mr. speaker , to listen to this majority , we have a crisis in this country -- one brought on by spendthrifts defrauding the public via our bankruptcy system . 
indeed , to look at the statistics , we are facing a crisis -- but it has nothing to do with ordinary americans acting irresponsibly or even our bankruptcy system . 
last year , more than a million-and-a-half families resorted to declaring bankruptcy -- a full half of which occurred not because of any irresponsible behavior but because of unexpected medical expenses brought on by an illness or death in the family . 
these families -- widows and widowers , mothers and fathers , many in the middle-class -- are hardly `` gaming the system '' -- they are doing the best they can under unbelievable circumstances that have left them with no choice but to resort to the only recourse they have : filing bankruptcy , wiping their debt and trying their best to start anew . 
if there is any `` crisis , '' it is the skyrocketing cost of health care , which has left more than 14 million americans spending more than a quarter of their every paycheck on medical costs -- that mr. speaker , is what i call a crisis . 
a moral crisis . 
we can all agree that individuals should be accountable for living beyond their means , but if anyone is `` gaming '' our bankruptcy system , it is the credit card companies , who have long been advocating for this bill at the same time they prey on unsuspecting customers . 
and as with previous incarnations of this legislation , there is virtually nothing in the bill that would require creditors to curb their outrageous predatory lending practices that mislead even the most educated consumers into debt . 
this bill is especially bad for women , who are the single largest group currently in bankruptcy . 
by making it harder for them to file for bankruptcy , we will make it more difficult for them to maintain essential items such as the car that gets them to and from their job . 
women who are owed child support will be forced to compete with credit card companies and other lenders for dollars to spend feeding and clothing their children . 
the bill also allows perpetrators of violence against women at health centers to escape liability for their actions through the bankruptcy courts . 
mr. speaker , this bill is yet another product of an administration and majority that taxes work and rewards wealth . 
it appeals to the worst in all of us , painting honest middle-class families who are working hard and taking personal responsibility for their actions as liars , cheaters and spendthrifts . 
at the same time it lets off the hook those who do act irresponsibly by preserving loopholes which allow wealthy bankruptcy filers to hide their true wealth in mansions and trust funds . 
i can hardly imagine a more unfair piece of legislation less concerned with promoting the common good , and i urge my colleagues to oppose it . 
