Something has to be done in Greene County.

I know EVERYONE complains about how their ex is so far behind in their support payments.  It’s a common complaint among single parents in Springfield, so common that it’s expected and when you voice your dissatisfaction with the situation, no one listens.  But I have reached the point where it is no longer an option for me to remain silent, my children have suffered, needlessly, far too long and it is time for me to stand up and stop accepting the status quo.

Do you know how ineffective the Greene County Child Support Enforcement Agency is? My ex husband is $37,136.30 behind in his support payments to his children. He was ordered to pay $600 a month for our 6 children and every once in awhile, when he had a job, we would get some money.  Periodically, the prosecuting attorney would take him before the judge, he would be ordered to pay some random amount every month, but after he pays for 6 months, the case is dropped and he drastically reduces the amount he pays or stops paying all together.   In 2012, I thought I won the lottery when there were FINALLY criminal charges brought against him for the class D Felony he was guilty of.  He was ordered to pay $400 a month and was put on unsupervised probation.  For the next 2 years, he paid as ordered, but when he complied for 2 years, the charges were dropped and, like always, he reduced his payments.    Why were the charges even dropped?  It’s a felony to be only $5000 behind in child support.  My ex is over 7 times that amount behind.  Why was he allowed to even get this behind?  I have 2 huge file folders full of correspondence between me and CSE, begging them to take action.  All I heard was that I shouldn’t rely on child support or that $600 was a lot for someone to pay a month.  If I didn’t support our kids, I would be charged with neglect, possibly put in jail, and the kids would go to a relative or foster care. He, on the other hand, gets to completely abandon his responsibility and suffers no repercussions.  Where is the justice in that?

Legislators complain about the amount of people on welfare and the drain it is to the budget.  I bet if families started receiving the court ordered child support entitled to them, the number of people on welfare would decrease drastically. People complain about the crime rates and the high drop out rate. Studies have found that when children receive the child support owed them they have higher self esteem, perform better in school, and are less likely to engage in criminal activity.

This miscarriage of justice needs to stop!  Children are entitled to be supported by BOTH parents.  They are the innocent victims when relationships fail, but sadly they suffer the brunt of the damage.