Debt Collection is an evil racket

More than 6,000 debt collection firms operate in the United States, collecting billions of dollars each year. These collectors flood small-claims and other state courts with lawsuits seeking repayment. Millions of collection lawsuits are filed each year in state and local courts that have effectively become collectors’ courts. Debt collection lawyers can file hundreds of suits a day, often with little evidence that the alleged debt is actually owed. 

 Over 95 percent of debt collection suits end in favor of the collector, usually because alleged debtors do not mount a defense. In many cases, defendants did not know they had been sued. Some were unable to appear because of work, child care responsibilities, lack of transportation, physical disability, illness, or dementia. 

https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/022118-debtreport.pdf

A related ugly racket – which is apparently worst in California –involves huge fines and fees for towed vehicles .  A vehicle tow often means the permanent loss of a car and, along with it, the loss of employment, access to education and medical care, and, for some, their only shelter. Nonetheless, local governments throughout California regularly tow vehicles for relatively minor offenses: outstanding parking tickets, lapsed vehicle registration, and remaining parked in one place for more than 72 hours. 

https://wclp.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/TowedIntoDebt.Report.pdf

The proper role of government is to relieve private debts, within reason, and not create more hardships while enriching financial predators.