The Detroit Free Press identifies Michigan as the 3rd worst state for collecting child support. Wendy Wendland-Bowyer writes (excerpt):
In Michigan, parents owe more than $7 billion in back child support. That’s the third-worst record in the country, and it shows no sign of shrinking anytime soon.
“It is an embarrassment,” said Judy Hartsfield, chief of the Child and Family Services Bureau in Cox’s office.
Said Geraldine Jensen, president of the Association for Children for Enforcement of Support, which represents those owed the money: “It’s appalling. One has to look at this $7 billion in how many boxes of cereal, gallons of milk, pairs of tennis shoes, and missed opportunities it has meant for Michigan children.”
Just imagine how high that number would be if this state didn’t have the rediculous provision to stop the accumulating of child support while the non custodial parent is incarcerated. My ex is 20,000 dollars behind, and he’s been incarcerated for approx. 4 out of the 7 years our order has been in place.
Each time my ex-husband doesn’t pay his monthly child support, Friend of the Court just lets him get away with it. He is more than $32,000 in arrears. In September I asked for and received a support review and raise. In November, he did not pay anything, so a show-cause hearing was set. He didn’t show up. His CDL license was suspended and a bench warrant was issued. In January his license suspension and the bench warrant were rescinded with the provision that he go back to what he was paying prior to having the child support raised. (how convenient for him) In February I again received no child support payment. I called Friend of the Court immediately requesting another show-cause hearing only to get a letter 8 days later telling me that they had sent him a letter requesting both February and March payments. He still hasn’t paid the November payment and now they send him a letter requesting two payments instead of suspending his license again. Are they crazy? He skirts around the rules all of the time. He has hidden his income for the past 12 years and no one seems able or willing to do anything about it. They just let him keep on doing the same things. He is not making any headway on paying the arrearage because they allow him to not pay. I just keep getting further and further behind financially because the child support I’m supposed to be able to count on can’t be counted on. He supposedly doesn’t own anything in his name as we’ve tried in the past to take his vehicles and found that they are not listed in his name. I have written to our governor asking for advice. What else can I do? Any suggestions would be helpful. I’ve been fighting for child support for almost 15 years now. I feel like I’m not just fighting him for it but also Friend of the Court.
Yep, my son’s father was ordered to pay 80.00 a month (20.00 a week, 2.88 a day, which I might add is for a growing skinny boy that eats his fair share of food that this hardly covers the cost of his appetite.) He was ordered this amount back in 2003 and it is now 2009. His failure to pay this small amount has accumulated to over ten thousand dollars. He has managed to dodge the courts with “feel sorry for me stories” such as “I have a bad back.” Although he goes bowling every Sunday with such “bad back” and has informed me of his snow plowing capabilities with such “bad back”. The list of activities that he can do with this so called bad back are endless until it comes to getting a job that doesn’t pay under the table in his effort to avoid payment of support. This is crazy. However, I refuse to blame the courts and the system for the problem. I blame the fathers or mothers whatever the case may be. They should take responsibility for their children.
I have a unique case that allows me to see both sides. My second child does not live with me and I pay support to his father. I pay because I see the results of a child whose parent that does not everyday. I see the benefits of a child whose parent that does. My oldest son is doing without many things while my youngest child has many benefits. Just to give some examples, my youngest child gets to join extra curicular activites and take vacations while my oldest son does not. My youngest child gets brand new school clothes every year while my oldest child gets resale clothes. I wish I could afford these things for my oldest child but I do not have super powers and I cannot do it all on solely my income. So if you are one of those parents that are saying, “I’m not paying that ex anything!” and you aren’t. I blame you.
You can plant all the seeds in the world but if you don’t give them water, clean air and sunshine the chances of the seed growing is slim. The chances of the seed dying even if it does grow is high. As 2 Pac referred to the rose that grew from concrete with the bent and messed up stems. As we now refer to him as “dead”. He grew but he also died. Think about it…