Where’s the motivation for the government?

Reform child support to encourage parents to pay — baltimoresun.com

While I undoubtedly say Amen to all of what Mr. Cohen says, he must realize that is an uphill battle. The state has a sword of Damocles to dangle over the head of non custodial parents and particularly fathers. Oppose them, and you look like you are opposing children. Do you think the state will willingly give that up? If you had those powers to collect any other type of debt, would you willingly give them up? I don’t think you would, and it looks like we’re going to have to pry that power out of the CSE’s cold, dead hands.

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Let justice ring

Macomb Daily : Dad not guilty of felony child support charge 11/17/07
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Too often I read about this or that father being sentence to two, three years of hard labor (which really improves their odds of paying child support, by the way), so it’s nice to hear that one father was actually acquitted of these charges. And I don’t really like to do negative after negative story without breaking it up.

Corey Flener found the prospect of four years in the slam and a fine lifted when a jury decided the state had failed to prove him guilty of “felony child support” (I love that phrasing. I’m sure what they meant was felony non payment of child support but the other has more meaning to me as well).

Keep in mind that this doesn’t completely get him out of the way of jail time. He still faces a civil show-cause hearing (where the burden is much lighter for the state) for failure to pay two $2,300 lump sum amounts. But at least the felony mark is off the table for now.

The action was brought by the Michigan State Attorney General’s office as a crackdown on child support. Glad to see Cox’s still burning that midnight oil.

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