From: jsw@cray.com (Jon S. Wood)
Subject: Re: Clintons Deadbeat Commercial
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Date: 14 Sep 92 14:25:45 CDT

In article <10SEP199213255224@arecibo.aero.org> terwill@arecibo.aero.org writes:
>Yesterday I again heard the Clinton Deadbeat commercial (in California):
>
>"In Arkansas, if you fall behind a $1,000. in your child support payments we
>(he and Hillary?) report you to every credit agency in the state (is there
>more than 1?) We want to do for America what we have done for Arkansas." 
>
>Now, here in the Golden State (really named by lawyers) I would bet that there
>are lots of fathers paying more than a $1,000. a month. What if you are
>a week late? How do you recover financially? Scary.
>
>Bill
>

 Well, it happened to me in Mn. I was divorced on January 8th, 1988. 
My previous employer payed me on the 15th and the last working day of the month.
Hennepin County informed my employer that I was obligated to pay
600.00 dollars a month and they began garnishing on January 31st.
My employer unfortunately did not calculate the amount properly. They
somehow determined that I was payed 26 times per year and not 24 times
or twice per month. In fact, that amount didn't add up. I had no
idea at the time how "they" (I had mistakenly thought the county 
calculated this bogus amount but it was actually figured by my 
employers' payroll dept.) came up with that number. So, I was falling
short in my payments to the tune of 15$ per pay period. This added
up. Now back to Feb. 4th, 1988. On that day I received from Hennepin
County Collection Services a statement that said I was two months
behind in child support. HOW DO THEY FIGURE THAT?  It seems the amount
already garnished had not reached them yet. Second, they added 
the amount owed in January and February. Believe it or not, I was
two months behind in child support after only 23 days of the single
life AND that I had already payed child support on the FIRST available
and reasonable date humanly possible. In less than 35 days, I find
myself listed as a deadbeat and  1200.00 in debt. This illegal
mindless accounting system (again, I'll bash the govt. worker...
WHAT WOULD YOU EXPECT FROM GOVT. SLICK WILLY?) basically has
every NCP in Hennepin COunty in arrears. It also allows HCCS
and Hennepin County to benefit from the large holdings of 
NCP payments to CPs. The government is not equiped to accoutn
for child support. The result is a tremendous onslought of 
court time to solve these matters. 


                                       Side note: Who is the 
number one lobbyist (just above ACES) to perpetuate draconian
measures at Mn's state capital. YES, you guessed it, Hennepin
COunty Collection Services. They site stats to perpetuate their
job's importance. 2nd Note: The MPLS tribune reported that 
the number of men paying child support went down since automatic
garnishment. It seems that the outrageous support guidelines also
legistlated that same year forced a lot of NCPs to quick their
jobs and run.

I ignored HCCS (Henn. County Collection Services) until they
began automatically garnishing additional amounts to make up
the difference. I was given a notice but irregardless if I had
been living in Maine, Alaska or Saudi Arabia, a NCP has only 
5 working days to respond in person to file against the judgement.
They took me for additional 15%. I never hired an attorney because
the amount "OWED" is about the same retaining an attorney. GET it, 
they 'gottcha'.


Many moons later.... I had the opportunity to be in court so I 
filed to have my child support reduced because the ex was moving
to Arizona and to straighten out the additional child support 
lean on "false" arrearages. 
 
I threatened to sue my former employer if they did not send me a copy
of my payroll history. They reluctantly agreed. NOTE: Always threaten
these people with attorneys. They'll listen to ya then.


The judge didn't care about the accounting gaff. There is nothing
in the law nor is there anything in my decree that said I owed 
600 dollars on the day of my divorce. Hennepin County still has
this "hole" in their collection procedures. I recommend that future
NCPs get your begining payment date written in their decree. 
The judge ignored my letters to HCCS about the wrong garnished amounts,
ignored my letter asking for a clarification. The judge ruled it
far too confusing and told me essentially, "since they have already
garnished the amount, why don't we put this matter to rest and 
forget about it". I guess I had no choice, right?


Today I am another X buckaroos behind in support. In Mn, they
have a bi-annual cost of living increase based on COLA figures
for the county in which your children live. HCCS informed me about
the increase, the date it was to start AND the amount. Did they
tell my employer? No. They said it was my responsibility. So
because I presumed that my employer would increase my support
obligation as soon as they could following the notice. I forgot, 
the co. didn't know and now I am informed that I am in arrears.
Life goes on. 

Waiting for my next notice from HCCS,
Jon