Deadbeat Dads - get a small fraction of what should be coming to them

Mary T. Wagner’s essay for the Washington Post “Corralling Deadbeat Dads” gets to the heart of the matter…..or rather the lack of heart.

Statistics on the Web site of the federal Administration for Children and Families show that the federal and state partnership governing child support enforcement carried a caseload of 15.9 million families in fiscal 2005. Those numbers reflect the mandatory inclusion of parents who have custody and receive some kind of government benefits, and other custodial parents who voluntarily seek state help in getting their child-support orders enforced.

During that fiscal year, more than 11 million of those cases were listed as having some kind of child support arrears due -- and only a little more than half of those were listed as having payments coming in toward the arrears in child support. That's a lot of money not sent or spent on shoes, school supplies, haircuts or summer camp.

How, just how do these guys walk away from their children’s welfare like that.

I’m sorry but 2 and half years is not enough. Any man who walks away from supporting his children should be chemically castrated to ensure he never reproduces again…and you all thought I was a bleeding heart liberal…then put to work in a forced labor camp where every cent earned goes to catch up back support.

I have a 7 year old daughter who is the joy of my life, and no matter what negative thing could ever happen between my wife and I (and I pray everyday nothing ever does), I could never walk away from her emotionally or financially and live with myself.

I am not talking about those who choose to put their child up for adoption, just the opposite, I believe those individuals made the ultimate sacrifice to do what they truly felt was best for their child at heart wrenching personal expense.

I am talking about those who have chosen to walk away from clear moral and legal obligations they have to the welfare of their child(ren). I have no sympathy for them.

Yet there is a large group of Dads who I do have sympathy for, the ones who are up to date on support and do make every effort to be a part of their child(ren)'s life, yet they have to deal an ex-(wife-gf-lover etc) who uses the children as a weapon .... and yes I will stick my neck out and and say this is done by women much, much more often then it is ever done by the men.....they withhold visitation, they create every obstacle possible to the father being in their child's life.

So there now I have successfully pissed off everyone......could there be anything more pragmatic?