[Nomex flame suit on]
This is a really inappropriate topic for the General forum, but most of the post themselves are even worse.
I paid - a lot - above the MI Friend of the Court-mandated amount of child support to my ex-wife. Even after re-marrying and having more kids.
Why? Because my ex wasn't very good at managing money, and her boyfriends were, for the most part, moochers. Most of my "child support" didn't go to my child.
Do you know what difference my ex's money issues made on my young son's need for food, clothing, medicine and toys? None. He still needed them. I was the reason that he needed them, because I help bring him into the world and made a bad choice about who his mom would be...a woman that I grew to despise.
Not him. Me. None of the conflict and drama bewteen his mother and I made a rat's-ass bit of difference to what he needed to be healthy, happy and successful in later life. The fact that I had to get two jobs, drive a diesel Escort and only take one class per term didn't have an impact on HIS NEEDS.
And guess what? By the time my son was seven, even his mom had to admit that I was making every effort that I could and I obtained custody without a protracted court battle.
Today, that son is a senior at MSU, and is already working in his chosen field making $60k+. I think that I am seeing a pretty damn good return on my investment, and nobody cares (least of all me) about the crap that went on when he was a baby.
And, on the topic of garnishment...as per the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
"Of the total $17.7 billion owed for child support in 1991, $5.8 billion was not paid. Among those due support, about half received the full amount, about a quarter received partial payment and about a quarter received nothing."
"During FY 1999, almost $16 billion in child support payments was collected, and services were provided in over 19.3 million cases through the Program. In FY 1998, paternity was established for more than l.5 million children through the CSE Program and voluntary in-hospital acknowledgements, providing vital links between the children and their noncustodial parents. Almost 1.1 million new child support orders were established through the Program in FY 1998. The Federal government collected a record $1.3 billion in delinquent child support by intercepting income tax refunds of non-paying parents for tax year 1998."
Instead of making tastless jokes about murdering the mother of your children, or griping about the state garnishing your wages so you can spend it on frame sliders instead of your kids, maybe SOME (I didn't state all) of you should be working a little harder to make a difference in your child's life...
Flame away if you must, but think for a moment about why you are so angry...
Mike