Child Support; Best Interest for who? Child, Parent or State

From a meeting with Utah State Senator Greg Bell. Child support is often thought of money spent in the child's best interest. However, the unspoken truth is that child support is unaccounted funds given to the custodial parent and further used in a competition for federal bonus funds.

In the first half of the video, concerned citizen, Tony Curtis, questions whose interest is served by child support. Senator Bells attests that millions of dollars are tied to child support - the interest of the state. In the second half of the video a grown child of divorce testifies as to the need for more accountability.

One of the most discussed issues at the meeting was 50/50 equal parenting legislation. Senator Bell explained to attendees the difficulties with jumping immediately to a 50/50 parenting presumption from the legislative and practical points of view and was open to looking further into 50/50 equal parenting based on research and studies.

Transcript:
Audience member: The best interests of the child is what I want to talk about. When we discuss this issue of 50/50 custody what often comes up is the economic situation for mothers. That's not talking about the best interests of the child then. You've switched from the best interests of the child now to the best interests of one parent. And what I would like to say about this is we really need to separate those two issues, because if it's truly in the best interests of the child having involvement from both parents, then why are we messing with that because we're concerned about economics for one parent?

Senator Bell: Well, you make a great point and if you and I were designing a new world that's where we would start. But we're not. We're stuck with a system and I'm just saying that there's no way you're going to lop off hundreds of millions of child support overnight or for even a three year ammortization. You know what I'm saying. It's a huge economic and social shift and you know whether you and I and all the angels agree or not we're not going to get the governor and 103 other people you know to move there overnight so ah you're right. The interests of the child is not necesarily found with the child support cause the child support may or may not go to the best interest of the children.

Another audience member: Senator Bell, I am one of those children. My parents divorced in Montana. And my dad currently lives here in Utah. It was a very unfair situation and I'd like to see something on the legislature that puts parents in responsibility to that child support. I'd like to see a program like Horizontee cards for welfare that maybe we keep track of that child support so that we know it's going for the children cause it's not parental support, it's child support. And my mom took the child support and didn't use it to support me. My mom never gave me a college fund. She never made sure I had the tools to be a successful adult. I escaped from my mother from a very abusive situation at the age of 17. My dad had to continue paying child support till I was 19. And I didn't live with my mom and I had no support from her. I would like to see something on the legislature that changes to where we do keep track of child support. My dad is currently $140,000... of what it goes towards, of what it's spent on. Because the price of raising a child is not dependent on a percentage of a wage, it is a price, but shouldn't we keep track of where that money goes so it's not used for mommy when the children are gone, for her and the new husband to go away to Hawaii. That's not a very useful use of that child support... and there's parents trading there child support for drugs and all sorts of ridiculous things.

Just how much money is this hundreds of millions in child support?? According to the website of the Utah Office of Recovery Services, over $195.9 million was collected in fiscal year 2006. Of this amount over $23.4 million was distributed to the Utah Department of Health (as apposed to being distributed to recipient parents), and at least $6.3 million made it directly into the state's general fund (as apposed to being distributed to recipient parents).

Category:

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Tags:

• child
• support
• fathers
• rights
• non-custodial
• parents
• divorce
• meetup
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• utah
• politics

[tequilacrazy]

@1zzzzzzz1 Fuck a bitch get money have fun fuck the drama. Im never getting married bcuz of this bullshit. Work so hard to earn something to be taking away just bcuz you married this lazy bitch..I say fuck you..

[unclefixer]

Learn the law, fact: most child support is based on void judgments and can be gotten rid off.  NOO, it aint easy, the corrupt system is dependent on the continued stealing from fathers. Now , understand this , you still have to support you kids, after all they are your kids. The Supreme Court says you can make private arrangements and kick the greedy state out. You support your kids and yourself, not the greedy ex and the government thugs they invited to ride on your back.

[dearestjen]

@u2hubbard Dont have kids then. Stupid ass.

[robbiedaug]

Then he writes and sings a song for and to his daughter 18 years later and puts it on youtube.

[robbiedaug]

A rich woman found this good-looking, young, poor guy who didn't even finish high school and never wanted kids because he couldn't afford them.So,she took him in, gave him money and a credit card. Took him back to her country, and screwed him over. She divorced him and then acted like he had the funds to pay child support.She earned about 100K at the time and the guy was depressed and on welfare because she forced him to have kids and then she sent him home disgraced.Hasn't seen his kids since.

[DemePoole]

Actually, "child support" is a multi-billion dollar a year business, collectively, that is.

[29Essan]

dont leak inside the cave, and the bear wont get you.

[smrfr]

Let's Inform The F.I.B?

ON female's that are CON's

[smrfr]

@atmdaddy youtube, wont let me write it.

[smrfr]

@atmdaddy a e o a e r j f m?

[atmdaddy]

@smrfr Child Extort can take up to 60% of pay, they can and have tried to take 100% but most employers and States have laws preventing this otherwise they would. They can seize bank accounts, all taxes, revoke any and all licenses, forge numbers and destroy documents and routinely discriminate. No? See Carol Rhodes youtube video straight from the horses mouth.