by Robin Tidwell

Created on: October 11, 2010

Several entities benefit from the government requiring men to pay child support: children, custodial parents, and bureaucracy.  Something to remember, however, is that not only men are charged with paying support to their children; a lesser known fact is that many women, too, are required to pay support to custodial fathers.

Children do benefit from court-ordered child support, “court” being the equivalent of government in family law cases.  If, for example, two children are being raised by two parents, with two incomes but, post-divorce, they are now living with one parent and approximately half that income, they certainly benefit from support payments received – yes, even if the custodial parent doesn’t use the money directly for the welfare or wants of the children.  Many things are or should be covered by “child” support, such as rent or mortgage, food, utilities, and so forth.

Custodial parents benefit as well as, living within a reduced income, they are receiving at least financial help as a matter of assistance; many do not receive any other kind of help from the absent parent.

Bureaucracy is, of course, a living thing, preying on the disorganization and double-dipping of many a government office.  Child support enforcement, and the federal government interference in such, mostly does nothing but keep the wheels grinding.  Why else would it take so long and so many hoops through which parents must jump in order to assure that a non-custodial parent follow a judge’s order?

Contrary to popular belief, states do not “make money” from child support collections; making money implies that states are now able to balance their budgets, that they have a surplus.  Reading the news on any given day will refute this concept.  States simply plow this so-called excess money right back into the bureaucracy in order to keep it afloat and to give hope to financially floundering custodial parents.

And yes, there are many other issues.  Most states use an income-sharing model to configure child support payments; some use a flat percentage.  Is this fair?  Depends on who is asked, custodial or non-custodial.  The majority of parents, however, want the best for their children, but we usually hear only or mostly the horror stories.

Parents who squander support on non-essentials, such as luxury cars or vacations; parents who demand more and more, yet refuse to contribute

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