Bankruptcy Bill Ignorance

As often happens in politics, the men and women in the Congress did not really understand bankruptcy or the bankruptcy reform bill when they passed it. Case in point, here is an excerpt from a letter sent to members of the New Democrat Coalition, written by a few members of the House:

This bill reflects the New Democrat principle of greater personal responsibility by ensuring that those who have the ability to pay off some of their debt do so, and reaffirming that bankruptcy should be a last resort instead of a first option. Requiring people to file under Chapter 7, rather than Chapter 13, and set up a payment plan to repay some or all of their debt is reasonable and fair.

(emphasis mine) The only problem is this is the exact opposite of what the bill does. It forces people to file under chapter 13 (repayment) rather than chapter 7 (write off).

We cannot even count on our representatives to have a simple understanding of the most basic element of legislation they are voting on! How can people have a debate on whether or not this is a good bill, if the people voting on it don't even know what the thing says! These people don't even know the different chapters of bankruptcy, and they are going about reforming it! I hope ignorance is not one of the New Democrat principles.