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Originally Posted by James81  As for the original post, I've used this arguement countless times in abortion debates and it's so funny to watch the people who are die-hard pro-choice use very pro-life structured arguements to deflect this line of thinking. It's very amusing for me to watch because I would think that if you are pro-choice, you should be pro-choice all the way.
As for the title of the thread (which I entered this thread thinking it was about something very different), I think child support need some serious revamping. Here's how I would do it:
1. ALL cases of child support are only set up upon a completion of a paternity test. No ifs, ands, or buts. Any woman who wants to receive child support should comply with allowing a paternity test to be taken. There are far too many cases out there where a man who isn't the father is paying the support and that is just fraud in my book. So neutralize that by cutting it off at the source.
2. Child support money should NOT be just a paycheck handed over to the mother (or, from what I understand, it's like a debit card they get nowadays I think) to do with what she pleases. There should be very clearcut distinctions that the money is to be used in ways that benefit the child. So here's how it should be doled out:
A. A portion of the money will be automatically forwarded to either the woman's rent or house payment. It won't even pass through her fingers.
B. A portion of the money will be automatically forwarded to utility bills (phone, electric, etc.). Again, the money doesn't even pass through her fingers. These two things are things that most directly affect the child, so they should be a priority on the child support list.
C. Another portion of the money would be relegated to a savings account for college and education expenses. Money withdrawn from this account before they hit college would need receipts to show where the money was spent (so that they could assure it was being spent on educational expenses).
D. The rest of the money would be doled out to her in a similar fashion as WIC is structured. There are specific things (diapers, wipes, clothes, food, etc.) that are on the "approved" list (give it a LOT of flexibility....it doesn't have to be a certain brand and it doesn't have to be stringient....it just needs to be 100% assured that she is not buying beer, cigs, or drugs or crap like that with it).
None of the above would require THAT much more overseeing. Once you got it in place, it would be pretty well automatically self-sustaining and the kids would benefit from ALL the money all the time, and it would assure that only the true father is paying for the child. The money should automatically be pulled from his paycheck. If a man doesn't have a job (or works for money under the table to avoid paying it), he should be thrown in jail. |
I do think this would be a step in the right direction, though I do still like Angela's solution better. That said, I'd like to get some clarification on your ideas towards the end.
First, what if the man earns income in some manner other than a job? If he can legally earn the money in a manner other than a standard job, he shouldn't be penalized for this. There should be a way other than paycheck deductions in order to deal with this.
Second, what if he loses his job? Times are rough right now, and some people legitimately
can't find work. Throw him in jail anyway? That won't benefit the child. Better if he's allowed to search for work so he can resume payments as soon as possible. Also, would you be for letting child support payments be scaled to the pay he earns in the event he loses his job and can't find one as well paying as before?
Third, would you be willing to apply these same requirements to a woman when the man has primary custody of the child?
Finally, I offer these scenarios on the assumption that the man has a legitimate reason to pay child support. There are scenarios mentioned earlier in the thread in which I would have to say he shouldn't have to pay at all, though those scenarios are generally not too common.
Edit: In your plan, I do like very much that the money is directly forwarded to pay for things that will benefit the children. Very sleek, and makes sure the money goes where it should.