he founded an urban civil rights and
cultural movement called the Crusade for Justice which advocated
Chicano nationalism. During the late sixties and early seventies,
he organized walkouts, demonstrations against police brutality
and marches against the Vietnam War.
In 1968, Gonzales led a Chicano contingent to the Poor People's
March on Washington D.C and issued a "plan of the Barrio"
which demanded better housing, education and restitution of
pueblo lands. Gonzales was also an organizer of the Annual
Chicano Youth Liberation Conference which sought to create
unity among Chicano youth.
Gonzales also advocated for increased political representation
for Chicanos. In 1972 he was the keynote speaker at the newly
formed La Raza Unida Party national convention in El Paso
Texas. The party fielded political candidates to run for office
in the state.
But perhaps Corky Gonzales is best known for his poem "I
am Joaquin/Yo Soy Joaquin." He wrote the epic poem in
1965 and it is one of the most important literary works to
emerge from the Chicano movement.
In the poem Gonzales tells of the historic struggles faced
by Mexican Americans in the United States.
- Robert Rodriguez, friend of Corky Gonzales. Along with
his wife, Patrisia Gonzales, he writes the syndicated Column
of the Americas, distributed by Universal Press Syndicate.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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