Stand Your Ground

Stand Your Ground Forums => Main => Topic started by: zarby on Jan 09, 2006, 05:09 AM

Title: Mike Cox - email button gone
Post by: zarby on Jan 09, 2006, 05:09 AM
A guy is building some horse pens for me.
He introduced me to his friend.

His friend is just out the hospital and jail.
His friend is from Michigan.
He was in the hospital to have part of this throat cut out (cancer).
He was in jail based on child support owed in Michigan.
His payments of child support he said had been lost (later found).

First, I thought I would send an email to Mike Cox.
I had done this before.
I could not find a button to send email on his web site.
If it is there, it is nowhere near as prominent as it used to be.
Could it be that Mike Cox is hiding from feedback on his actions?

Second, I thought about how this man who has been through a major health crises ought to receive support not be attacked. His wife promised to love and support him "in good times and bad." Now, with government support, she can walk away from him whether the times are good or bad. Regardless, he must support her. If he doesn't, he goes to jail.  That is not the way it was supposed to be. That was not what he agreed to when he got married (and agreed to have children).

So much, for new years resolutions.
Title: Mike Cox - email button gone
Post by: zarby on Jan 09, 2006, 05:14 AM
Oh, I forgot. The support is for the children not the ex-wife.

Year, right.

I stand by my position that it doesn't cost that much to raise children (the basics). The expense is in maintaining the household (the home, utilities, the car, etc.). First, the ex-wife benefits from those things as much as the kids (or more since the kids could get those things with dad). Second, the dad must maintain a household also. Thus, child support is largely mommy support. I think it is more mommy support than child support.
Title: Mike Cox - email button gone
Post by: Assault on Jan 09, 2006, 05:46 AM
Quote from: "zarby"
Oh, I forgot. The support is for the children not the ex-wife.

Year, right.

I stand by my position that it doesn't cost that much to raise children (the basics). The expense is in maintaining the household (the home, utilities, the car, etc.). First, the ex-wife benefits from those things as much as the kids (or more since the kids could get those things with dad). Second, the dad must maintain a household also. Thus, child support is largely mommy support. I think it is more mommy support than child support.


You are absolutely right.
Title: Mike Cox - email button gone
Post by: VK on Jan 09, 2006, 09:01 AM
Just out of interest how much would you estimate the basics to cost (as opposed to what you are paying?). What would you consider basic?
Title: Mike Cox - email button gone
Post by: aknapp1112 on Jan 09, 2006, 09:08 AM
i think the gov't did something about the average cost to raise a kid. I am trying to remember the exact figure, but i think it was 180,000 for 18 years, so about ten grand a year. I think that breaks down to about 800 bucks a month or so. So, split that in half, that is 400 a month for one kid (i dont think you would double it for two kids though, that wouldnt make sense). then you add in the tax breaks for dependents (i think deducations this year are $2750, plus the child tax credit which i think is 500).

So... 10 grand a year, minus the tax stuff comes to $6750. divide that by 12, you get $562 per month. Divide that in half and you get 280, so to me, a fair amount of child support for one kid is 280 per month.

Give or take though, like i said i was guessing on some of those numbers, but you get the idea.
Title: Mike Cox - email button gone
Post by: hurkle on Jan 10, 2006, 03:17 PM
You know, during my divorce, what I found EXTREMELY interesting - in much the same way as one might find a centipede or a rotting piece of meat interesting - was that the state of Arizona had a figure that it used for the average monthly cost to raise a child. It was on the order of $500-$600, though I don't remember exactly.

This amount was to cover basically everything - amortized over 18 years: clothes, food, schooling, etc. The basic needs.

However, when the child - er, I mean MOMMY - support was calculated, as my ex had custody for a little while before she self-destructed even further...

Anyway, instead of using that cost as a basis for child support (i.e. dividing say 600 into two parts based on income and saying this is *your* part and this is *your* part) they used that as the amount she would need to get every month as a base. Then all sorts of complicated calculations went on that I will not get into here, though I knew them very well back then, and finally, out popped a number that had the potential to be almost infinitely greater than the amount the state itself had determined was necessary to raise a child.

It sickened me.

Because basically the state says, "even though it only costs X to raise a child, because you are a man, you must pay Y, where Y is (usually) greater than X". There's no reason for that, unless you assume that (a) the mother is actively seeking to have the father out of the picture, in which case she won't have as much money, and then the taxpayers will have to pay, so we better make the father pay (true) (b) men won't purchase clothes/toys/food for their children post-divorce (false), and (c) by binding mothers to the state in a harem/sugar daddy situation, it is even easier to enforce social programs as long as the teat of ex-daddy's money is kept flowing...

Bitter today.

Child support is a crock, a farce, and should be abolished.

If a person wants a no-fault divorce, they can have one, but they give up all rights to community property and custody and visitation of the children forever. But they don't have to pay child support.

Of course the above is modifiable with PROVEN abuse/alcoholism/addication behavior, not just allegations.

Anyway, there's my $0.10.
Title: Mike Cox - email button gone
Post by: woof on Jan 10, 2006, 05:48 PM
The thing that is very revealing about child support, is that mothers on walfare have to account for the money they receive for child support, unlike divorced dads. And do they use the same calculations for fathers as the government uses for figuring child support?... I think not!
Title: Mike Cox - email button gone
Post by: woof on Jan 10, 2006, 05:52 PM
Oh, and one other thing. From what I have heard of Mike Cox, the email button isn't the only thing that he is missing!  :shock:  :?  :twisted:  :arrow: