Paying Child Support Without a Job or Car
support without car or job?
Police brought in more wanted parents Wednesday night, knocking on doors around the city in the hunt for about 700 parents — a fraction of the 6,500 active warrants for unpaid support. Nearly $13,000 was collected before Wednesday night’s sweep. The office is constantly working on new ways to collect the debts. The office is already looking at a plan that would allow them to seize vehicles from debtors. That is the story in Flint, Michigan. You’re are a deadbeat and aren’t going to pay anyway. We are taking your car to punish you. We will probably sell that car if we can.
Is taking a car an effective fear tactic or is it well within the rights of police or government to impound your car in order to make forcibly collect a child support payment? What is truly amazing about tactics in Michigan is that we hear a great deal about the punitive actions of child enforcement. At the same time the media is full of talk about the state’s economic troubles: lay-offs, unemployment and more. Could there be a connection between “deadbeats” and the inability to get a job. Doubtless, government hasn’t considered, much less care about such a thing.
September 9, 2008 at 9:07 am
As a resident of Michigan myself I will be the first to say that these tactics are redundant at best.
I understand and agree that parents should support their children, however in an economy that is hurting more and more every day, I highly doubt impounding a parents only means of transportation to and from work or locking them up in jail is going to force them to earn more or pay up faster.
In fact, I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of non-custodial parents who are labeled as “deadbeats” aren’t even able to see the children they are supporting, due to vindictive exes who are helped by lazy and useless court employees.
Personally I feel that in cases where a custodial parent isn’t allowing visitations with the other parent, then the custodial parent should be responsible for the support of that child during that time, period.
I don’t agree that anyone should have to pay for a child their not being allowed to see and I don’t care if it’s due to a court order or simply due to the vindictive nature of the other parent. If cutting someone out of a child’s life is that important, than the money should be cut too. Parents who use their children as a means of making a living sicken me and give bad names to good parents. But the fact that the courts here allow parents to treat children as leverage is even more disgusting than the parents who actually take advantage of this fact.
October 3, 2008 at 6:14 pm
child support is the largest scam in the world ,
it is not about the kids it is about the money !!
these judges and case workers are nothing short of
corrupt , heartless ,ignorant ,pathetic deadbeat losers !!etc ……
wake up people , child support is a sad joke !!!!!!!
check out carol rhodes and shirley moore on you tube !!
total corruption WATCH !!
October 4, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Another factor that is overlooked in these difficult times is the fact that not only are jobs scarce, but if an employee is let go from a job, the Unemployment Insurance Agency is so far behind it can take a long time before you can even find out if you’re eligable for unemployment. If your former employer disputes the unemployment claim, whicjh they do in most cases, you’re looking at aniother 4 to 6 weeks before even getting an answer. During this time child support is falling behind, homes are being forclosed, loans are near impossible to get approved and the Friend of the Court doesn’t blink an eye. Non payment, regardless of an individuals situation, is looked at as neglegent and you are in contempt of court.
Personally, I do not have a college degree, I have a lot of work experience and continue to look for a steady income but in this economy there are no guaranties’ . Any cash I get goes towards support, not paid in full, but it’s something. A motion to change support costs $60 just to file. I can’t even pay the support in full and I’m asked to pay $60 to even have my situation investigated. While jobs are getting harder to come by and wages continue to decrease, child support falls behind and that payment continues to rise. I do have an obligation there, I love my son and want nothing but the best for him. Non payment has only happened when there was no income. I’m not trying to dodge those who enforce support but the system needs to be revamped. My son’s Mother is healthy and absolutely capable of working but she chooses not to work as has been the case for 8+ years. She lives off of child support, has no intention on trying to find a job as it would make her ineligible for section 8 housing, food stamps, and welfare. (I do realize the failing economy is a force that is spreading across the nation) What is wrong with this system? Let me know if you come up with the answer, I’ll do the same.
October 29, 2008 at 7:36 am
michigan has gone way over board. with this. to take some ones car for them being late on paying or dont pay at all because of thier job. being cut is really stupid. they should be put in that kinda position once. then the state would change it real quick.
December 31, 2008 at 4:09 am
I live in Wyoming and I have to agree that this child support thing is pretty corrupt. If I can remember right, the law states that child support cannot be used as a profit for the custodial parent, so in C. Bennett’s case above, how is that legal if the child goes to school (should be at least at 8 years of age) and the mother does not work? This is what drives me nuts about the whole thing for my situation:
Me and my boy’s mom decided to start a family, so it did not happen by accident. We found a good doctor, who had delivered my 5 year old niece. 6 months into the pregnancy she called it quits with me. I understood the battle was going to come and I was okay with that. People with differing opinions may have to involve a third party ( judicial courts in this case). I found out through the process that she changed doctors, which ran the bill from the $2000 original cost to over $7500, which I was now resposible for half of, which was list as automatic arrearage in child support. Also I was responsible for arrearage back to the day I started the court process, and I was required to pay back what her lawyer and the Guardian ad litem required me to pay in order to see my son ( I started it in March 1997, got signed by judge in March 1998). with my payments and such, I was back over $3000. Due to not being allowed to see my son we went back to court in September 1999 ( I started the process in February 1999). I told the judge the mine closed (which indicates a drastic drop in income) and the judge nearly doubled my child support. I went in a year later to let him know I still wasn’t able to see my son and I still did not make the money I made at the mine and he refused to lower my child support, which kept me getting further in arrears, although I was making partial payments which kept me out of jail. Then in 2004 or 2005, after me not seeing my son for 3 years because she moved and wouldn’t let me know where, she tried to get my son adopted by her boyfriend ( that’s how I found her to serve her), and the judge denied her adoption process, and denied lowering my child support. I kept getting further and further behind on my child support, even paying what I could. I do visit my son at his school randomly ( she takes him out of school if she knows I am coming).So, now, after 13 years of this, I decided to get a job nearest to where I could, so if the judge gets mad and throws her in jail, he isn’t too far away from family that he knows. I have to come up with $16,000 for arrears, keep up with the current child support, and come up with about $9,000 to $13,000 before I can have a decent chance in court. So, I figure I have to make an extra $38,000 more this year than normal to get into court. I can apply for jobs, but I don’t do the hiring. The coolest part is that, let’s say I do end up making that extra money, they raise my child support further, because I will prove that I can do it. But, in doing so, I will not get to see my son, and the judge may not award visitation due to lack of visitation. Now, how crazy is all that? Does any one in government actually look at if the child support is a fair and accurate amount? Not in my case.
February 26, 2009 at 1:40 pm
im paying support for 13 years now-and have been behind once or twice maybe 3 times.
but the idea that the non custodial parent who pays -has to jump through a lot of d*** loop holes-is getting stupid,i lost my job and now because im in need of another job-i took a dishwashing job-just to try n keep up
well my now new employer is taking some money out n going to the courts-but yet they still hound me for arrears-
they want my lisence-my car -my tax money(refund)dahm i cant win.
i really dont mind paying-because it does take to -to have a child but d*** what the f***-are we in russia? -and even when a person goes to jail in f***** new york-for lets say 6 mo.the money still is owed and it gains interest and also on my credit report-theres no way for an honest guy to even try and get ahead.
getting really tired of it-and also believe that the system sucks and is only gonna get worse as time goes by.
why dont we have an honest lawyer-judge-who can set the standards based on the individuals credentials
frustrated in new york
bobby