Child Support Is An Issue

Child Support IS An Issue

by Harmony

I know that there are a lot of things that are concerning our leaders right now. I'm not knocking those issues, they are very important to me and everyone else. But, there are a lot of smaller issues for which solutions can be found and easily implemented.

My current little cause, besides the really big issues, is Child Support Enforcement. Did you know that most single parents on state funded support are also in the CSE system? This support is usually food stamps, subsidized child care, and medical care. In some cases it includes TANF or AFDC (welfare checks) as well. Did you know that almost 90 BILLION is out in unpaid child support? Didn't think you did.

Did you know that the CSE caseworkers are overworked for most states. This means that the state doesn't have the resources to track down "Deadbeat Parents" so those parents keep racking up more and more unpaid child support. And some states fight to keep private agencies from being able to share the burden of the huge workload and track down Deadbeat Parents.

Sure, every now and then a "Deadbeat Parent roundup" makes the news. But those are usually noncustodial parents that have known addresses or have missed a few payments because they were out of work and didn't know how to report it. Not usually the ones who they don't have the resources to find.

Did you also know that children in these unstable monetary conditions are more likely to have behavioral and emotional problems? Boys in these environs are more likely to resent women and/or become abusers. As well as the girls. Did you know that girls brought up in this situation are more likely to seek out the wrong kind of attention from the opposite sex. As well as the boys. Did you know that parents in this situation are more likely to succumb to the stress of everyday life and end up taking it out on their children. Kids in these situations are more likely to become teen parents, drug abusers or both. They are also more likely to abandon their own children. How about that many of the custodial parents are forced to live in "ghetto" neighborhoods because they can afford the rent. They also have to make decisions like "should I buy food, or pay the water bill?"
Not my problem you say. I don't need their support because I can do it on my own. Well, consider this….

You are "doing it on your own" and succeeding. But someone else out there isn't doing as well. Their child (child B) goes to your child's (child A) school. Child B feels inadequate, so they lash out at other children around them. Either physically or emotionally. Child A becomes a victim of this. Now does it effect you?

No, you say. Because you're a happily married couple, or don't have any children. Well, how about this. Tax dollars fund state welfare programs. The 90 billion I mentioned earlier is coming out of your pay check each payday. And that number keeps growing as each week passes.

Did you know that, in some states, if you leave your child in the car while you dash into the 7-11 to get a carton of milk that you can be charged with child neglect? Did you also know that abandoning your child in the way that some Deadbeat Parents do isn't considered a crime. Our children can be taken out of our homes for so many things and we can be charged with abandonment, neglect, abuse, and endangerment. But if you just simply walk away from your responsibilities and rack up debt that contributes to the aforementioned 90 billion it's not a crime.

We know that, as Pagans, we have a possibility of our children being taken away on the grounds of us being a Pagan. We know that's wrong. We work to change this. But what happens to the single parent who has to make the decision to work some overtime to pay bills and has to chose to let their child be a latchkey kid (young kids who stay home alone until parents get home from work) to be able to work those extra hours. That parent, if the right kind of neighbor gets involved, risks having the child they are working hard to support taken away from them.

Did you also know that this issue remains in the background because the people who it directly effects don't have time to write letters and get involved. If you have to work 50-60 hours a week to keep food on the table you don't have time to write letters. Sleep is too important. Time with your children is too important.

I think it's time that parents who cant speak for themselves know that someone out there is supporting them. I've written letters, but no one cares.

I wish our leaders would realize that neglecting to pay child support is an issue. And it's a crime. If someone walks away from a child that they helped to create then they are no different from the person who dumps their child in a trash can. It's not a debt issue, it's a child issue. It should be a crime to fail to support a life you bring into the world. It should be considered abuse, neglect, abandonment, and/or endangerment. So why isn't it?