Accountability for Child Support

[sapper]

My question involves child support in the States of: the entire usa

more of a idea/thought than a question.

i am and have been paying child support for quite awhile now(10+yrs).
i, for one, as a paying father would like the child support system to create a better system of accountability for the receivers of said payments.

meaning, (for example) lets say i pay $800.00 a month to the ex. (thats for two children ages 4 and 6)...

why can't this sytem get a credit card type program set up to where every month the payments are deposited into an account.
like food stamps, wic, etc. these credit cards would only allow certain transactions to happen. (ie: food, clothes, caycare, etc)

i feel there are those out there that willingly spend the cash on drugs, partying, etc... and not on the children it was intended for.
where is the accountability there? if there are no reports, child support division will never know...
and you might say, well ask that person where the money goes....
standard responce...... its not your business where i spend the money......

well i feel it is every parents BUSINESS to know where and what that money goes toward....
bash on....

[aaron]

While it's not even slightly unusual for child support payors to want to monitor, flyspeck and control the custodial parent's expenditures, as long as the children are being supported the manner in which the custodial parent manages household finances is none of their business. If the child is not being properly supported the remedy is to petition for custody.

If you truly believe that "it is every parents BUSINESS to know where and what that money goes toward", nothing is stopping you from presenting a full accounting of how you spend your household money to the custodial parent.

[Dogmatique]

why can't this sytem get a credit card type program set up to where every month the payments are deposited into an account.
like food stamps, wic, etc. these credit cards would only allow certain transactions to happen. (ie: food, clothes, caycare, etc)

Okay. So....food = lobster and steak for Mom, Ramen for the kids. That would be allowable, right?
Clothing. Calvin Klein jeans for Mom...Goodwill for the kids. That would be allowable too, no?

See the point here?

i feel there are those out there that willingly spend the cash on drugs, partying, etc... and not on the children it was intended for.
where is the accountability there? if there are no reports, child support division will never know...
and you might say, well ask that person where the money goes....
standard responce...... its not your business where i spend the money......

well i feel it is every parents BUSINESS to know where and what that money goes toward....
bash on....

Here you go. The "you" here is the recipient.

Treat your checking account like a swimming pool. Every month, you add 500 gallons of water from child support. You add another 1000 gallons from your job. Maybe you have a birthday and get another 50 gallons for gifts.

Now, you take 300 gallons out to pay your rent. You take 200 gallons out for food. Another 200 gallons for medical care.

How in the world would you be expected to know that the gallons you took out for food, clothing, etc was the same as the money that went in for child care? Obviously, you can't.

Child is fed, clothed, housed, yes? With very few exceptions that's ALL the court cares about. If the recipient wants to buy a Coach purse with the rest? Much as it might not seem "right" to you (obviously), that's how it is.

[sapper]

well obviously the respondants are receiving or never have had to pay child support.

you might understand the stand IF you were in my shoes.
there is nothing wrong with keeping people accountable. christ, if we kept our government accountable we wouldnt be in such a horrible state right now!
but i guess some are just happy going with the flow like sheep in a herd... baahhhh

[Dogmatique]

well obviously the respondants are receiving or never have had to pay child support.

you might understand the stand IF you were in my shoes.
there is nothing wrong with keeping people accountable. christ, if we kept our government accountable we wouldnt be in such a horrible state right now!
but i guess some are just happy going with the flow like sheep in a herd... baahhhh

And you know I have never been in the situation...how?

Move along.

[cbg]

Well, I've been in that position, and I think you're all wet.

Child support is supposed to reimburse the custodial parent for what they have already spent on the child. Nowhere does it say that every penny of the support has to be spent on the child and only on the child. If some of it goes to pay the rent, that's still supporting the child, who is not left without a roof over his head. If it pays the gas bill? The child is warm. Is mom supposed to spend all of her income on the living expenses and then use the child support to buy the kid fancies?

[aardvarc]

Or the obvious solution: wisely chose, marry, live with as a family, and raise the child together with the parent you created the child WITH, and then NO ONE has to bother with child support.

Relationships and marriages take work. LOTS of work. But certainly no MORE work for many as the emotional and financial resources they end up spending to fight over custody and support for 18 years. The effort and expense is gonna come on one end or the other - either making it work, or fighting about it if it doesn't (but only ONE of those ways gives the CHILD both parents in equality).

Just sayin'.

[sapper]

MOVE ALONG? BITE ME....

wet? what the hell is that?

" Nowhere does it say that every penny of the support has to be spent on the child and only on the child. If some of it goes to pay the rent, that's still supporting the child, who is not left without a roof over his head. If it pays the gas bill? The child is warm."
-i understand WHAT and WHERE child support is for! its for MY TWO.

BUT i also know she has had two other F#$k trophies and i have a feeling that my child support is going/went to feed, cloth and pay for her new trolls,
that is what i am getting at. ( i know i did not mention that earlier)

why is it so wrong that i know where my money goes?
i have no issue paying for MY TWO, but whats to say its not going to the two new trolls???? thats f'd up.
so basically she is getting $800 a month spending cash to do so what she pleases. B>S>!... what a great dam sytem we have here.
and then if i should get a raise or a better paying job i am supposed to go and tell child support that so they can rape even more money out of my living expenses????? not happening.
and to top that off, when i have them for the summer....... i still have to pay that witch child support even though I HAVE THEM THE WHOLE SUMMER!!!!!!! SCREW THAT!!!!!!!! that is straight up bull$#!t!
so excuse me if im some happy puppet just doing what our screwed up system says to do...

"Child support is supposed to reimburse the custodial parent for what they have already spent on the child." duh
"Is mom supposed to spend all of her income on the living expenses and then use the child support to buy the kid fancies?"
-mom has remarried and being a dual income military family (chairforce).....they are living pretty well. (new cars, new house, pool, vacations every year, etc......)
so this child support is more spending cash for her and her family.....

and for a little added info, i had my youngest for xmas break, she brought her clothes, they were raggity and old, shoes were worn, etc...
i asked why the dudes of crap? she said they had not gotten new clothes in a very long time... hmmmmm so where does my money go then.... why is it my youngest has crappy ill fitting clothes and yet they have new cars, etc?

[Dogmatique]

Are you done yet?

(You do realize that your child support is calculated over the year and then divided...right? So if you didn't pay for two months in the summer, you'd simply be paying more in the other months?)

Her husband is under no obligation to support YOUR offspring.

And you need some counseling.