Comments on: The war on deadbeat dads, a quarter century later

By: Timothy Harris

Timothy Harris — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 22:52:42 +0000

Moderate wage garnishment can work. Excessive wage garnishment is a disincentive to work.

I have known people who were a bit behind on their obligations but working and paying as they could who had their drivers licenses suspended by the child support system.

Gone is the job because they can no longer drive. That means the custodial parent gets *no* payments.

Those thrown in jail not only can’t make payments but are far less likely to find good employment afterwards.

While these policies are likely well intended, they are counterproductive in practice.

By: Canvasback

Canvasback — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 21:17:17 +0000

Anonymous,
A better approach would encourage men to pick up the tools of a trade and become more financially responsible for their children. It may be as simple as job mentoring and an affordable garnishment. Seizing a driver’s license, jailing someone, and charging them $10 per phone call is guaranteed not to work. Even most of the moms don’t want their child’s father in jail.
Your admiration for Margaret Sanger notwithstanding (enough neer-do-wells would still be produced to keep you employed), it may offer a sense of hope and fairness in the system if the Mandarin class to which you aspire would perp walk the architects of the Great Recession and shun those of your associates who took advantage. A lot of those men on the margins gamble on a rational economy. They lost big.

By: Anonymous Attorney

Anonymous Attorney — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 18:29:36 +0000

So what’s a better approach? I’m all for exploring the notion of requiring a license to procreate.