Should Alimony Die a Quick Death?

Pajama Media ^ | December 19, 2007 | Helen Smith

[PurpleMan]

"...in today’s world, in which women have fought for the right to equality, alimony seems more like a kid getting an allowance from daddy and I believe it should be abolished altogether except for extremely dire circumstances where a spouse is older, cannot work at all, and for only a short term period. No man or woman should be held to being a slave to an ex-spouse after a marriage ends. That said, if we are going to have alimony laws, I believe that men and women should be held to an equal standard under the law."

[PurpleMan]

Excellent point.

[mosquitobite]

Equal rights! Amen!

[KC_Conspirator]

Hell yeah!

[Bon mots]

Yes!
In fact, men should by default get child custody and women be forced to pay child support.

Single-mothers do a notoriously bad job of raising children. There are even names for children without fathers such as bast@rd.

Men, on the other hand, do a remarkably good job as single parents.

The prisons are full of people who were raised without a father - yet the kids raised without a mother are usually fine.

[gunnyg]

Right-O!
Much akin to the now antiquated “custom” of ‘tipping’ waitpersons, as well as every Tom, Dick, and Harriet who crosses our path.

And this system is taken advantage of by the IRS, all of gub-mint, employers, the tippees themselves, etc., etc.

[PurpleMan]

Ya think the military might change their iron-clad, Byzantine and unfair law of giving spouses a percentage of a servicemember’s retirement?

Doubtful.

[Sgt_Schultze]

I believe that men and women should be held to an equal standard under the law."

A more important development would be to give men the same authority in determining for themselves, whether they will become a parent. Currently the woman can take the decision for the man during a pregnancy, that she will carry to term and encumber him financially against his explicit wishes. While I am adamantly against abortion unless to save the actual life of the mother, fairness dictates a man should be able to perform a legal abortion should the woman decide to deliver, which would release him from financial liability and prohibit his involvement.

[LetsRok]

Fine by mean, but if the wife stays at home throughout most of her productive working life while the husband puts in the hours to get promoted and a better standard of living, is the woman supposed to start her career at 40 at minimum wage with no work skills???

[poobear]

My Brother in Law’s ex-wife got $12,000 per month for almost 5 years after his divorce. She died in a motorcycle accident.

I didn’t know whether to offer condolences or pop a bottle of champaign when the news came one evening.

I understand there were multiple empty bottles at his and sister's home the next morning!

[sickoflibs]

No fault divorce has killed most alimony. Child support is the modern way for a man to be made slave to the women. Republicans went along with it thinking those welfare Dad’s would be forced to pay instead of welfare. But the poor dad just went underground with the illegals and now the middle class mother has the same incentive to destroy the family as the poor ones got in the 1960s with welfare rights. Feminists were in heaven over using Republicans hatred for welfare dads to get them to pull the trigger.

[dyed_in_the_wool]

Actually there is legal precedent for an ex-spouse to get a percentage of their partner’s retirement based on the time they were actually married. Google ‘QDRO’ for more information.
Idea being that if two were married for, say, 20 years and one spouse stayed home to take care of the kids and then gets dumped, they sacrificed their livelihood for the good of the household and should have a stake in the retirement egg they supported the other in getting.
As an ex-Pension Administrator, I think this is fine...as long as its adjusted for the amount of time a couple were married.

[joe fonebone]

depends on who initiates the divorce....if the woman wants out of the marriage, then get out and make it on your own

[HIDEK6]

is the woman supposed to start her career at 40 at minimum wage with no work skills???

Having no skills doesn't seem to be a problem with most women in the workforce.

[sickoflibs]

RE “ is the woman supposed to start her career at 40 at minimum wage with no work skills???”

I agree and thats what no-fault divorce got us. Once the kids are overage the husband can dump his wife.

[absolootezer0]

While I am adamantly against abortion unless to save the actual life of the mother, fairness dictates a man should be able to perform a legal abortion should the woman decide to deliver, which would release him from financial liability and prohibit his involvement.

the irony being that if a man forces an abortion, its murder.

[PurpleMan]

if ... one spouse stayed home

In many cases “if” is not important.

[Sgt_Schultze]

Actually, I'm only thinking about a legal abortion which would halt his own parental rights and responsibilities, but leave intact the mother's. Unlike what currently happens when a man wants to keep his child and the mother elects to abort.

[BubbaBasher]

The sooner the better!

[MediaMole]

A friend had to pay spousal support to her useless, jobless, fat, violent ex-husband. The court ruled that since she had worked two jobs to support him while they were married, she should continue to work two jobs to support him once they were divorced.

[Lockbox]

..., but if the husband stays at home throughout most of his productive working life while the wife puts in the hours to get promoted and a better standard of living, is the man supposed to start his career at 40 at minimum wage with no work skills??????