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Irrational Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 7th 09, 11:25 PM posted to alt.child-support
Dusty
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 340
Default Irrational Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines

http://www.openmarket.org/2009/01/02...rt-guidelines/

Irrational Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines
by Hans Bader
January 02, 2009

Massachusetts has long had some of the most excessive child support
guidelines in the nation: for just one child, the father is ordered to pay
close to 25% of his gross income, or more than 35% of his after-tax income,
to the mother. This amount of money grossly exceeds the cost of raising a
child, and there's no obligation even to spend the money on the child,
rather than the mother. As a result, the father often has a disposable
income that is just a fraction of the income of the mother's household.

But excessive as the guidelines are, the state courts are now promulgating a
child-support schedule that radically increases the rates by 60 percent for
middle-class households where the father and mother make similar amounts
(like $40,000 each or $60,000 each). The guidelines are not
rationally-related to the costs of rearing children.

The new guidelines are harmful to children, not just their fathers. Children
spend up to a third of their time in their fathers' care, yet Massachusetts'
child support guidelines financially destroy many divorced fathers, leaving
them chronically broke and thus unable to provide their children a nice home
to live in during visitation. The state child support guidelines give
fathers little if any reduction in child support payments for the time and
money they spend caring for their children during extensive visitation, even
though such care reduces the child-care costs of the recipient mother and
increases the father's expenses.

This financial havoc can't be justified by claiming that divorced fathers
had it coming: most divorces in this country are no-fault divorces initiated
by wives, rather than husbands (wives initiate about two-thirds of all
divorces, according to data collected by the National Center for Health
Statistics, and the many studies reviewed by Sanford Braver of Arizona State
University in his 1998 book Divorced Dads: Shattering the Myths).

It is also frankly sexist: unlike nearby states, like Maine and Connecticut,
where fathers have some realistic chance of getting primary or shared
custody, in Massachusetts, trial judges tend to award primary custody to
mothers over similarly-qualified fathers, even when the fathers are fit
parents who have been very actively involved in the lives of their children.
Everyone knows that these guidelines are intended to milk fathers to benefit
their ex-wives (and their divorce lawyers). Prominent divorce lawyers like
Richard Crouch have noted that in practice, child-support and spousal
support laws are often applied in a sexist fashion.

As excessive as the child-support guidelines are, alimony is often awarded
on top of it. Alimony is awarded in Massachusetts even to wives who have
committed adultery or engaged in domestic violence. (Most states award
alimony without regard to fault; a minority preclude alimony based on fault,
such as adultery; and some states that generally ignore fault still forbid
spouses who have perpetrated domestic violence to collect alimony. A few
states, like California, even award alimony to low-income husbands, but in
most states, courts are, in practice, much more willing to award alimony to
wives (even those who are quite capable of supporting themselves) than to
low-income husbands, even if the husband did something praiseworthy like
working to pay his wife's college bills).

I should note in closing that I am not divorced, have no child support
obligations, and no personal or family history of entanglement with the
family courts or divorce courts. My only connection to Massachusetts is
spending three years earning a degree at Harvard Law School, and reading
dozens of Massachusetts family-court cases. (Years ago, I also read the
child support guidelines of virtually every state).

  #2  
Old February 8th 09, 12:01 AM posted to alt.child-support,alt.politics.economics,alt.politics.usa.constitution
DB[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 266
Default Irrational Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines

I think it's only right that men should pay for the majority of all child
care expenses as women are incapable of taking on such a task. I now
realize that my father being a blue collar worker was the only one capable
of raising 3 children on his own, no woman could have accomplished that.


"Dusty" wrote in message
...
http://www.openmarket.org/2009/01/02...rt-guidelines/

Irrational Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines
by Hans Bader
January 02, 2009

Massachusetts has long had some of the most excessive child support
guidelines in the nation: for just one child, the father is ordered to pay
close to 25% of his gross income, or more than 35% of his after-tax
income, to the mother. This amount of money grossly exceeds the cost of
raising a child, and there's no obligation even to spend the money on the
child, rather than the mother. As a result, the father often has a
disposable income that is just a fraction of the income of the mother's
household.

But excessive as the guidelines are, the state courts are now promulgating
a child-support schedule that radically increases the rates by 60 percent
for middle-class households where the father and mother make similar
amounts (like $40,000 each or $60,000 each). The guidelines are not
rationally-related to the costs of rearing children.

The new guidelines are harmful to children, not just their fathers.
Children spend up to a third of their time in their fathers' care, yet
Massachusetts' child support guidelines financially destroy many divorced
fathers, leaving them chronically broke and thus unable to provide their
children a nice home to live in during visitation. The state child support
guidelines give fathers little if any reduction in child support payments
for the time and money they spend caring for their children during
extensive visitation, even though such care reduces the child-care costs
of the recipient mother and increases the father's expenses.

This financial havoc can't be justified by claiming that divorced fathers
had it coming: most divorces in this country are no-fault divorces
initiated by wives, rather than husbands (wives initiate about two-thirds
of all divorces, according to data collected by the National Center for
Health Statistics, and the many studies reviewed by Sanford Braver of
Arizona State University in his 1998 book Divorced Dads: Shattering the
Myths).

It is also frankly sexist: unlike nearby states, like Maine and
Connecticut, where fathers have some realistic chance of getting primary
or shared custody, in Massachusetts, trial judges tend to award primary
custody to mothers over similarly-qualified fathers, even when the fathers
are fit parents who have been very actively involved in the lives of their
children. Everyone knows that these guidelines are intended to milk
fathers to benefit their ex-wives (and their divorce lawyers). Prominent
divorce lawyers like Richard Crouch have noted that in practice,
child-support and spousal support laws are often applied in a sexist
fashion.

As excessive as the child-support guidelines are, alimony is often awarded
on top of it. Alimony is awarded in Massachusetts even to wives who have
committed adultery or engaged in domestic violence. (Most states award
alimony without regard to fault; a minority preclude alimony based on
fault, such as adultery; and some states that generally ignore fault still
forbid spouses who have perpetrated domestic violence to collect alimony.
A few states, like California, even award alimony to low-income husbands,
but in most states, courts are, in practice, much more willing to award
alimony to wives (even those who are quite capable of supporting
themselves) than to low-income husbands, even if the husband did something
praiseworthy like working to pay his wife's college bills).

I should note in closing that I am not divorced, have no child support
obligations, and no personal or family history of entanglement with the
family courts or divorce courts. My only connection to Massachusetts is
spending three years earning a degree at Harvard Law School, and reading
dozens of Massachusetts family-court cases. (Years ago, I also read the
child support guidelines of virtually every state).



  #3  
Old February 8th 09, 09:23 AM posted to alt.child-support,alt.politics.economics,alt.politics.usa.constitution
Ed
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default Irrational Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines

DB wrote:

I think it's only right that men should pay for the majority of all child
care expenses as women are incapable of taking on such a task. I now
realize that my father being a blue collar worker was the only one capable
of raising 3 children on his own, no woman could have accomplished that.


What crap. It happens all the time, very literally.
Wars, disasters, car accidents, and other happenings have created
millions, possibly billions of widows throughout history. I have no idea
what percentage of them did or did not immediately remarry, but SOME
have undoubtedly raised their kids without a husband's income.
Ed Howdershelt - Abintra Press
Science Fiction & Semi-Fiction
http://www.AbintraPress.com
My Fictionwise Ratings: http://tinyurl.com/26v45
Shirts: http://abintrapress.netfirms.com/4boxes.htm
  #4  
Old February 8th 09, 07:53 PM posted to alt.child-support,alt.politics.economics,alt.politics.usa.constitution
DB[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 266
Default Irrational Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines


"Ed" wrote in message ...
DB wrote:

I think it's only right that men should pay for the majority of all child
care expenses as women are incapable of taking on such a task. I now
realize that my father being a blue collar worker was the only one
capable
of raising 3 children on his own, no woman could have accomplished that.


What crap. It happens all the time, very literally.
Wars, disasters, car accidents, and other happenings have created
millions, possibly billions of widows throughout history. I have no idea
what percentage of them did or did not immediately remarry, but SOME
have undoubtedly raised their kids without a husband's income.



Surely you jest, women are far too feeble minded to get a real career or
good paying job be able to support themselves and their child. If a man
makes a woman get pregnant, I'm all in favor of making sure that man is
punished and he will pay for all that child's expenses including a house,
car, vacations and new clothes every month too.

Thank God we live in a country where the government protects women that
cannot fend for themselves.
I couldn't imagine any woman to work as hard as my father did, women are too
weak to look after themselves and need a man to care for them.








  #5  
Old February 9th 09, 06:01 AM posted to alt.child-support,alt.politics.economics,alt.politics.usa.constitution
Dusty
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 340
Default Irrational Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines

"DB" wrote in message
...

"Ed" wrote in message ...
DB wrote:

I think it's only right that men should pay for the majority of all
child
care expenses as women are incapable of taking on such a task. I now
realize that my father being a blue collar worker was the only one
capable
of raising 3 children on his own, no woman could have accomplished that.


What crap. It happens all the time, very literally.
Wars, disasters, car accidents, and other happenings have created
millions, possibly billions of widows throughout history. I have no idea
what percentage of them did or did not immediately remarry, but SOME
have undoubtedly raised their kids without a husband's income.



Surely you jest, women are far too feeble minded to get a real career or
good paying job be able to support themselves and their child. If a man
makes a woman get pregnant, I'm all in favor of making sure that man is
punished and he will pay for all that child's expenses including a house,
car, vacations and new clothes every month too.

Thank God we live in a country where the government protects women that
cannot fend for themselves.
I couldn't imagine any woman to work as hard as my father did, women are
too weak to look after themselves and need a man to care for them.



ROTFLMAO!!

  #6  
Old February 9th 09, 07:57 AM posted to alt.child-support,alt.politics.economics,alt.politics.usa.constitution
DB[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 266
Default Irrational Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines


"Dusty" wrote in message
...
"DB" wrote in message
...

"Ed" wrote in message ...
DB wrote:

I think it's only right that men should pay for the majority of all
child
care expenses as women are incapable of taking on such a task. I now
realize that my father being a blue collar worker was the only one
capable
of raising 3 children on his own, no woman could have accomplished
that.


What crap. It happens all the time, very literally.
Wars, disasters, car accidents, and other happenings have created
millions, possibly billions of widows throughout history. I have no idea
what percentage of them did or did not immediately remarry, but SOME
have undoubtedly raised their kids without a husband's income.



Surely you jest, women are far too feeble minded to get a real career or
good paying job be able to support themselves and their child. If a man
makes a woman get pregnant, I'm all in favor of making sure that man is
punished and he will pay for all that child's expenses including a house,
car, vacations and new clothes every month too.

Thank God we live in a country where the government protects women that
cannot fend for themselves.
I couldn't imagine any woman to work as hard as my father did, women are
too weak to look after themselves and need a man to care for them.



ROTFLMAO!!



Dusty, I see nothing funny about helping out the weaker sex. We know for
years they have claimed they are men's equals in every way, but it's obvious
they cannot possibly meet the demands of existing on they're own and leading
an independent life without the assistance of the government to give them a
hand out when ever they conceive a child.

The fact that the government has programs to help women in this manner is an
admission of failure for the Women's movement as it only confirms that women
can do nothing more than be stay at home mothers.

Women should be thankful to men for providing them a country that entitles
them to free financing for their living expenses. My father was a very
proud man, he would never have accepted a hand out least expect somebody
else be forced to look after his family.






















  #7  
Old February 12th 09, 10:30 PM posted to alt.child-support,alt.politics.economics,alt.politics.usa.constitution
Dusty
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 340
Default Irrational Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines

"DB" wrote in message
...

"Dusty" wrote in message
...
"DB" wrote in message
...

"Ed" wrote in message
...
DB wrote:

I think it's only right that men should pay for the majority of all
child
care expenses as women are incapable of taking on such a task. I now
realize that my father being a blue collar worker was the only one
capable
of raising 3 children on his own, no woman could have accomplished
that.


What crap. It happens all the time, very literally.
Wars, disasters, car accidents, and other happenings have created
millions, possibly billions of widows throughout history. I have no
idea
what percentage of them did or did not immediately remarry, but SOME
have undoubtedly raised their kids without a husband's income.


Surely you jest, women are far too feeble minded to get a real career or
good paying job be able to support themselves and their child. If a man
makes a woman get pregnant, I'm all in favor of making sure that man is
punished and he will pay for all that child's expenses including a
house, car, vacations and new clothes every month too.

Thank God we live in a country where the government protects women that
cannot fend for themselves.
I couldn't imagine any woman to work as hard as my father did, women are
too weak to look after themselves and need a man to care for them.



ROTFLMAO!!



Dusty, I see nothing funny about helping out the weaker sex. We know
for years they have claimed they are men's equals in every way, but it's
obvious they cannot possibly meet the demands of existing on they're own
and leading an independent life without the assistance of the government
to give them a hand out when ever they conceive a child.

The fact that the government has programs to help women in this manner is
an admission of failure for the Women's movement as it only confirms that
women can do nothing more than be stay at home mothers.

Women should be thankful to men for providing them a country that entitles
them to free financing for their living expenses. My father was a very
proud man, he would never have accepted a hand out least expect somebody
else be forced to look after his family.


And therein lies the heart of my laughter.

  #8  
Old February 14th 09, 06:57 AM posted to alt.child-support,alt.politics.economics,alt.politics.usa.constitution
DB[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 266
Default Women have achieved nothing in 50 years!


"Dusty" wrote in message
...
"DB" wrote in message
...

"Dusty" wrote in message
...
"DB" wrote in message
...

"Ed" wrote in message
...
DB wrote:

I think it's only right that men should pay for the majority of all
child
care expenses as women are incapable of taking on such a task. I now
realize that my father being a blue collar worker was the only one
capable
of raising 3 children on his own, no woman could have accomplished
that.


What crap. It happens all the time, very literally.
Wars, disasters, car accidents, and other happenings have created
millions, possibly billions of widows throughout history. I have no
idea
what percentage of them did or did not immediately remarry, but SOME
have undoubtedly raised their kids without a husband's income.


Surely you jest, women are far too feeble minded to get a real career
or good paying job be able to support themselves and their child. If a
man makes a woman get pregnant, I'm all in favor of making sure that
man is punished and he will pay for all that child's expenses including
a house, car, vacations and new clothes every month too.

Thank God we live in a country where the government protects women that
cannot fend for themselves.
I couldn't imagine any woman to work as hard as my father did, women
are too weak to look after themselves and need a man to care for them.



ROTFLMAO!!



Dusty, I see nothing funny about helping out the weaker sex. We know
for years they have claimed they are men's equals in every way, but it's
obvious they cannot possibly meet the demands of existing on they're own
and leading an independent life without the assistance of the government
to give them a hand out when ever they conceive a child.

The fact that the government has programs to help women in this manner is
an admission of failure for the Women's movement as it only confirms that
women can do nothing more than be stay at home mothers.

Women should be thankful to men for providing them a country that
entitles them to free financing for their living expenses. My father
was a very proud man, he would never have accepted a hand out least
expect somebody else be forced to look after his family.


And therein lies the heart of my laughter.


Yes, if women were looking for equality, they are certainly welcome to have
it!
Women can ever achieve equality as long as they take men's charity.







 




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