Maryland seeks to jack up child support obligations, based on bogus inflation rationale

Submitted by Matt on Sat, 2010-01-30 23:21

Article here. Excerpt:

'A bill, SB 252, was just introduced in Maryland to increase child support obligations for households at most income levels – a massive 29% increase for a couple (with one child) making $3400 a month! Maryland residents, already burdened by state tax increases, now face additional burdens.

I don't live in Maryland, and I'm not divorced, so I won't be affected by the bill. But as a lawyer who has studied most states' child support guidelines, I find the economic ignorance behind the bill infuriating.

The bill is based on the bogus rationale that child support awards must go up, because inflation has increased child-rearing costs over the years. But under Maryland's existing child support guidelines, awards are based on income -- the more you make, the more you pay! So when incomes and prices rise due to inflation, so, too, do child support payments. The guidelines thus contain a built-in inflation adjustment.

Yet some Maryland officials apparently do not grasp basic economics, arguing that “today’s child support levels" are too low because they "are based on the economic realities of 1988, when a gallon of gas cost $1.08 and a first-class stamp was 22 cents.”'

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Of course state sanctioned looting of people's bank accounts will bring on more murder/suicides in broken families.

IT IS NOT THE STATE'S BUSINESS TO MICROMANAGE THE FINANCIAL SIDE OF CHILD SUPPORT. IT IS UP TO THE PARENTS TO AGREE ON WHAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT THE CHILDREN SHOULD HAVE DUE TO THE FINANCIAL HARDSHIPS THAT DIVORCE ALWAYS BRINGS WITH IT. THE ONLY LEVEL OF SUPPORT THE STATE SHOULD MONITOR IS THAT THE CHILDREN HAVE THE BARE MINIMUM TO SUPPORT THEM. ANYTHING ABOVE THIS LEVEL IS THE PARENT'S RESPONSIBILITY JUST LIKE IT IS IN AN INTACT FAMILY UNIT.

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Submitted by Luek on Sun, 2010-01-31 01:25

These scumbags know that inflation adjustment is already built into child support guidelines, since child support is calculated as a percent of wages. They know even if they are total idiots, because they have economic advisers; and state government employed economists that tell them the impact of their legislation.

What they are banking on is that the average joe is either too stupid, or indifferent to call them on their bullshit. Unfortunately they are correct.

What's in it for statewide politicians? More revenue for their state budgets. A pretty good deal considering that many states are in danger of fiscal collapse as a result of this recession. Instead of cutting back on state services and risking losing the next election to angry voters; they can just extort the money from single dads, with the threat of jail time if we don't pay up. It's not like most of us ever fight back anyway.

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Submitted by insdel2005 on Sun, 2010-01-31 01:49