Why are Minnesota's strapped courts and law-enforcement agencies increasingly doing unpaid grunt work for the highly profitable debt-collection industry?

A week ago, a shocking Star Tribune story by Chris Serres and Glenn Howatt revealed that a growing number of Minnesotans are being arrested, booked and even jailed after failing to make a court appearance over an old debt. The number of debtor-related arrest warrants issued in the state has risen 60 percent over the past four years, according to the story, which revealed 845 cases in 2009. That's a relatively small number, but it should alarm the thousands of families around the state facing medical bills or mounting debts after a job loss. Anyone who's ever battled a debt collector over a disputed charge or a case of stolen identity should also be unnerved.