Last year, we began to put our house in order by tackling the budget deficit that was driving us toward bankruptcy.

"We never told them we were headed toward bankruptcy," he said.

If those costs rise, he said, it could mean the difference between making a profit and sliding toward bankruptcy.

But in some cases, such counseling is a step on the road toward bankruptcy.

The slide, of course, continued as Enron headed toward bankruptcy.

At the very least, a solvency crisis that seemed to be pushing the company toward bankruptcy last year now seems much less likely.

The system, however, on its current path, is headed toward bankruptcy.

If that happens, the whole sector will spiral toward bankruptcy.

A similar rollout in the mid-1990's helped push the store toward bankruptcy.

Yet these were said to be his last words: "The nation is heading toward total bankruptcy and famine."