$7k awarded at $5 a month

[cptschlongenheimer]

Except without the healthcare, the long vacations, shorter work weeks, higher education standards...

...The irregular bathing schedules...

[Ghost]

...The irregular bathing schedules...

Yeah, what is up with that?

Still, small price to pay, I guess...

[Slo]

hopefully they default on their 5 bucks a month and you can try the court system again for a garnishment on wages.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

See posting stuff like this is why people think you are trying to get out of paying child support...

Anyone that would think that from anything I posted is an friggin' idiot. Straight-up. I'm all for paying a FAIR amount, without the Nazi tactics used by the sysem now and it's totally biased custody awards and unfair enforcement of only HALF the divorce decree.

What I have a problem with is the overly-inflated cs amounts, based not on the actual cost of raising a child, but merely the difference in salary, essentially punishing the man for being successful. So, I (like many other men) went to school after working all day for years to get my degree, but because both of them weren't interested in doing that and instead just having their husband provide for them, they get our paychecks while they sit at home 9like X2 is now doing)? Really? So, because a person is barely surviving and CAN'T pay the full (overly-inflated) amount, now the state automatically and endlessly (as Dana pointed out) f#cks with us, even to the point of circumventing the due process of law all other collectors of debt must go through, while not enforcing the other half of the decree, namely enforcement of visitation? Really?

The stories here of people from families where the father didn't pay are from many years ago. And, while those guys were total douchebags, are absolutely NOT representative of the world as it has been for many years now.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

If there were REAL consequences then maybe the shit wouldn't happen so much.

"the guy didn't hold up MY convenient store so DON'T spend MY tax dollars to incarcerate the SOB"

Write bad checks, go to jail. Don't write a check and just fail to pay and it's a "deal gone bad".

Apples and oranges. Writing a bad check is willful FRAUD. Holding up a store is armed robbery, both criminal acts. Not paying support because you CAN'T is neither willful nor criminal.......except that in the eyes of the CS Nazi's it is.

[modette99]

Colorado Wage Garnishment Laws
http://www.debtsettlementlawyers.com...hment-laws.htm

Creditors, or people who are owed money, can use wage garnishment in Colorado to collect from debtors, or people who owe them money, who do not pay. Wage garnishment is when part of the debtor’s wages or salary sent to the creditor, to pay the debt. Wages are not the only thing that can be garnished—any money belonging to the debtor, or owed to the debtor, which is in the possession or control of a third party (such as bank accounts or pension benefits) is potentially subject to garnishment.

Garnishment is a legal process, so a creditor (other than a tax authority, like the IRS) needs a court order to garnish wages. Before getting that court order, the creditor first needs a judgment in its favor. That means garnishment is not available until the creditor has sued the debtor and won, thereby establishing its right to the money.

Colorado Garnishment Exemptions and Non-Exemptions
Federal law exempts Social Security from being garnished for most debts. It can only be garnished for certain debts to the federal government (such as taxes), child support, and alimony.

Colorado has chosen to protect additional types of non-wage, non-salary income, especially retirement benefits:

Pensions: not only does Colorado protect police, firefighter, state worker, and teacher pensions, like most states, but it also protects any retirement benefits and IRAs. It also protects veteran’s pensions.

Many forms of public benefits or assistance are protected, such as: workers’ compensation; unemployment benefits; aid to families with dependent children; aid to the blind, disabled, or elderly; crime victim compensation.

Some insurance benefits, such as annuities or disability payments up to $200 per month (or in their entirety, if taken in a lump sum); life insurance proceeds if the policy provides that they may not be used to pay the beneficiary’s creditors; group life insurance proceeds

Colorado Maximum Threshold
Under federal law—which applies everywhere in the United States—only the lesser of the following may be garnished:

25% of disposable income, with disposable income defined much more narrowly than it’s commonly used; for garnishment purposes, disposable income is income left after legally required paycheck deductions (e.g. FICA) are taken out. No other deductions or costs, no matter how necessary or whether they mandated by contract or employer policy, are considered. As a result, most income will be “disposable income.”
(Note: it’s 25% total of disposable income may be garnished, no matter how many creditors or claims there are.)

The amount by which a debtor’s weekly income exceeds 30 times the minimum wage, which lets a debtor keep the equivalent each week of working at least 30 hours at minimum wage.

Colorado, like many states, has chosen to follow federal law on the subject, rather than set its own maximum garnishment threshold.

However, adding to the complexity is that there are certain debts, like tax obligations and child support, for which more of the debtor’s income than 25% can be garnished. For example, potentially 50 % - 60% of income could be garnished for child support.

Colorado Statute of Limitations
The first step to garnishment is obtaining a favorable judgment. That means that the first time period, or statute of limitations, relevant to garnishment is the statute of limitations for the debt that garnishment is based on. That will varies by cause of action, but for the most common consumer debts, the limitation periods are:

Written contracts and open accounts (credit cards): 3 years
Oral or verbal contract: 2 years
Promissory notes and similar agreements: 6 years

The important thing is, i9f it’s too late to sue, it’s too late to garnish. Colorado’s statutes of limitation for contracts and credit cards are shorter than in many other states, which works to the debtor’s advantage and the creditor’s disadvantage.

Once a creditor has a favorable judgment, the creditor has another 6 years to garnish the debtor’s wages (or otherwise enforce the judgment or recover monies), though the creditor can apply to the court to renew and extend that period of time.

Writ of Garnishment in Colorado
The debtor’s own involvement in garnishment is minimal, since garnishment comes after the creditor has already won in court.

Garnishment begins when the creditor applies to the court in writing for garnishment to enforce or fulfill its judgment. The information the creditor needs to provide is straightforward: money is due it for the judgment; garnishment is necessary to enforce the judgment; and someone, such as the debtor’s employer (the “garnishee”), has money available which is owed to the debtor (debtor’s salary or wages), but which can be used to satisfy the debt.

That’s it: assuming the facts of the situation are correct—there is a valid judgment, garnishee has debtor’s money, etc.—garnishment will typically be ordered and there is little garnishee or debtor can do to stop it. More on Stopping Wage Garnishment in Colorado.

Getting Legal Help
Just because there is often little that can be done to stop garnishment doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying, depending on circumstances. There are ways to attack, challenge, or at least reduce garnishment, which is where a lawyer’s assistance is valuable. For example:

Challenge the underlying judgment. Usually, if the underlying judgment was properly litigated, there is little that can be done to challenge it. On the other hand, if it had been rendered improperly, such as by “default” when in fact the debtor had never been given proper notice, there may be grounds to set it aside. Since Colorado has shorter statutes of limitations, at least for some causes of action, than many other states, one possibility might be to attack the underlying debt as too old.
Show that calculation of the debtor’s disposable income is incorrect (too high), so that less can be garnished. For example, if some of the debtor’s income comes from protected or exempt sources, an attorney can help make sure that income that ought to be exempt from garnishment is being exempted. Since Colorado is at least as generous—if not more—than most other states in this regard, it is a good idea to look into this.

Show that due to other obligations (e.g. child support), the debtor can’t pay any more.

[TinkerinWstuff]

Apples and oranges. Writing a bad check is willful FRAUD. Holding up a store is armed robbery, both criminal acts. Not paying support because you CAN'T is neither willful nor criminal.......except that in the eyes of the CS Nazi's it is.

No shit apples an oranges. When did this thread become all about you? I'm talking about the OP and people who don't pay their bills. So what if their theft is committed with the aid of a firearm or writing a bad note.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Colorado Wage Garnishment Laws
http://www.debtsettlementlawyers.com...hment-laws.htm

Creditors, or people who are owed money, can use wage garnishment in Colorado to collect from debtors, or people who owe them money, who do not pay. Wage garnishment is when part of the debtor’s wages or salary sent to the creditor, to pay the debt. Wages are not the only thing that can be garnished—any money belonging to the debtor, or owed to the debtor, which is in the possession or control of a third party (such as bank accounts or pension benefits) is potentially subject to garnishment.

Garnishment is a legal process, so a creditor (other than a tax authority, like the IRS) needs a court order to garnish wages. Before getting that court order, the creditor first needs a judgment in its favor. That means garnishment is not available until the creditor has sued the debtor and won, thereby establishing its right to the money.
Except in cases of CS and CS arrears. The CS Nazi agency does NOT have to go to court to garnish or do any of the other sanctions I mentioned, they're automatically given that power, thus circumventing due process.


Colorado Garnishment Exemptions and Non-Exemptions
Federal law exempts Social Security from being garnished for most debts. It can only be garnished for certain debts to the federal government (such as taxes), child support, and alimony.

Colorado has chosen to protect additional types of non-wage, non-salary income, especially retirement benefits:

Pensions: not only does Colorado protect police, firefighter, state worker, and teacher pensions, like most states, but it also protects any retirement benefits and IRAs. It also protects veteran’s pensions.

Many forms of public benefits or assistance are protected, such as: workers’ compensation; unemployment benefits; aid to families with dependent children; aid to the blind, disabled, or elderly; crime victim compensation.
Again, CS and CS arrears are exempt from this limitation.


Some insurance benefits, such as annuities or disability payments up to $200 per month (or in their entirety, if taken in a lump sum); life insurance proceeds if the policy provides that they may not be used to pay the beneficiary’s creditors; group life insurance proceeds

Colorado Maximum Threshold
Under federal law—which applies everywhere in the United States—only the lesser of the following may be garnished:

25% of disposable income, with disposable income defined much more narrowly than it’s commonly used; for garnishment purposes, disposable income is income left after legally required paycheck deductions (e.g. FICA) are taken out. No other deductions or costs, no matter how necessary or whether they mandated by contract or employer policy, are considered. As a result, most income will be “disposable income.”
(Note: it’s 25% total of disposable income may be garnished, no matter how many creditors or claims there are.)

The amount by which a debtor’s weekly income exceeds 30 times the minimum wage, which lets a debtor keep the equivalent each week of working at least 30 hours at minimum wage.

Colorado, like many states, has chosen to follow federal law on the subject, rather than set its own maximum garnishment threshold.

However, adding to the complexity is that there are certain debts, like tax obligations and child support, for which more of the debtor’s income than 25% can be garnished. For example, potentially 50 % - 60% of income could be garnished for child support.
65% is the max.

Colorado Statute of Limitations
The first step to garnishment is obtaining a favorable judgment. That means that the first time period, or statute of limitations, relevant to garnishment is the statute of limitations for the debt that garnishment is based on. That will varies by cause of action, but for the most common consumer debts, the limitation periods are:

Written contracts and open accounts (credit cards): 3 years
Oral or verbal contract: 2 years
Promissory notes and similar agreements: 6 years

The important thing is, i9f it’s too late to sue, it’s too late to garnish. Colorado’s statutes of limitation for contracts and credit cards are shorter than in many other states, which works to the debtor’s advantage and the creditor’s disadvantage.

Once a creditor has a favorable judgment, the creditor has another 6 years to garnish the debtor’s wages (or otherwise enforce the judgment or recover monies), though the creditor can apply to the court to renew and extend that period of time.

Writ of Garnishment in Colorado
The debtor’s own involvement in garnishment is minimal, since garnishment comes after the creditor has already won in court.

Garnishment begins when the creditor applies to the court in writing for garnishment to enforce or fulfill its judgment. The information the creditor needs to provide is straightforward: money is due it for the judgment; garnishment is necessary to enforce the judgment; and someone, such as the debtor’s employer (the “garnishee”), has money available which is owed to the debtor (debtor’s salary or wages), but which can be used to satisfy the debt.

That’s it: assuming the facts of the situation are correct—there is a valid judgment, garnishee has debtor’s money, etc.—garnishment will typically be ordered and there is little garnishee or debtor can do to stop it. More on Stopping Wage Garnishment in Colorado.

Getting Legal Help
Just because there is often little that can be done to stop garnishment doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying, depending on circumstances. There are ways to attack, challenge, or at least reduce garnishment, which is where a lawyer’s assistance is valuable. For example:

Challenge the underlying judgment. Usually, if the underlying judgment was properly litigated, there is little that can be done to challenge it. On the other hand, if it had been rendered improperly, such as by “default” when in fact the debtor had never been given proper notice, there may be grounds to set it aside. Since Colorado has shorter statutes of limitations, at least for some causes of action, than many other states, one possibility might be to attack the underlying debt as too old.
Show that calculation of the debtor’s disposable income is incorrect (too high), so that less can be garnished. For example, if some of the debtor’s income comes from protected or exempt sources, an attorney can help make sure that income that ought to be exempt from garnishment is being exempted. Since Colorado is at least as generous—if not more—than most other states in this regard, it is a good idea to look into this.

Show that due to other obligations (e.g. child support), the debtor can’t pay any more.

See above.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

No shit apples an oranges. When did this thread become all about you? I'm talking about the OP and people who don't pay their bills. So what if their theft is committed with the aid of a firearm or writing a bad note.

Not me per se (look that phrase up), but in general. This stuff happened to me, but it can and will happen to anyone in the same circumstance.

You fail to grasp the significance of the subtle distinction. If you don't pay your bills, or write a check that bounces, that's default. If you pay a bill with a check that's forged or KNOWINGLY NSF, that's fraud. Then there's armed robbery. Capice?

[TinkerinWstuff]

guess my daddy raised me a little better than you

stealing is stealing no matter what you want to call it or the means you use. when people squat in some ladies house for months on end and need a judge to remind them that they owe = fucking stealing. After a month or two when they weren't going to pay, the deadbeats should have moved their ass into gov't housing or a cardboard box. Instead, they chose to steal from the landlord.

What happens when this lady landlord can't pay the roofer who whomever else she owes because the deadbeats didn't pay their bills?

[rforsythe]

I can tell you two are gonna be great friends.

[brennahm]

Serious question Frank:

Garnishment is a legal process, so a creditor (other than a tax authority, like the IRS) needs a court order to garnish wages. Before getting that court order, the creditor first needs a judgment in its favor. That means garnishment is not available until the creditor has sued the debtor and won, thereby establishing its right to the money.
Except in cases of CS and CS arrears. The CS Nazi agency does NOT have to go to court to garnish or do any of the other sanctions I mentioned, they're automatically given that power, thus circumventing due process.

I thought you had to go to court to decide that you were to pay CS? Is it not buried in the language from those proceedings that garnishment will occur?

[modette99]

guess my daddy raised me a little better than you

stealing is stealing no matter what you want to call it or the means you use. when people squat in some ladies house for months on end and need a judge to remind them that they owe = fucking stealing. After a month or two when they weren't going to pay, the deadbeats should have moved their ass into gov't housing or a cardboard box. Instead, they chose to steal from the landlord.

What happens when this lady landlord can't pay the roofer who whomever else she owes because the deadbeats didn't pay their bills?

She should have never allowed them to stay that long if her state said she could evict them after "x" amount of time. The OP's aunt is lucky the Judge even awarded her $7K on paper.

In the storage business we would wait 6 months, a year even longer. But the problem is if it ever would go to court that WE waited that long Judge is going to say "you decided to take the risk".

You might ask why we would do this, because each month is a late fee of $25 no matter the size of the unit. So say you rented a 5x10 for $25 a month from us. You paid, then like a lot of people you stop. We lock you out for a $25 fee, we deactivate your security card $10 fee, we raise your "special" rate to $45 normal rate, you get a $25 late fee. Next month chances are you did not come in, so you get the late fee $25, you get a $100 Pre Foreclosure fee. 3rd month you get another $25 late fee and a $150 Foreclosure fee...but we know you have items, good items...so you will try and pay, maybe we talked to you already and you WANT to pay but can not. Your into us for $425, maybe you now come in and pay $100 but that did not clear your balance and thus you are still LATE the following month so that is $45 + $25 late fee for $70 a month is now what you pay. We had people that did this for years, one guy paid off his $3,000 balance like 5 times while I was there. We made ton on late fee as he had multiple units and each get a late fee, and all the other fees.

I can tell you maybe its different here, but my father in-law got out of the home rental business because all it takes is a renter filing for bankruptcy and then their in for a year, then they strip your place when they do move out.

Rarely is the law on the side of the rentee, they typically help the renter screw the property owner.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Serious question Frank:



I thought you had to go to court to decide that you were to pay CS? Is it not buried in the language from those proceedings that garnishment will occur?

The (unreal) amount of CS is set in the divorce hearing(s), there's no fighting what the chart says, and the amount they can take for arrears is not. Also, the CS amount can be set to be MORE than the 65% that per federal statute can be taken out. what that means is that you start to accrue arrears from day one. Nowhere in the language of any divorce decree is it stated that from then on that you give up any rights to have a court decide the amount taken for arrears that might occur, or that you give up your right to fight a tax levy, or bank lein, or license suspension, etc., etc. WHEN these things occur, generally without notice to you until AFTER the fact, then you have to try and fight with the CS agency itself, which has NO oversight. All of the normal rights to fight all these things in court are taken away.

BTW, you cannot ask for a jury trial, and there is no oversight as to the judges decisions either. You may fight any ruling on the basis that the judge didn't follow PROCEDURE, but not the decision itself.

I should start charging you guys the $200/hr my lawyer charged me for this info..........

[TinkerinWstuff]

She should have never allowed them to stay that long if her state said she could evict them after "x" amount of time. The OP's aunt is lucky the Judge even awarded her $7K on paper.

In the storage business we would wait 6 months, a year even longer. But the problem is if it ever would go to court that WE waited that long Judge is going to say "you decided to take the risk".

You might ask why we would do this, because each month is a late fee of $25 no matter the size of the unit. So say you rented a 5x10 for $25 a month from us. You paid, then like a lot of people you stop. We lock you out for a $25 fee, we deactivate your security card $10 fee, we raise your "special" rate to $45 normal rate, you get a $25 late fee. Next month chances are you did not come in, so you get the late fee $25, you get a $100 Pre Foreclosure fee. 3rd month you get another $25 late fee and a $150 Foreclosure fee...but we know you have items, good items...so you will try and pay, maybe we talked to you already and you WANT to pay but can not. Your into us for $425, maybe you now come in and pay $100 but that did not clear your balance and thus you are still LATE the following month so that is $45 + $25 late fee for $70 a month is now what you pay. We had people that did this for years, one guy paid off his $3,000 balance like 5 times while I was there. We made ton on late fee as he had multiple units and each get a late fee, and all the other fees.

I can tell you maybe its different here, but my father in-law got out of the home rental business because all it takes is a renter filing for bankruptcy and then their in for a year, then they strip your place when they do move out.

Rarely is the law on the side of the rentee, they typically help the renter screw the property owner.

oh never mind. I guess that makes it right

might bad

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

guess my daddy raised me a little better than you

stealing is stealing no matter what you want to call it or the means you use. when people squat in some ladies house for months on end and need a judge to remind them that they owe = fucking stealing. After a month or two when they weren't going to pay, the deadbeats should have moved their ass into gov't housing or a cardboard box. Instead, they chose to steal from the landlord.

What happens when this lady landlord can't pay the roofer who whomever else she owes because the deadbeats didn't pay their bills?

Do you even know who that is?

No, in fact, the method of stealing is very different in the eyes of the law. For instance, white-collar crime is a VERY different matter (much less punishment) than armed robbery even if the amount stolen is much more as is typical.

As far as that goes, if you read the OP, it seems she LET them stay there without paying for a while because she felt sorry for them. She CHOSE to let them get that far behind. She should have MADE them move out. Granted, that someone LETS you take advantage of them does NOT make it right, but the fact is she did, and, sadly, they did, and now she's paying the price.

Ain't that simple now that I explained it to you?

[TinkerinWstuff]

Ain't that simple now that I explained it to you?

yep, it's all clear to me now. thanks so very much guys.

[laspariahs]

Not that I don't agree that current divorce law is one sided, but it simply sounds like CM doesn't want to pay his child support.

[DeeStylez]

Didn’t expect this to get to child support, but I will add something on that from my experience!

All I can say is being a kid from a divorced family that had a father that did not pay child support sucked! My mom was a school teacher and even though she did what she could it was hard being so poor. For years I thought all people went to thrift stores for their clothes, and even when I got older it was about Kmart and their layaway plan. Other friends had cool bikes like GT’s, Dyno’s, Diamond Backs, etc and I had the Kmart special (that was constantly teased). My dad has his “new” family and they had the stuff I didn’t and even to this day now that I am closer with my dad, it still makes me wonder how he was able to ignore paying child support when he knew we struggled so much; think sometimes divorced parents forget their fighting, getting even, etc hurts the kid(s) too, if not more.

Bulldog my past is somewhat similiar to yours except my mother and father never married and my father left my mom when I was around age 3. I myself grew up without my dad around for many years. I never really took it as hard because my grandpa pretty much played the roll of my father for all the years he wasn't there. Like you mentioned I didn't have all the finer things but was still spoiled rotten by my grandparents with such toys and clothes from thrift stores, and all the snacks I wanted from the grocery stores, heck I thought I was in heaven as a kid. My father very lucky, slipped away without paying child support just gifts here and there. My guess is that my mom just didn't want him around and could care less for a low life that he was at the time. Later when my mother passed away my father told me that there where several occassions where he would ask both my mom and grandparents if I can spend sometime with him back in California but he would get shutdown each time. Well these last 5 years since my father and his new wife has settled down and now residing here in Colorado he is helped countless times by watching my kids his grandkids when needed at no cost, and hooking me up with $$$ working for his business as needed. So I pretty much forgave my dad and we have a good relationship now that he finally realizes he made bad choices back then. Was taught by my grandparents to forgive, and seems that has been pretty much the story of my life.
I simply feel that it is pointless to send someone to jail over child support, unless they're a threat. Payroll garnishment, negative info left on credit reports, take away driving priviledges/passports all examples that might make a person shape up, and pay up. Incarceration for non-violent offenders is doing nothing, except providing free shelter and a place to stay fed while the other parent suffers to provide for the child.

[TinkerinWstuff]

I was on both sides of the CS. My dad was owed CS from my mother but didn't receive anything. When he got divorced from the next woman, he had to pay child support for two girls.

That meant I wasn't left with shit and we even lived in a motorhome in my uncles driveway for a while when I was in high school.

When the woman tried to take my dad to court to have the support raised again, the judge actually turned around and reduced what my dad had to pay. Woman was living in a nice new house driving nice cars while I was carrying golf bags for tips to buy jeans.

fuck everyone who can't work their shit out and be realistic. I waited until my mid 30's to get married and we just had our first kid. Check with me in 10 or 15yrs and see where we are.

If only dad had known that mooching off the good will of others with no ability or intent of paying your debts wasn't stealing, I wouldn't have had to spend the fall of 10th grade living in a 1970s Winnebago.

[modette99]

oh never mind. I guess that makes it right

might bad

No one said it was RIGHT...but your need to except the risk when a renter comes to you and says (I can not pay but I'll pay you someday please let me stay). I say to them, "sorry but get the fuck out".

Most likely they already got a few months free so there I did my charity work already. I would not in a house renting situation let them stay any longer then needed to evict.

We live in a new world, a mans word means SHIT. The OP's Aunt must be a new rentee to have not of known better.

Does not make it right, but she needs to except the extended risk she PUT HERSELF in. Oh and there are ways to collect, but not legal so I will not go into those (they do work however and for $7K it be worth it).

[modette99]

CS always seemed like a joke to me. First off the Women almost always getting the children is a joke and is one sided. It doe snot cost anymore to raise one child over another. Child support should be a set in stone amount no matter on income. If a Judge feels its $100 for one father but $500 for another they obviously have no clue either and pull numbers out of ones ass.

That ass must be sore from all the fictitious numbers.

Also if you don't got the money because you are poor yourself, then you don't got the money *shrug*

I have plains for situations like that in life, it be 'come see me in Eastern Europe my new home'...LOL Outside the reach of whatever some nut of a Judge wants to claim I should pay and I don't have or is unreasonable.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Not that I don't agree that current divorce law is one sided, but it simply sounds like CM doesn't want to pay his child support.

Dead wrong. I'm not going to explain it all again for you because you were too lazy to read the above posts. If I didn't want to pay I'd be living somewhere else under a different name.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Bulldog my past is somewhat similiar to yours except my mother and father never married and my father left my mom when I was around age 3. I myself grew up without my dad around for many years. I never really took it as hard because my grandpa pretty much played the roll of my father for all the years he wasn't there. Like you mentioned I didn't have all the finer things but was still spoiled rotten by my grandparents with such toys and clothes from thrift stores, and all the snacks I wanted from the grocery stores, heck I thought I was in heaven as a kid. My father very lucky, slipped away without paying child support just gifts here and there. My guess is that my mom just didn't want him around and could care less for a low life that he was at the time. Later when my mother passed away my father told me that there where several occassions where he would ask both my mom and grandparents if I can spend sometime with him back in California but he would get shutdown each time. Well these last 5 years since my father and his new wife has settled down and now residing here in Colorado he is helped countless times by watching my kids his grandkids when needed at no cost, and hooking me up with $$$ working for his business as needed. So I pretty much forgave my dad and we have a good relationship now that he finally realizes he made bad choices back then. Was taught by my grandparents to forgive, and seems that has been pretty much the story of my life.
I simply feel that it is pointless to send someone to jail over child support, unless they're a threat. Payroll garnishment, negative info left on credit reports, take away driving priviledges/passports all examples that might make a person shape up, and pay up. Incarceration for non-violent offenders is doing nothing, except providing free shelter and a place to stay fed while the other parent suffers to provide for the child.

Excellent story! Glad you have a good relationship with your dad now. I didn't, and he died a couple years ago without us having talked for years. Ah well.