Father’s Day – Money Is The Measure, Not Freedom

by J. Greene

Men have been honestly caring for their children from the beginnings of civilization. Some have not, including mothers. It has always been that way. We don’t live in a perfect world. Enter the modern state in all its’ wisdom, where all people are expected to tolerate a state-controlled legalized extortion racket because children are the future – but mostly for benefit of the state. The state even routinely combs through bank records in the eternal vanity of finding a few stray bucks from those that dare to evade child support collection. It’s an old game whose influence has steadily increased since the free love movement, when rancorous feminists began burning their bras and politicians saw the political cache they could achieve through social manipulation. As a result, the real role of fatherhood and the definition of a family has been continually cheapened.

In the corporation known as the United States, the system routinely oppresses fathers, while offering poverty support to single and divorced mothers (and some fathers). They have also been oppressing the taxpayer as well, hoping and pretending to bring in more than they spend, even as they send state corporations double their child support collections. Only the light-headed politicians of the United States would think to do such a thing. Of course, these are the same men and women that fund operations as the “policeman of world” while playing “Uncle Sugar” to the world. They even continue to send China a regular stipend because of its’ poverty, while running a burgeoning deficit that the children of the future are expected to pay. This is obviously unsustainable, despite the fact that they indirectly operate the printing presses that prop up the reserve currency of the world. In fact, this is the only reason that the lawmakers that rule “Uncle Sugar” can continue to operate as they have. The nation as it stands is living on borrowed time.

Since money is the measure in the propaganda that is cast about, you’ll find that fatherhood is measured the same way. This is no surprise in a nation mesmerized by the illusion of wealth. Social scientists at Johns Hopkins have decided that low income fathers purchase a relationship with their children.

“They want their kids to look down at their feet and say, ‘My dad cares about me because he bought me these shoes,’” says a co-author of the study in a press statement. “We need to respect what these guys are doing, linking love and provision in a way that’s meaningful to the child. The child support system weakens the child/father bond by separating the act of love from the act of providing.”

Yet, the child support system plugs along mercilessly despite a nation of earners that has not truly recovered from the economic debacle that eclipsed in 2008. Untold millions have been crushed, merely grist for the mill of poor governance. Republicans claim that we must find a way to be fiscally responsible, while supporting the current child support system that imprisons the nation. This is a lie pressed to ignorant people. They simply support the status quo with the illusion of conservative values. Their buddies are merely more “progressive.” Meanwhile, the men that give their blind consent can choose to pretend they are purchasing the adoration of their children, as these social scientists say, or they can realize the truth.

The family is only a family as long as the family unit is together. Once breached by rejection, separation and divorce, a family is not a family at all – especially outside of a committed relationship. That a single mother and her child is a real family is also debatable. The “wise men” of the nation have simply continued to revise the definition of the family to suit their needs. That is the deeper reality that the state would have you ignore to your continued peril. It benefits them for you to believe as you do.

It has been posited that the “Founding Fathers” would turn over in their graves if they were able to know about the ongoing debt slavery and legalized human trafficking that is the United States. I think not. These men were fully aware of the hypocrisy that “America” was built on. The governance of the nation has profited from the slavery and oppression of others from the very beginning with little apology, or admission of error. The lawgivers have even reconfigured the corporation to enslave for personal advantage. Robber barons everywhere continue the public plunder under the pretense of propriety and a kind face when it suits them. Your consent is your ignorance. Even governance is just another corporation. They seduce “the people” with infrastructure and social trinkets. The propaganda machine has continued to eject that notion that the nation is a democracy, the “land of the free.” Who the “free” truly are is for you to decide.

Separation or Divorce? Protect Your Assets

Although statistics vary, many sources say nearly half of all marriages in the U.S. end in divorce. The physical transition through separation and divorce can be daunting. Physical aspects of your life will inevitably be affected, including insurance. You can bet that if your other half starts hanging the threat of divorce over your head, you should start planning ahead instead of waiting until the last moment.

Divorce can easily have a serious impact on credit standing, both in terms of dividing joint debt that exists at the time of the divorce and the expenses that come with starting new. Couples need to decide who gets which car. If there is a change in the ownership of a car, this means transferring the required documents as well as changing the insurance policy immediately. Don’t settle for continuing to use the same insurance agent as your soon-to-be-ex. It is better to change insurance companies to prohibit tinkering with your account from the other side. Removing a former spouse from the car and any insurance is essential for your own protection. You do not want your coverage canceled due to lack of payment.

The person who stays in the marital home after the divorce will need to make sure that the homeowners insurance is under his or her name. The person moving out must make any arrangements to purchase a new homeowners or renters policy for any new residence.

If you are the one staying in the house, it is important to review your current policy coverages to determine if they are still appropriate. Check to see whether you have actual cash value or replacement cost coverage for both the structure and the contents of the home. Your policy needs to cover the cost of rebuilding your home at today’s construction costs. Satisfying a mortgage lenders requirements protects them, but doesn’t necessarily protect you. If your home were leveled, what would it cost to replace it? If you keep the home, you bear the accountability.

In the event your belongings are stolen or destroyed by an insured disaster, an actual cash value policy pays to replace them minus a deduction for depreciation, while replacement cost pays the full amount that it would cost to replace the item today. Know your deductibles. A low deductible means higher premiums, while a large deductible can save you money on the policy, which can be useful if you are living on a smaller income.

Home inventories should always be updated. If you don’t have one, get started to protect yourself and be certain that you respect the property of your former mate. As far as insurance is concerned, be sure that you aren’t paying for coverage that you don’t need.

Married couples buy life insurance that include covering existing and anticipated debts and financial obligations as well as providing an income or inheritance. When a couple divorces, some obligations may still exist, so the issue of what to do with existing life insurance policies should always be considered during the divorce settlement.

Married couples often list each other as the primary beneficiary on life insurance policies, and should think carefully before making any changes. There may be good reasons to keep life insurance coverage on a former spouse. If one party is providing child support to the other, this may mean a loss of income to the surviving party if the non-custodial parent dies. Term life is easily canceled, but whole life maintains annuity value until it is cashed in. Getting the top dollar in child support at the cost of all else is not usually in anyone’s best interest. This is why separation needs to be a gentle and thoughtful process, despite the emotions involved. Your own best interests and the interests of your children are at stake.

Disability is always a possibility for noncustodial parents. After all, they are people, not money-making machines. Between the ages of 25 and 55, a person is more than twice as likely to become disabled through an accident or disease, as they are to die. If a former spouse becomes disabled and cannot work, payments are in danger, so it is important to safeguard against this possibility by ensuring that income is covered in an individual disability insurance policy. Once again, there is a cost to all of this, which must be considered. Remember… gentle and thoughtful to protect yourself.

A poor payment history on the part of either spouse while married can impair the ability of both parties to obtain individual credit, even after a divorce. The best way to keep your credit intact is to start making changes as soon as you have reached the decision to separate. It is particularly important to close joint accounts before divorce proceedings. A disgruntled spouse can easily reek havoc in your financial life. As long as there is an outstanding balance on a joint account, both parties are responsible for payment. Generally, any debt incurred by one spouse is also the responsibility of the other, regardless of whose name is on the account until after the divorce.

Women who drop their husband’s name and choose to use their maiden name will not erase the credit history established under their married name, since credit histories are tied to social security numbers. Each party must establish a new credit record under their own name, especially if all her previous credit was held jointly in the past. In order to expedite this process, consider turning existing joint credit cards, gas cards and retail accounts into individual accounts. Doing this will mean not having to re-establish credit after a divorce.

Alert creditors that a divorce is pending. If there is a change of address, make sure they are informed so that bills will continue to be received from all joint accounts so no late fees are incurred.

If a debt cannot be paid in full, offer to close the account by paying a smaller amount than is owed. Get a letter from the creditor that the account has been paid in full and a written promise that they will not file anything negative about the account to the credit reporting agencies.

If you are unable to pay off or come to a settlement agreement regarding the balance owed on open accounts, freeze the account in question. Once the divorce is final, the balance owed on the account can be transferred to the party the court holds responsible for the debt.

Make sure all bills are paid on time. Do not skip payments because you think it may ultimately be your former spouse’s responsibility. As long as your name remains on any particular account, by law you are responsible for payment and your credit rating will suffer. If you have a spouse that wants to hurt you through non-payment of debt, you need to be extra vigilant to protect yourself.

In the meantime, remember to write your lawmaker to repeal the Bradley Amendment. Protect your constitutional rights and the rights of others.

Rethinking Family Rights

a commentary by E. Manning, senior writer, family rights advocate and retired economist.

Times are tough for families in America. Stereotypes abound, especially toward men, popularly considered by many to be unfit to care for children. Men and a few women have become profound victims of the Welfare State frame-of-mind: victims of the State that claims justice for all.

The intense debate about “father’s rights” continues. Custody proceedings are often adversarial at best, accenting the worst in childish behavior on all fronts, even from judges. Cutting the rubbish, hurt feelings, immaturity and greed brings former mates for life into bare-knuckle fights over who is hurting the children. The fact of the matter is that the debate should be about “family rights.”

The systemic common attitude is that men are abusive, out of control and have little to offer. While men are demoted in rank and status even among their own children, they are expected to relinquish a third of their pay for the privilege of siring a child on the same money they made during the marriage in a dwindling economy. While the proliferation of rules abound, the reality is that there are no rules, only strife and abuse of the “law.” Husbands are often rooted out of the home by the wife with the expectation that life will somehow be better. That is rarely the case for either party. Vengeance is mine and high expectations rule the roost in the hope of controlling the system for personal advantage. This is the sole goal of many custodial parents.

Four years ago, a rash of violent killings erupted in Texas, committed by an unconnected group of hysterical men that had their lives and children mercilessly removed from them. One man killed his children. Another killed his wife, her new husband and a judge at the courthouse before turning the gun on himself. This is something that everyone, including the law, wants to forget. The law portends that men are fodder with little to say or do about their situation because the “law” is always right. Men don’t have rights except to support broken families.

Americans continue to be children of their own mistakes. It up to men and women to struggle and strain separately as they seek someone else to make the same mistakes with. They didn’t learn a thing from their first marriage. The finger of blame points odiously in all directions. No one and everyone is responsible at the same time in a bipolar rush for power that is encouraged by authority in the name of empowerment. Frustrated judges and ineffective law aren’t much better than bad behavior or murderous fits. There is no excuse for any of the evil that Americans actively support for the common good.

brave new world

If family law is ever going to improve, the country has to stop demonizing men and women just because they are divorced. The government must get out of the business of breaking up the family in the name of children’s rights, a typical feminist ploy of the eighties. The old saying that it takes two to tango applies here. There is plenty of blame to go around when any relationship fails. Yet the court system claims to uphold the child without actually doing what it claims. The child suffers greatly in every way no matter how “good” or “capable” a single parent is. The reality is that the system encourages the blight to continue unabated as chaos continues to swallow the country. Parental alienation is rampant. No one is encouraged to get along. Life has become about the glory of the fight. The system has made it easy to bust up families in the name of convenience and political expedience, a system of social redistribution. The system has promoted selfish thinking that demotes the needs of everyone with the idea that times will somehow be better by selling-out.

~ E. Manning