But, what's going to happen with all the parents obligated to pay child support during this economic hardship, where jobs are scarce? Many parents who are obligated to pay child support are falling in arrearages every day they are without work. We all who are unemployed has that angry wolf at the door growling to be fed. We all have debts and that we are unable to sufficiently pay as we try our best to hunt down jobs to keep the bill collectors off of our backs. But, when you are a parent who owes child support, that wolf at the door is more meaner.
Back child support is unilaterally treated as a crime. First they attack the obligated parent by revoking their right to have a driver's license. How is this parent supposed to go out to fill out applications all over and attend interview meetings, if they are unable to legally drive and there is no public transportation available at that address? Even if there was a bus stop at the job site that can get you to your interview, it's the getting on and off the bus to fill out applications that can get time consuming and you end up paying for re-boarding a bus to get to another destination. In this day in age, it's almost impossible to find work without your own transportation, especially when most jobs require that you do so.
If the court system is unable to bully an obligated parent with taking their driver's license away, they send this struggling parent this nice notice stating that you are to attend this meeting to discuss the child support arrearages and see how they can help you meet your child support obligations. But, they add this statement that if you do not comply, then they will bring a lawsuit against you in court, and that a decision will be made as to what punishment the obligating parent will get at the time of the hearing. This can include anything from reporting the child support debt to the collection agencies who will seek every asset you have in order to sell it and turn it in to cash to pay the other parent the child support owed.....to being put away in jail for an indefinite amount of time.
It's so incredible how a spouse abuser can get arrested and put into jail and then released within 24 hours to 3 days, yet one who owes a child support debt at no fault of their own are locked up in the slammer with no maximum set days. Reason being, is that if a obligating parent does not sign this contract, that clearly outlines a plan to pay the child support back that this parent knows full well that it will be impossible to do, then the law keeps that parent in jail until that parent complies. But, just say this parent does sign that contract, this contract is binding and the punishment for not complying to what you basically agreed to by signing it, is to be found in contempt of court and immediately arrested and sent back to jail. Talk about a catch 22!!!
Yes, there are real dead beat parents that need this treatment, but why should the majority that are just struggling to meet their child support obligations get the same treatment as those dead beat parents? None of us born and bred Americans who are unemployed because of this failing economy asked for that terrorfying day of September 1, 2001....nor did we ask for a war to be started over it.....much less ask for it to continue as long as it has. Rather you are a parent who has lost the ability to secure employment because of economical hardship or not, unemployment hurts all who are suffering from it right now.
I am so thrilled and hopeful of President Obama, when I hear him say his plans are to bring our men and women home from Iraq within a year and to finally let Iraq deal with their own political and social issues....and to restore America's economy to where we can get ourselves back in financial order as we were prior to this war. I am hoping with all hopes that Obama is going to keep his word and that the dream we as Americans are working on right now to heal ourselves from this war will become a reality.
As far as his plans to end this punishment of taking the right to have a driver's license away from parents who are obligated to pay child support if they should fall behind in payments, I applaud him. I just hope he is also thinking about ending the punishment of parents who are in arrears with their child support obligations, however the means the punishment is currently established, who are honestly struggling with finding gainful employment during this economic hardship.
It makes no sense to take away driver's license or cause more of a financial burden on tax payers by placing parents who are behind in child support payments in jail as a common criminal. All who are unemployed and behind in paying debts because of this economic hardship should be treated equally fair. I along with others are eagerly waiting for Obama to announce a solution to end punishing obligated parents who are honestly doing all they can right now just to survive themselves until America is restored economically once again.
