In 2005 Congress passed a new bankruptcy law to prevent abuses, it made getting a lawyer necessary. But of course many can’t afford one. Some wait until their tax refunds, so much so there is a spike in bankruptcy filings from March to May. Some file under Chapter 13 which means their debts have to be repaid usually over 5 years. Chapter 13 requires a lawyer too, and those fees have to be added to the list of debts. Many default and then it all falls through. There are also bankruptcy services which Continue reading “Bankruptcy and the Poor”
Category: Governance
Private Equities and Toys ‘R’ Us
How do popular stores like Toys ‘R’ Us end up filing for bankruptcy? The behind the scene story opens a window on the role of private equity funds in our society. “Thirty-three percent of retail job losses from 2016 through 2017 resulted from private-equity backed store closures…,” according to a report by Inflection Capital Management, an equity fund consulting firm. Due to competition from e-commerce Continue reading “Private Equities and Toys ‘R’ Us”
Immigrants and Crime
At a time when it is so easy to call unwanted facts fake news, it is doubly important to know what is fact and what is not. The administration’s immigration policies–whether building a wall, their stand on sanctuary cities, who can and cannot get a visa, deportations—are all based on the notion—or is it belief—that immigrants bring crimes and that criminals are coming in. Continue reading “Immigrants and Crime”
War and Suffering
The war in Yemen has just entered its fourth year. The war in Syria is 7 years old, the war in Sudan 5, the war in Afghanistan 15. War and suffering go together. For example, in Yemen which has already been called a humanitarian crisis :
- in March 2017 an outbreak of cholera spread to a million people by the end of the year
- an estimate of 2 million children are out of school
- 2 million people, nearly 3 in every 4 people are dependent on humanitarian aid to survive
- besides cholera there has been dengue fever malaria and diphtheria, while the fear and possibility of those diseases returning is real
- the destruction of hospitals and infrastructure make rendering aid more difficult