Hard to get child support

Dear Editor:

I am writing regarding the letter I read on a dead beat dad printed Sept. 10.

I wanted to let the author know that he is not alone in his frustration or his fight for child support.

I have two beautiful children and retain sole legal custody of them. While I am grateful to God for my children and the privilege of raising them I do not think it is right that I must assume the sole financial responsibility for them when their father is able to help.

My children's father is behind in his child support and DHR has done nothing to collect any of it. To make matters worse I was sued for custody by their dad in 2002. The suit took almost a year to resolve during which their dad did not pay any child support even through he was drawing a check from his employer and I had a withholding order for garnishment.

When we finally went to trial not only did the judge do nothing to force him to pay, but gave him a reduction in his support!

While I struggle to provide for my children, he lives without worry and with court ordered visitation.

What worries me the most in all this is this, when my son or daughter grows up and they become parents, if for some reason they are separated from their children and ordered to pay child support, will they do their best to live up to their responsibilities because they remember how we had to struggle or will they take the easy way out because they remember how their dad got away without paying?

I know a lot of parents reading this are saying "my child will do right because that is how they were raised."

Well my ex-husband was not brought up badly. He saw that his father paid his child support, so my question is "What will our children do?" if an example is not set for them by our courts.

Bottom line is this, non-payment of child support is a crime. A crime against children. They are the victims here and like every other victim of a crime they have a right to justice from our courts.

Crystal Brady,

Andalusia

Junk legislation

What will be the final cost?

Dear Editor:

I am quite concerned that the City Council has created a board to run our utility department. I thought when we elected the council that one of their major responsibilities was to be the Board for the Utility Department and other Departments of the City. Department heads report to the Mayor and other Council members. The councilmen are paid to serve on the council and I have always understood that an elected official and also an appointed official could not use their office for personal gain.

The four members that voted for the New Board all gained financially. In addition to their council pay, three of the four that voted for the board will serve on the board: two of those will receive $350 a month, the mayor will receive more and the fourth member will retain

his paid seat on another utility board.

Can you imagine in a year how many poles and electrical wire could be purchased with the sum ($16,800 plus the mayor's unspecified amount) that the board will receive from our payments to the utility department?

Janette Carroll

Andalusia