...whereas in other countries (Britain, for example) it makes your life (rightly) more difficult, not less.
In Britain, when you slip into bankruptcy, you can't open a bank account or get any sort of credit. Here in the USA, it seems to be nothing more than a comfy "reset" button, with the costs assumed by the responsible public, in terms of higher credit card interest, insurance rates, etc.
I know, for a fact, that those who've been through bankruptcy often have BETTER access to credit than those who have decent credit, and no bankruptcies on their record.
These ads we hear in the USA all the time saying "We can help you get out from under...." whatever...credit card debt, IRS debt, etc., etc., are really particularly annoying to me as any honest bill payer. They really should be illegal, because these ads ENCOURAGE irresponsibility.
Bankruptcy is not a victimless situation. It is a slow drip, drip of wealth destruction of the responsible by the irresponsible, supported by libtards in government.
We need our government to stop feeling like they can redistribute wealth to the least responsible and shiftless elements of society. It is a race to the bottom and a recipe for national disaster.