Singing Horses

I am sure you are wondering WHY I would blog about singing horses. Click on the picture below and see what you think. This web site has been bookmarked in my favorite folder for years. Everytime I need something to smile about I visit this page. I don't know who the owners are, but they should get some sort of prize for making people smile. Click on the horses with your mouse. Each of them sing a different tune. You can make one sing and the other be quite. It's a HAPPY web site. Enjoy!
V

I'm sorry...

by: v
I am not usually so cynical as my last post. I must have been having one of those hormonal swing days!
Today, I'm just plain emotional. On my way to work this morning I heard that some guy got 5 years in prison for not paying child support.

During my research I found the criminal statutes for non-payment of child support.

In Illinois if a person willfully refuses to provide support for longer than 6 months or arrears greater than $5000 it is a CLASS A MISDEMEANOR with the penalty of 1 YR AND/OR $2,500. IF- (1) 2ND OR MORE CONVICTION;(2) LEAVE STATE TO AVOID PAYMENT & PAYMENT UNPAID FOR 6 MONTHS OR ARREARS $10,000; OR(3) PAYMENT UNPAID FOR A YEAR OR(4) ARREARS $20,000 OR GREATER it is considered a Class 4 felony and you may be penalized for 3 YRS AND/OR $25,000
IL ST CH 750 s. 16/15; 730 s. 5/5-8-1; 730 s. 5/5-8-3;730 s. 5/5-9-1

From Illinois.gov
When signing Senate Bill 19, Ryan created the Non-Support Punishment Act to join efforts by other states and the federal government making non-support of dependents a felony. This law enhances federal and state law enforcement efforts, and puts more "teeth" in Illinois' child support law by establishing criminal penalties, Ryan explained.

In addition, Senate Bill 19 addresses loopholes in current law concerning the suspension of driver's licenses and professional licenses. The court can seek revocation or suspension on driver's licenses, professional licenses, or occupational licenses if the person is convicted of a violation of being more than 60 days behind in support payment. The bill includes additional provisions for prosecution and penalties.

This author wonders if it's a good idea to take a person's job away from them by putting them in jail, or taking their drivers licenses, professional licenses or occupational licenses. Isn't this a little counter productive? Take the persons ability to drive to work or their job away from them and expect them to pay child support?

I just don't know how to solve this problem. I guess it's a good thing I don't have to! I looked at the Illinois Deadbeat Parents page There are pictures of people and how much they owe and where their last payment was.

I found Dead Beat Parents Suck story after story of parents not paying child support.

On the Lake County Deadbeat page there are names with the words "Captured" beside them.

Bruce Walker, executive coordinator at the District Attorney's Council in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma points out some different categories of deadbeat parents.

Remarried Supporter. A large percentage of deadbeat dads are remarried and are supporting several step-children or biological children from a second marriage.

Men in Poverty. Many deadbeat dads are homeless, and an even greater percentage are poor.

Fathers Helping Mothers

Fathers Paying Child Support

Men with actual custody

Men who can't find their children

Fathers who love their kids, but won't work for them

Child-support resistors

He does a good job pointing out that not all deadbeat parents are just deadbeats.

Stephen Baskerville does an even better job helping to understand deadbeat parents.

Read Child Support Casualt - Oppressed Men Find a Final Solution

I paid child support. Not for very long, but I did pay child support. My oldest had graduated from high school and wanted to go to college. She had been living with her father. I took him to court and asked the judge to have him help her pay for college. Our son who also had been living with him was a couple years younger. My (then husband)had taken me to court and asked for custody of them. Because I was young and dumb and had a rotten attorney, I just said yes to the custody. I didn't have any money to fight and my lawyer didn't tell me I didn't have to say yes, that my ex would have to SHOW good reason to take my children from me. He didn't show any reason, there was no reason. There has never been a reason. But anyway... The lawyer told her father to pay for 1/2 of the semester. He also told me to pay 1/2 of the semester. Additionally, he ordered me to pay child support for my son who was "taken" by his father!

That's fine, my son lives with his father I should pay child support, even if I didn't understand my rights at the time of the custody request. I paid my child support. I also paid 1/2 of the semester. He paid $500. He worked for Commonwealth Edison at the nuclear plant making 4 times as much as I was making. I managed to live on my $7.00 an hour plus pay child support and 1/2 of the fees for a semester.

Fast forward a few years, he was fired from Commonwealth Edison for "unknown" reasons. Divorced the woman he left me for, is now on disability and plays golf on a daily basis.

Maybe if I hadn't paid my child support. I would be on one of those pages and no one would know the circumstances which surrounded my "dead beat" parent actions.

Oh, by the way. The judge who ordered this was made to step down from the bench for "questionable actions" with an inmate.

True story.

As grandma always said, "What comes around goes around."

Help the McMahons, please! (Not)

by: V

Last night there was a storm in northern Illinois and I couldn't sleep. I got up and turned the TV on to CNN. The day before I had seen an advertisement for the Larry King interview with Ed McMahon. The snippet said something about possible foreclosure. I missed that show but had thought about it a couple of times during the day. Wondering just how that could happen and since it was the middle of the night and it was on, I sat down and watched the interview. I thought I would re-write the interview. More accurately than was portrayed on Larry King's CNN show.

During the show McMahon said: There's a lot of people who have problems and I'm hoping that this will help them help themselves. That's what my plan is. Of course I want them all to look at my life and see how I've made millions of dollars and how well I've done saving for my old age. I've hired advisers and they are my saving grace.

His wife Pamela, sat beside McMahon with teary eyes. Oh boo hoo... At one time during the interview she mentioned something like- We've been married for a long time.... and booo hooo... I've never owned a house before I married Ed.... and booo hooo....and people think we have a lot more than we do... and booo hooo.... oh and the listing for our poor little homestead states: "The master suite, with his and hers baths and closets, overlooks the yard and sweeping canyon." Ahh, ahh, I just can't bear to loose our little home.

Oh my and my poor decrepit husband, he's 85-and hasn't been able to work since he broke his neck 18 months ago. Boo... hoo...

I just cant believe we're only $644,000 behind in payments and the mortgage was only $4.8 million dollars... booo...hoo...and I just can't understand how this happened...

McMahon chimes in- the toxic mold in the house has been cured. We got $7.2 million, but we had nine lawyers and they took all of our money. But I want to say, it's not buyer beware. Just because our dog is dead don't worry, the mold is gone. Trust me on that.

But again, I've always spent more money than I've made. I've been a womanizer and thought I could do no wrong. I've been divorced a couple of times and of course the economy played a big role in the foreclosure notices. You can plainly see how we are not at fault for any of this mess.

Pamela follows with: You know, we always like to take care of our friends. We've had a champagne budget and of course we like to wine and dine our friends. Impressing people with false information has always been our modes operands.

This just can't be true. People are saying that it's our own fault. I just don't' believe it. I'm not a gold digger. Ohhh....boooo.... hoooo.... I just can't sleep at night and poor Ed, what will he do if he looses his home?

Well Mr. McMahon and Pamela, this author would like to say - I'll loose sleep tonight over the housing crunch but it won't be because people like you who have lived the high life, who have over extended themselves, who live in a six-bedroom, five-bathroom, 7,000-square-foot house, who believe that you are unaccountable to anyone one, who thinks that the government should help you.

It will be for the mothers and fathers of this country who work every day for minimum wage of $7.50 an hour, who pay their bills on time, don't buy a bigger house than they can afford and who don't drive BMW's, Hummers and have 10 dogs!

Someone, please come to the McMahons rescue. (Not)

Super delegates CAN change their mind

Super delegates CAN change their mind. Just ask Kevin Rodriguez.

The Wall Street Journal reports: “One thing about super delegates is they can change their minds,” Clinton told reporters in the aisle of the plane. “With us in the front of the cabin is a super delegate who went from me to Sen. Obama and now is back with me, in the course of, you know, a matter of weeks.” A campaign spokeswoman later informed the cabin that the super delegate she was referring to is Kevin Rodriguez, a DNC member from the Virgin Islands, who was accompanying her on the flight from San Juan. The campaign had previously announced his support. “I think it’s only now that we're finishing these contests that people are going to actually reflect on who is our stronger candidate. And I believe I am. And I'm going to make that case,” Clinton said.

She sure is - making that case. As I see it...the longer Clinton stays in the race the greater chances she will have for the public to see that she is the stronger candidate. Every night when I turn on the TV, the news is telling us a bit more about the other candidates and much of it is not good. Clinton's life is an open book. She's been in the public eye for years.

This election is not over. As much as I believe there will be more super delegates who change their mind. The logic of having super delegates determine who will be our next candidate is just ludicrous! Let's go with the popular vote. Change this system! It may have worked in the past, but it is not working to well today. Get rid of delegates and super delegates. Count OUR votes!