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I believe that it probably is corrupt. I don't know about other states, but in WA, I don't see that it really hurts the dads that the state collects (other than they are required to pay.) My ex has gotten behind before (like when he went on 100% paid disability for a month and a half and it took a year for them to get that month's support back from him) and they don't even charge interest (although they are legally allowed to do so.) I am sure that it saves everyone in court costs and lawyer fees, because I don't need to go to court everytime he gets behind. (Before I was paid through the state, he gave me whatever amount of money he felt like paying, at his convenience.)

I don't think it's a great idea for the feds to waste their money on this, but... it is a very helpful service for those of us on the receiving end.

I don't think you understood the situation she described. State governments have a vested financial interest in ensuring that fathers see theit children as little as possible and that interest is flowing into the courts.

It is another cog in the giant anti-male feminizitation of everything. We have suspected the courts favored women -- now we have proof of another reason why.

The "welfare of the children" is NOT on the agenda in Family Court.

Actually, there's no significant difference in "collection" (payment) rates between before the creation of the government collection system and after. Percent of payment of total award amount actually dropped somewhat after the system was created because amounts awarded were artifically inflated at the same time -- something most journalists don't write about -- or at least have never been accurate / honest writing about. Mostly the problem of non-payment due to artifically inflated awards is one experienced by lower income fathers -- mostly, but not exclusively. But there is and never has been any sign of increased percent paid of total awarded related to the creation of the government collection system.

There has always been a history of fathers getting behind because for some reason or another, it's sometimes difficult or impossible to pay all that is owed. Intact families adjust to varying financial circumstances all the time ... whereas divorced fathers are expected to provide the steady stream of payments no matter what. What's worse for them is that it doesn't even matter if they encounter a long term problem, like having a new job that pays less. Often, periods of unemployment are not taken into account to adjust awards according to ability to pay.

Washington State does have a somewhat unique arrangement regarding fathers with other children ("second families") to support. An organization called P.O.P.S. sued the state over its cs guidelines on constitutional grounds. P.O.P.S. was composed primarily of fathers who had remarried and had other children to support in the new family. Their legal process ended after the Washington State legislature passed a law that essentially excluded such cases from guideline decisions by providing an arbitrary deviation from guideline results to account for children of second families.