Our current system of resolving child custody disputes rarely considers either children’s needs from children’s own perspective, or current research on child custody outcomes.
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Any Inequality Is Disgusting
A bill aimed at effectively ending permanent alimony is heading to the House floor after clearing its final committee of reference on Thursday.
The Judiciary Committee approved the measure (HB 455), sponsored by Republican state Rep. Colleen Burton of Lakeland, by a 14-3 vote.
Chiefly, the measure limits judges’ discretion in awarding alimony by providing guidelines for how much an ex-spouse should get and for how long.
The idea is that “no matter where you live, you can anticipate you will receive equal treatment,” Burton said.
Her bill picked up a key Democratic supporter in state Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Coral Springs, a self-described “child of divorce.”
He said he knows from first-hand experience that “an indefinite financial relationship between two divorced parents is bad for the children.”
Lawmakers heard from Tarie MacMillan of Wimauma, a 65-year-old woman paying permanent alimony for 16 years. Her husband, a former insurance executive, decided to stop working and lives on 65 percent of her income, she said.
Alimony “needs to be a formula,” said MacMillan, a jewelry dealer. “It’s so wrong for one adult to live off another for so long.”
Others continued to insist that the changes will be at the cost of mothers who opted to leave the workforce and raise children. After a breakup, they have trouble finding jobs and depend on alimony, some as their sole support.
“There’s no consideration for a stay-at-home mom who has no work experience,” activist Cynthia Wheeler of Palm Beach County said.
Wheeler’s recent appearance in Tallahassee resulted in her being ejected from a Senate committee when she refused to leave the lectern. On Thursday, she again spoke over her allotted one minute and until two sergeants-at-arms turned off her microphone.
It’s the third time in recent years the Legislature has attempted to change Florida’s alimony law. A companion bill, sponsored by Republican Kelli Stargel of Lakeland, has not yet been heard in the Senate.
Another family-law bill moving this session is SB 250, sponsored by Brandon Republican Tom Lee, that would change state law on child-sharing. It would create an assumption that equal time-sharing for both parents after a divorce is in the best interest of a child.
Source: House alimony reform clears final panel – Florida Politics
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Divorced men are more than nine times as likely as divorced women to kill themselves
NCFM Advisor Gordon Finley, Ph.D. blasts VAWA for causing the deaths of men
Men die with VAWA
NCFM Advisor, Gordon E. Finley, Ph.D.
In perhaps the supreme triumph of ideology and the feminist vote bullying over science ever, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has been passed by both gutless houses of Congress and signed by a spineless president (“Obama signs VAWA, hails law as ‘victory’ for violence victims,” March 7).
Tragically, boys, men and fathers increasingly will die at the hands of their violent mothers and wives as our worthless elected officials rush to issue press releases and pat themselves on the back claiming victory for all eternity to now having ended “the war on women.” The consequences, in addition to what will be the exponentially rising violence against boys, men and fathers, include a drop in the confidence of ordinary citizens with real-life experiences and common sense in their elected officials, if it could drop any lower. The consistently replicated bottom line of empirical research studies, as opposed to politicized ideology, is that domestic violence initiation and victimization is very close to 50-50 on virtually all indexes.
If there is any legislation our worthless Congress has passed that is more harmful to children, families and the well being of society, I have missed it.
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Obama signs VAWA, hails law as ‘victory’ for violence victims
President Obama signed a bipartisan bill Thursday to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, ending a year-long effort to renew legislation that provides federal funding for programs aiding the prosecutions of domestic and sexual violence cases.
The president heralded the legislation as a “victory” for the victims of domestic violence.
“One of the great legacies of this law is that it didn’t just change the rules, it changed our culture,” Obama said.
The legislation includes new measures intended to help prosecutions on Native American reservations of non-native perpetrators of violence and grants for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered men and women. The bill also includes new funding to reduce the backlog of DNA tests in rape cases and improve police facility storage across the country.
Obama specifically highlighted the new provisions in his remarks.
“This is a country where everyone should be able to pursue their own measure of happiness and live their lives free from fear, no matter who we are or who we love,” Obama said.
The president also took time to recognize the efforts of Vice President Biden, an original author of the bill who had spearheaded administration efforts to urge a renewal.
“On behalf of everybody here, and all of the lives that you have had a positive impact and touched through the Violence Against Women’s Act, the survivors who are alive today because of this law, the women who are no longer hiding in fear because of this law, the girls who are growing up aware of their right to be free from abuse because of this law, on behalf of them and all their families, I want to thank Joe Biden for making this one of the causes of his career,” Obama said, urging those at the event provide a standing ovation to the vice president.
The original VAWA had expired in September 2011, and debate over the new provisions had stalled legislation in the House.
Republicans had opposed the Senate bill, which included the revisions, but changed course after it became clear that the upper chamber would not act on a House version of the bill. A revised Senate bill also excluded a provision that would make it easier for non-citizen victims of domestic violence to win visas, in a concession to Republicans.
Top Republicans, including Reps. Darrell Issa (Calif.) and Tom Cole (Okla.), backed the Senate bill over the House version in a rare move, and attended the ceremony Thursday.
On Thursday, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle heralded the signing.
“Today’s signing of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization into law gives women and all victims of domestic violence across America the peace of mind that their government will not abandon them in their time of need,” said Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), an author of the original bill.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) said in a post to her Twitter account she was “pleased” the president was signing the bill.
NCFM Adviser Gordon Finley, PhD, quoted in article about Fatherhood – September 4, 2015 — By NCFM
NCFM NOTE ON FATHERHOOD: Young fathers have a much higher early death rate than do men who become fathers later in life. There is no mention in the article about whether non custodial dads whose children are kept from them, whose children are alienated against them, and are paying onerous child support and onerous alimony might give to their early death. What do you think?
How Long Should You Wait for Fatherhood?
Research suggests holding off until after age 25.
By their late 20s, most men are done with school, established in their careers, financially stable and have a clearer sense of identity, making them more equipped for fatherhood.
By Samantha Costa Sept. 4, 2015 | 10:19 a.m. EDT + More
Some view fatherhood as an end to independence. A time when beer bottles are traded for baby bottles and Netflix nights are eclipsed by diaper changes and late-night feedings. It might feel like your life has changed forever, and it will. But how young is too young to become a father?
New research published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health suggests that becoming a dad before age 25 could have serious health consequences: an untimely death in middle age. Men who became fathers earlier in life were more likely to have poor health and die younger than men who delayed fatherhood until ages 30 to 44, the study found.
The researchers examined more than 30,500 men born between 1940 and 1950 who became fathers by age 45. Of those, 15 percent had their first child by age 22; 29 percent had theirs by ages 22 to 24; 18 percent by ages 25 to 26; 19 percent by ages 27 to 29; and 19 percent by ages 30 to 44.
The research team also looked at other factors, such as the men’s level of education, geographic location, marital status and number of children. During the 10-year follow-up period, 1 in 20 dads died. Ischemic heart disease was to blame for 21 percent of the deaths, while alcohol-related diseases accounted for 16 percent.
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Family Court Reform 