American man can’t go on honeymoon due to unpaid child maintenance

[SinkGirl]

Stumbled across this in a group on Facebook - newlyweds can’t go on honeymoon as he has $2500 of unpaid child support which in his state means he can’t get a passport.

I think this is bloody brilliant. And wonder why we don’t do it here. AIBU?

YABU - unpaid child support shouldn’t prevent you getting a passport
YANBU - if you owe lots of child maintenance, you shouldn’t be able to get a passport / driving license etc

Slightly concerned that his new bride is so unconcerned by the fact she’s marrying a deadbeat - good luck to her in the future, I think she will need it.
(apparently this person’s profile showed a very expensive wedding too!)

Ah well never mind.

Good. You breed them, you feed them or at least make some form of effort. And if you don't, why should you get the luxuries?

Do the Americans still jail for unpaid child support too?

Pay the money. Get the passport. Simples.

@Mytiredeyeshaveseenenough

Good. You breed them, you feed them or at least make some form of effort. And if you don't, why should you get the luxuries?

Do the Americans still jail for unpaid child support too?

Yes, sometimes. It's more common though to garnish their wages at source.

Someone who is unemployed or under-employed whose history shows that he has been striving in good faith to pay when able is much more likely to be able to keep his drivers' license than someone who has just ignored efforts (usually by the child support enforcement agency) to enforce his obligations.

Funny how he's dodged child support for so long but somehow has the money for a fancy honeymoon abroad innit

I would think that's why this penalty was brought in, as a PP said it's all about priorities.

Restricting leisure sounds a great punishment for people not paying child maintenance.
They should be given allowances for work though... To get the money to pay.

@Rummikub

I don’t know It makes me feel uneasy And I have an ex who hasnt paid maintenance

Why?

Nothing happens to people (cos it applies to women too) who pay for their children.

Such shit only happens to people who make the decision that their kids are way down their list of priorities.

If you, as a mother, don't think the father of your kids should be made to pay towards their upkeep then the state should step in and do what you cannot - make both parents equally fiscally responsible for their kids.

No resident parent gets to make the selfish decisions the non res parent (with the out of sight out of mind perspective) does. Sometimes they need a legal nudge...

@Lockheart

I don't disagree with the sentiment but in lots of cases getting jobs / renting houses requires proof of ID such as passports and driving licenses or in some cases are mandatory. Someone unemployed is going to be much harder to get any arrears out of.

So many Americans don't have passports I can't see anywhere requiring them. ID yes, specifically passports, no.

I totally agree that NRPs should be chased to financially support their dc.

Not like this. It's all a bit North Korea ish isn't it?

Personally I think child maintainance should be like student loans and removed at source based on your NI number but yes would definitely support this.

As it should be. Feed the dcs he already has, before making any more.

The wage garnishment isn't perfect as some men will simply change jobs if they can, then it takes months to find out where they're working and put a new garnishment in place. It's also pretty useless for tradesmen and small business owners. I knew one woman whose ex was a tile contractor. She hardly got a penny out of him.

When 40% of Americans have never travelled outside of the US, and 11% have never even left their state, it's not the same as it would be here, where practically everyone has a passport and has travelled abroad at least once in their lives. Hardly 'North Korea'.

For a country that doesn't seem to like 'big government' this kind of thing surprises me.

I think removing driving licences could be counter-productive in some instances. Many NRPs will need their car to get to work and others will drive for a living. They'll not be able to pay the child maintenance if they're unemployed.

I don’t know
It makes me feel uneasy
And I have an ex who hasnt paid maintenance

Are you assuming that non-payers can't pay rather than won't pay? I suspect that if non-payment of CM was treated like non-payment of Council Tax then there'd be much less avoidance.

@JaniieJones

I totally agree that NRPs should be chased to financially support their dc.

Not like this. It's all a bit North Korea ish isn't it?

How?

All that happens is the NRP gets reminded they owe XX amount. They refuse to engage they get warned of possible consequences. They get the consequences. At any time engaaing with the process and making an effort is taken into account.

Do you know how N Korea manages divorce, or any family law? It is far more even handed than anything we have!

Considering we criminalise non payment of TV licence it’s completely insane that there’s basically no sanctions for non payment of child support.

@ForThePurposeOfTheTape

*I don’t know It makes me feel uneasy And I have an ex who hasnt paid maintenance*

Are you assuming that non-payers can't pay rather than won't pay? I suspect that if non-payment of CM was treated like non-payment of Council Tax then there'd be much less avoidance.

What happens if you don't pay your Council tax? Sorry, Yank asking.

I think the UK system should change to government pays RP (so there's no gaps in payment) and collects payment from NRP. Non-payment goes on credit score like other debts once it builds up to say 3 months worth.

Big fan 👏🏻

For a country that doesn't seem to like 'big government' this kind of thing surprises me.

It’s absolutely connected to rejection of Big Government. Unlike in the UK, in the USA child support received by the RP is counted for income purposes - so every penny a man doesn’t pay to support his child means more money that the RP can claim in welfare payments. It’s a welfare reduction measure rather than a supporting mothers and children measure. The outcome may be the same, but the motivation isn’t necessarily a terribly palatable one.

What happens if you don't pay your Council tax? Sorry, Yank asking.

Extreme cases prison but usually it involves court action and bailiffs depending on how much you owe or engage with the authorities.

There are women owed 5 figure sums and the CMS asks women to write it off when kids get to 18 or the debt gets big.

@Mummytemping

Personally I think child maintainance should be like student loans and removed at source based on your NI number but yes would definitely support this.

Totally agree (well with the first bit).

This is crazy. We've had months of people wanging on about dictatorships and removal of civil liberties yet here we have posters supporting a country not issuing passports if you owe child maintenance 🙄. Maybe they need a passport to get an actual job to pay said child maintenance.

@Mummytemping

Personally I think child maintainance should be like student loans and removed at source based on your NI number but yes would definitely support this.

It can be, can’t it? Isn’t the problem that child maintenance can be collected at source from those on PAYE, but not from those who work cash in hand or live off their nee partner’s income, or who are self employed and pay themselves in dividends so that only the minimum wage they claim to have as income is counted for maintenance purposes?