Why you should care!

GET INFORMED! GET INVOLVED! STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR THE CHILDREN AND DEMAND REFORM!

SUPPORT SHARED PARENTING, ABOLISH STANDARD VISITATION!

$70 billion of your federal tax money is allocated for the collection of child support and distributed to the individual states. Just think of how many banks you could bail out with that money! The state of Alabama receives approx. $64 million per year. This is designed to help single mothers, like Misty, whom struggles to raise her 6 year old son while working two jobs. The problem is that after six years of not receiving a dime of child support, Misty has been told by the state of Alabama that it would be too expensive to find the father and that there is nothing more that can be done for her.

The state receives money proportional to the amount of child support collected; for every two dollars collected, one dollar in federal money is received. The state is also penalized for back child support owed by way of withholding incentives. This is all courtesy of the Social Security Welfare Reform Act. In order for the state to receive more money it must collect more child support while reducing the amount of back child support owed. You can see transcripts of my testimony before the Committee at www.alacourt.gov/ChildSupportReview.aspx . Click on the 5/16/08 transcripts and go to page 63. I expressed my concerns for women like Misty who will have their child support reduced. The Committee stated that these people get little money as it is and that the reduction; therefore, would not matter.
This is why child support for the middle class is being increased 33% and decreased for the poor. Most middle class fathers are already paying between 25%-50% for child support, daycare and medical expenses. This is in addition to the money they spend on the child during their assigned parenting time. How are these fathers going to afford to pay for their children's college? How are they going to afford to live in these tough economic times?
Why is it that middle class fathers should pay 50% of their salary to child support while other income brackets pay only 10% ?
In addition, middle class couples pay for attorneys and court fees during the divorce proceedings. The state can therefore, collect this child support at a reduced cost while still reporting it to the federal government and collect their incentives. You might be asking, what is done with all of this money then? That is a great question. Some of it is spent for conventions in Orange Beach www.alacsa.org/2008AnnualConference.htm . Here, one of the seminars is titled "Bankruptcy and Contempt Cases, Out Maneuvering the Enemy" . That's right! You are now the enemy of the state, if you are having problems paying 50% of your pay to child support and have declared bankruptcy. After all, those who choose to declare bankruptcy must enjoy not being able to purchase a car, house, etc. They must enjoy not being able to get certain jobs because of their bad credit. Most of all, these people must enjoy having all their assets liquidated and sold off. I will bet that their children enjoy this as well!
Then there is the Alabama Children's Trust Fund and the Fatherhood Initiative which receive several million dollars per year. The Fatherhood Initiative receives additional money from the Social Security Welfare Reform Act designated to enforceing father's visitation rights and to help fathers with employment so that they can financially support their children. Yet, after a year of inquiry from myself and several other family rights organizations, no help has been provided to our members nor have we ever received a straight answer regarding what they actually do, and who they have ever helped.
Our governement is hurting the people it is supposed to protect. Most of all it is hurting the innocent children. The solution is equal parenting after a divorce. The children should not be limited to seeing one parent only four days per month. In cases where equal parenting cannot be excercised, the child support should be a percentage of the payors income, period. Therapeutic mediation should be mandatory prior to a divorce, mainly to protect the children.