Franny Airlonowitz

Frontier Airlines / Special to The Denver Post (2007)

Let's pretend that Frontier Airlines has a different name. Let's say, "Franny Airlonowitz." Franny is a Denver native who, after a divorce and a long illness, got in some trouble with credit cards. Her home goes into foreclosure and she files for bankruptcy.

All of the local lawmakers have kind words for her. "Franny is vitally important to Colorado. I remain hopeful she'll weather this storm," says one. "Franny is facing a unique and likely short-lived financial circumstance," says another. "Franny is a vital cog in our community and I am committed to supporting and assisting her in any way possible," says a third.

That doesn't sound quite right.

When companies face dire straits, the government seems all too willing to help out. Witness the recent $30 billion bailout of Wall Street investment firm Bear Stearns. And the quotes above are modified versions of those given by several Colorado lawmakers talking about Frontier Airlines, which last week filed for bankrutpcy.

But when individuals encounter tough times, often the political rhetoric is about personal responsibility-how did they get in such a mess in the first place? It was that kind of talk (and plenty of campaign cash) that helped the credit card industry convince Congress to pass the Bankruptcy Reform Act back in 2005, which made it more difficult and expensive for people to file for bankruptcy. Only two Colorado lawmakers voted against it-Democratic Reps. Mark Udall and Diana DeGette.

Now Congress is embroiled in a big debate over how to deal with the mounting subprime crisis. The Senate last week overwhelmingly approved what the Washington Post called a "modest package", S. 2636, the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008. To strike a deal with the GOP, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) reportedly agreed to drop a key provision that would have permited bankrutpcy judges to renegotiate the terms of home mortgages.

Democrats in both chambers are now pushing for stronger measures to help more homeowners. But they will be facing a lot of pressure from the banking industry, which is one of the biggest source of campaign cash for political campaigns. The mortgage lending industry alone has contributed nearly $50 million to federal campaigns since 1989, 55 percent to Republicans, 45 percent to Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. And the industry spent $33.5 million in 2007 alone on lobbying.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a fan of Frontier Airlines. I'm a sucker for those cute animals painted on the planes. Every time I fly the airline for work, I call home on my cell phone to tell my three-year-old, Leo, which animal I'm flying.

And I love the direct flights to Washington, DC, where I travel often for work. I know from observation that local lawmakers like them too. On Sunday night flights, I've seen the Salazars heading into town for their work week. And on one flight back from the nation's capital, I was seated next to Mayor John Hickenlooper, who patiently listened to me jaw about public financing of elections.

Frontier Airlines deserves a fair hearing. All I'm asking is that there be as much empathy for the Franny Airlonwitzes of this town.

[crossposted at Muckraking Mom.]

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