Say “deadbeat dads”, see fathers cruising yachts and smoking cigars while the kids go without dinner. Truth is that for years, state enforcement agencies have more often gone after low-income dads who’ve fallen behind in court ordered child support payments, some of whom don’t have the money to support even themselves.
Now though, the Bush administration is launching a new federal sweep, rounding up dozens of more affluent recalcitrant fathers, including a retired professional football player. It’s an effort to enforce the law, to take the pressure off of safety net agencies, and it’s meant to send a signal from on high about fiscal family values.
Father-support groups call it more bad politics in an election year.
Guests:
Sherri Heller, commissioner of the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement
Gerald Rowles, founder of Dads Against the Divorce Industry
and Irwin Garfinkel, author of Fathers Under Fire: The Revolution in Child Support Enforcement