The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) claims that we should adopt even more draconian policies to collect child support than we already do by passing the Farm Bill currently before Congress. The National Parents Organization strongly believes that parents should responsibly support their children. But “cracking down” on parents who are poor has a long history of hurting children more than helping them.
Child support policy among the poor does not work for several long-known reasons.
First, state courts are incentivized by federal payments to the states to set child support orders at levels the poor cannot pay. For instance, in many states, a minimum child support payment of $1,200 to $1,800 per year is required no matter how little the payer earns; this is uncollectible from someone earning, say, $8000 per year. As a result, studies in both California and by the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) have shown that about 70 percent of all unpaid child support dollars are owed by parents who earn less than $10,000 per year. The federal OCSE has explicitly recognized since at least 2006 that these child support amounts involve the very poor are largely uncollectible, but we’ve seen little change in state court orders.
Second, the Farm Bill calls for more pressure on food stamp families to pay child support. But most food stamp dads are in the under $10,000 demographic and cannot pay. Should those parents support their children? Of course they should. Unfortunately, many simply can’t as the OCSE has long admitted and the statistics demonstrate.
Third, almost half of custodial mothers simply don’t file for a child support order. The Census Bureau shows that in 2013, there were about 11.1 million custodial mothers in the U.S., but only about 5.9 million (53.1 percent) of them had taken out a support order. The FGA insists: “Under this reform, custodial parents would be prohibited from obstructing the state’s attempts to establish paternity, track down absent parents or collect child support.” Except that no benefits clerk has figured out what to do when mom counters, “I have no idea who the father is.” MORE
Public works projects. Lots needs to be done and we don’t need illegals doing them jobs.
Back before 1900 there was no food stamps, section eight housing and all that.
But the average American participated regularly in two to three charities for the poor, the orphans, and widows.
Visectomy! All of em’
1) “Deadbeat” dad, can’t afford $1200 per month.
2) Court issues warrant for arrest and suspends driver’s license.
3) “Deadbeat” dad can no longer find a job because he has a criminal record and has no way of getting there even if he could.
a. If he can get a job, he will be called to court in short notice and have to take off from work. If he gets caught driving without his license…oh, boy.
4) “Deadbeat” dad suffers, child suffers, everybody suffers except for…
5) The State profits at every turn.
I raised two kids and paid retail for their college educations. I don’t want to support other people’s kids.
Ask the Koch brothers how bringing in more cheap labor via illegal immigrants helps this scenario or helps our country.
If they refuse to answer, ask them why not eliminate businesses run like the Koch brothers would?
You’re supposed to take care of your kids !
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-ddc-ddc_bd&hsimp=yhs-ddc_bd&hspart=ddc&p=cris+Rock%2C+you%27re+supposed+to+talk+care+of+your+children#id=2&vid=47336677269601415059dc1dc02ccf7d&action=click
Many of the men are in jail for unrelated reasons. Now what?
Around ten percent of the population can’t figure out how to get out of bed in the morning. Another ten percent is uneducatable for any job whatsoever. And the government is going to solve this with reforms, resolves, and rebullshitting? Hahaha. Not funny.
My grandson’s sorry a$$, deadbeat dad, who just can’t hold a job because he has an aversion to responsibility, rarely pays child support, and doesn’t really care as long as someone else takes up the slack, still gets LOTS of regular visitation and my grandson thinks he’s wonderful. Meanwhile, Grandmom and grandad take up the slack, and he hates his mom because she makes him do school and behave. It sucks. That’s why I don’t have much sympathy for the dads who complain here.