Tell me who you go with and I’ll tell you who you are.

This is something my mom would say when, as a teenager, I took to associating with clove-smoking, Suicidal Tendencies fans. I don’t remember the names of those friends today, but her expression stays with me. Something I try to ignore when stuck at parties listening to locals complain that Mexicans are taking over the country.

Tell me who you go with and I’ll tell you who you are.

I plan on using such an idiom with my own children. They’ve already started requesting play dates with the kid down the street whose bicycle is done up like Dale Earnhardt’s race car. Yes, the one that burst into flames. Maybe I should put yarmulkes on the boys before they go out to play. That’ll stop redneck children from wanting to socialize.

Tell me who you go with and I’ll tell you who you are.

I was reminded of my mom’s old saying when Congress passed the Bankruptcy Bill. A bill drafted by bank lobbyists, backed by a Republican majority, supported by several misled Democrats and signed into law by a cowboy is surely a sign of End Times. This bill was opposed by advocates for the poor and consumer rights groups, but they can’t afford to wipe a credit card lobbyist’s ass, much less oppose this legislation that’s been brewing for the past eight years. In about six months, declaring bankruptcy will be more difficult for our middle class and lower middle class friends, requiring them to slowly pay back most of their debts over a period of time. Just another way for the poor to pound dirt.

Here are a few concerns for fat cats in Congress:

This bill mandates credit card counseling when filing for bankruptcy. Why couldn’t you mandate counseling before receiving the credit card? Preventing debt would benefit more people than trying to get out from under afterwards.

Credit card companies and banks target the poor and credit risks, tempting them with misleading letters that fail to fully explain high interest rates and the time it will take to pay back if only paying minimum payment due. Why shouldn’t such corporations and businesses bear the brunt of their deceptive practices? Why are we punishing uneducated people with most of the burden?

The well-connected continue to benefit from asset-protection schemes still legal in five states. That protects their asses when they want to avoid paying bills; all they have to do is hide their money away. Those who can’t afford personal accountants? F*ck ‘em.

Like the old argument about abortion, recent lawmakers argue bankruptcy is common and too easy and should be stopped. (Same goes for men grabbing their crotch at sporting events, but no one’s putting a stop to that.) Read between the lines, folks. Bankruptcy is often the last hope for those facing a medical crisis, job loss, or other such catastrophe. Now, like everything else Dumbya supports, this legislation makes a bad situation worse. With filing fees going up and credit card companies in the clear, our current administration once more sides with the rich and pisses all over the poor.

That’s who they go with and that’s who they are.