Some pundits think that Mr McCain is only hanging on until January when he can claim federal matching funds to pay off his debts.

ECONOMIST: John McCain's campaign: All at sea | The

Some people claim they are misled into believing they are required by law to pay the debts of dead relatives.

WSJ: For the Families of Some Debtors, Death Offers No Respite

But for those sinners who claim to have repented, and so are to be absolved of part or all of their debts, there is the question of what to do with the money that no longer has to be handed over as interest payments.

ECONOMIST: AIDS

Yet they provide a grim commentary on the paltry results of the efforts that Japanese banks claim to have made over the past few years to rebuild their capital and write off their substantial bad debts.

ECONOMIST: Japanese banks