Support programs
For a long time now, government programs have assisted families who were unable to support themselves and their children totally. Welfare helps poor families survive by providing food vouchers, medical assistance, and a small dollar amount to aid with other household expenses. Initially set to give temporary support between employment and hardships, not to provide long term or life-long support. These programs provide a deterrent to help prevent cost of living crimes.

While Child Support programs are a separate deity, its laws were design to reimburse the government and this was its main purpose. The program was not initially design to help the children with a financially absent parent but it helps to offset the multi-millions government spends on government assistance programs. However, child support has been helpful in finding deadbeat parents.

Child support programs require both medical and financial support from the parent who is financially absent. Though child support laws are needed, the guidelines are in many cases unfair, and cannot be customized to each situation. This is a big problem for the non-custodial parent. Sometimes forcing the absent parent to need some type of assistance and many times, forcing parents to run away because they do not believe the system is fair. Then the once proud parent becomes a deadbeat.

Many times the child support system is use a tool taunt the other parent. Until lately, the Tennessee Child support system, did not even look at the custodial parents for financial support and did not consider that they maybe other kids in the home of the non-custodial parent.

The problem is that the custodial parent and the government does benefit, while at the cost of, an increasing number of responsible parents who are being targeted unfairly. Why? Because in family court systems there are many supportive parents, who are systematically denied simple parental rights and who are paying amounts that are not properly fitting for every situation.

The custody/child-support/ divorce industry supported by (Department of Human Services) DHS, focuses sole is on money, instead of, the child, the child's care, or the family's well-being. DHS fails in collection issues and has challenges in distribution of child-support.

The Problem with both current and proposed child support laws is that it puts an unreasonable financial burden on one parent. Most paying parents paying child support have to take up a second job and this does not allow time for visiting, because of work schedule or just simply to tired to spend quality time with the child. Some parents are only left with enough to afford a decent car to attend jobs, also without regard of the current family's need to survive, or the payer health. The supporter may not be able to afford support after being diagnosed with life threatening illnesses. Another question raised is that their is no accountability for whether or not the child support is actually spent on the children's support.

Parents who receive food support often trade in vouchers for drugs or cash for drugs. Is this the actual cost needed to support a particular child? Some children are not paid enough, others are paid too much because the laws are not flexible and children within the home of child supporters are not considered in monetary determination and collections and this is knowingly and deliberately.

The Payee also unfairly pays all the taxes or fees, and this are a hidden benefit and accounts for thousands of dollars over the course of a year. These laws do not even address the presumption of joint custody, nor does it promote joint custody. These laws mean non-payers will continue to loose their licenses and/ or go to jail, but this only takes from both the kids and the parents.

The money spent for bond or reinstatement fees for driver licenses are not credited to child support accounts at all. This money goes to 'the who knows where' fund. Most of all, most child support systems say nothing about the equal shared responsibility of both parents. Non-custodial parenting time, this is an issue as well. This does not allow the blending of both households, a balanced parenting system. The unknowingly, causes conflict and it disrupts private lives of good families.

The child support laws and programs should be reformed immediately. All welfare and child support guidelines should be revised, to support families who only need the support. The guidelines should reflect shared responsibility. The system should not be set up to make parent's enemies due to unfair programs of laws. The program should promote blended families.

A cost-sharing model should be put in place not an income-sharing model. The solution should start with mandatory-shared parenting or parenting plans. Mandatory joint parenting education and mediation services provided for conflicts. Judges should only decide issues parents could not agree on and judges and referees must have mandatory family law education to issue court orders.

Child support guidelines should be based on the actual costs of raising children, similar to standards established to support foster children, not some made up percentage from one parent's income. Most of all enforce parenting time, and when one parent will not cooperate, they should hold in contempt of court.

The argument on the benefits and drawbacks of child support are complicated and frequently debated by parents. The U.S. government should step in, concerning all state laws on child support. Government should work to minimize the numbers of those who live solely on welfare and child support, as well as. The future of these people is sometimes crippled by continued government aid and/or child support. Welfare was initially put in place to help those and to provide a means for them to obtain food while they search for a job. This helps to deter and reduced crimes of poverty, instead of enrolling them in prisons or jails. The future of these people is at hand. Welfare is a great government expense that all taxpayers pay for.

The government has attempted to limit welfare fraud and time spent on welfare, but their is no legislation in place to limit the need for child support. There is a need to reform child support laws, it is an issue. I would like to propose something that would deter broken families and unwedded mothers. Something should really be done by way of prevention. I propose family support, at no cost; mediation services should be put in place to help save families who are on the edge; there should be free unlimited and authentic family counseling; and counseling for single parents, for non-custodial for blending families.

Prevention is where the government should start, to avoid complication and the results of parents who are enemies. Measures should be put in place, to avoid using the government as tool for angry parents. Measures, to avoid dependences upon support programs. Prevention will most all help the children, help the families stay together, help blended families, and help support payers in unfair collections as well as distributions. All of these implications will lessen the demand and then use for government support programs.

I want to raise the question of how these situations originate. Sometimes these situations come about because of divorce, but mostly come about thru unwedded mothers. I believe that those mothers who need assistance after two children and they are unwedded, these particular parents should be required to work in order to get assistance. Provide these parents with job at McDonald, Goodwill, and/or City jobs: housekeeping, maintenance do not require experience.

Deadbeats who are unemployed should be provided jobs as well; street cleaning, bus sweeping or whatever does not require a skill. If an unwed parent continues to have children that they cannot provide for they should not be allowed to enter the programs or required to work additional hours. Let us make everyone pay for his or her action including the custodial parent.

In addition, I would like to add another question. Can we provide something more than a school counselor, but maybe a shrink, a psychotherapist as teacher assistance and for both the student and the teachers alike. Parents should who are on government assists, should be required to have testing and provide counseling for themselves. You have to admit some of us must be crazy.

This is a good place to put the money in a tri-system of education, social, parental support and psychology for all that is on welfare assistance and/or child support victims, which are obviously from broken homes. Let us not build more prisons; it is a band-aid for an open wound. Lets heal the root, the source, the soul, the person, the child, the family one at a time.

Required library time, and career interest classes should be added, real life classes, college prep class, technical career prep, do not expect that home can do alone; it takes a village to raise the child.

© May 2005 by Afromerica