Congress Tags Child Support as Luxury Income; Collection System an Economic Failure

MensNewsDaily.com ^ | August 16, 2008 | Roger F. Gay

[RogerFGay]

Fathers' rights activists have complained about arbitrarily high child support orders for almost two decades. Class action suits were filed, the fathers' rights movement grew, debates broke out in academic journals, a few social scientists demonstrated with calculations and documentation, some men have committed suicide because they were unable to support themselves, and a few serious investigative journalists analyzed in depth.

Congress finally decided to act – with a flat luxury tax on child support income.

[nobama08]

I’ve worked for lawyers for 25 years so I am familiar with family law.

[RogerFGay]

I always seem to have trouble with someone who “works for lawyers.” What’s your personal interest in the political issue?

[seemoAR]

I tried that, Found him and my wife having a very private discussion in a deserted hall in the courthouse during a recess in the divorce proceedings. :0).

[nobama08]

I just think parents should be responsible for their children, that’s all. There are serial baby-makers out there who simply refuse to be responsible. I have no sympathy for them.

[nobama08]

Did she have a lawyer?

[seemoAR]

Yes, her brother in law( sisters husband).

[nobama08]

Well, then your lawyer should not have been talking to her.

[RogerFGay]

But you don’t know who they are.

[seemoAR]

They were doing a little more than talking. More like 2 people courting when they thought no one was around.

[nobama08]

That’s what I figured. File a bar complaint and demand your money back!

[nobama08]

They are the ones refusing to support their children. I’ve seen quite a few here who have been arrested for failing to pay child support. Most manage to come up with the money shortly thereafter.

[Phinanceguy]

So why, in Calif. does the courts count a new spouses $$$ of a divorced guys as income to determine a new level of child support payments? i GOT DIVORCED ON 1986, the kids lived with me 100% of the time and I still had to pay $3750.00 per month. The whole system is f****d up.BTW, the kids still live with me. They are 25 and 23.

[seemoAR]

Happened around 1980. She is on her 5th husband. I paid child support om my 2 kids until the youngest reached 18. I actually paid 3 extra years on my oldest. Sorry ain't I.

[MileHi]

I am a newbie under this name. I didn’t have a computer for a long time because my daughter took it to college.

Really? So what was your handle before?

And in my work I see lots of parents who don’t want to support their children. Some even agree to have their parental rights terminated to escape paying for them.

What does that have to do with fathers who get screwed over by divorce courts? For every one of those people there are thousands of fathers who don't mind supporting their kids. But they need to live too. And don't worry yourself about my kids.

[RogerFGay]

You just keep talking in circles. I’m not claiming and I don’t think anyone is claiming that there is no such beast or never has been. But statistically, they’ve always been a small minority. You leave me wondering why it’s so pressing for you to keep on it - while most others have a different perspective.

[nobama08]

It was almost 4 years ago and I don't remember.

I know there are plenty of loving fathers who gladly support their children as they should. And women often make their ex-husbands’ lives miserable, as well as their children. I have no sympathy for them, either. Mostly I'm opposed to no-fault divorce. Marriage is the easier contract to break, thanks to our own government. I think most judges are fair. If they aren't, that's why we have appellate courts. As long as I'm not supporting your kids, I have no reason to worry about them.

[nobama08]

It seems it is more pressing for you. My husband and I raised 3 kids and they are grown now, so it isn’t a personal issue for my life at all. As for “most others having a different perspective”, what would that perspective be that is different from mine?

[RogerFGay]

While so-called "no-fault" divorce has been identified as the original sin leading to the destruction of marriage (see Baskerville, "Taken into Custody" for example), it's by no means the end of the story.

As for judges being fair - you entirely misunderstand current law. Judges no longer decide. They follow "guidelines" (i.e. rigid instructions) based on federal law. They just apply - they don't decide.

[MileHi]

I think most judges are fair. If they aren't, that's why we have appellate courts.

There is no appeal for divorce court. You really don't know what you are talking about.

[nobama08]

When I said judges were fair, I wasn’t talking about child support, I was talking about equitable distribution issues. I have said all along that child support is decided according to guidelines. We may be on the same side of this issue. I assume you believe parents should be financially responsible for their children, right? Okay, no argument.