The race to bankruptcy

I'm sure this is happening all over the nation, but local lawyers here in the desert are seeing a rush to file for bankruptcyy before new laws take effect making it more difficult to do so. This may cause a spike in the numbers, causing credit card companies to scream "Vindication!" when in fact:

Bankruptcy filings in California have fallen steadily since hitting a high in 1998, and the state's rate of 11.1 bankruptcies per 1,000 households last year was below the national average.

The House is currently arguing the bill, and Atrios encourages all to contact the Senate Minority Whip to bring Democrats in line against the bill.

My representative, whose sole qualification was her marriage to the previous officeholder, has decided to vote yea on the bill:

"The principle behind the bankruptcy system is giving people who get into financial trouble the opportunity for a fresh start," [Mary] Bono said. "Unfortunately, this system is widely abused and the burden is often unfairly passed onto consumers."

Which is contradicted later in the article when an actual bankruptcy lawyer tells us the high medical bills and job loss are the main reasons for bankruptcy filing. But who are you going to believe?