Deadbeats

I have been venting all day today about not getting child support.
I do this about every couple of months.
Probably around the time my daughter needs something like:
an eye exam/contacts, braces, shoes, clothes, CD's, jewelry, money...
and it always happens when I'm broke when she needs things.

I emailed the state child support office today.
Am anxious to see how long it takes them to respond.

I told them that with him owing more than $50,000 in back support,
they should want to speed things up and that 11 years was plenty.
For the last 2 years they say that the case is in the "legal process".
I assume they are actually meaning it is misfiled someplace never to
surface again.

I have been to website to website, message board to message board
trying to find out anything that would help me out. Nothing.
We are all in the same boat not knowing where to turn.

What I wish more than anything is if I could come up with a "WANTED"
poster of him and have them hung all over the town where I know he is.

Problem is.....he is NOT wanted as it is still in the legal process.
Forever ~ possibly.

Don't get me wrong ~ I am sympathetic to both sides of the child support issues.
I am sympathetic to the fathers paying as I am to the mothers.

Child support shouldn't have to be so complicated ~ getting things through the court system, having to depend on an attorney, trying to get payments reduced, etc... I am sure that there are many fathers out there paying way too much in payments who feel helpless in getting it resolved ~ but there are others who are getting away with paying next to nothing. The system that is in place in my opinion is a complete failure, especially to those who are trying to deal with collecting out of state like myself.

My husband pays way too much and has since we first got married.
We almost divorced a time or two over it but somehow managed through. Since that time, they have raised it again even though his income fell. He continues to make payments toward the back child support owed the day they walked out of court ~ $80.00/mo extra for the last 9 years or more (we have been together 9) and still owes close to what he did then because of interest. If he misses 1 payment (changed jobs or payment sent in late) ~ notice in the mail immediately.

So, how is it that my daughters father has flown under the radar as long as he has? Why has he not been threated by having to go to jail? Problem there is he wouldn't mind....that way the state could feed and shelter him and give him the medicines he needs. So what, they let him out, he still doesn't pay, he goes back? Free ride. In the meantime, my daughter could be hungry -- but he has food and shelter.

My biggest question is why do they threaten to take doctors or lawyers licenses away for their failure to pay? Aren't they going to have a harder time trying to pay if they are sacking groceries at the local supermarket?

They say they will suspend a drivers' license for failure to pay.
My daughters father probably doesn't have one anyway and still drives.

My real concern now is whether or not this debt will hang over his head for the rest of his life. Is there a point when he isn't obligated to pay it? He wouldn't owe it to me, but would owe it to her.

She is going to have my husbands last name added to her name on her birthday. I am so happy about that. He has been the only father she has known and am so happy that she wants to have his name and we can all have the same name.

Hopefully I will have a response soon from their office. Probably the same cut and paste letter/email they send everyone.