Dear:

I believe the gift of parenting children is the single greatest blessing and experience an individual can enjoy in life. Therefore to me, parenting rights are not a special rights concern they are a human rights concern.

!o, I "ant to as# "here you stand on an important political issue: $amily %a" &eform.

's you may or may not be a"are, our current system of $amily %a" has devolved into one in "hich a "hole host of $amily (ourt Industry players are profiteering from the minimi)ation or elimination of parenting time and rights for non*custodial parents.

+any custodial parents, la"yers, parenting plan evaluators, supervised parenting services, !tates, friends of the (ourt social "or#ers, many (ourts, and others are ma#ing money by using children as an excuse to exploit non*custodial parents, causing irreparable harm to both children and their parents in the process.

I, and a rapidly gro"ing base of many others, "ould li#e this to stop. +ore specifically, "e are as#ing for five primary reforms to $amily %a":

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The presumption of -./-. custody and parenting rights during and after divorce. 0e are 12T as#ing for a &345I&3+31T of -./-., because "e still "ant parents to be able to decide for themselves "hat "or#s best for them. 6o"ever, in the event that case goes to trial, instead of having the 1(7 being forced to rise to a high standard to sho" "hy they should have time "ith their children, I believe it8s far healthier 9for both parents and children: for the parent contesting this time to be re;uired to rise to a high standard to sho" "hy the 1(7 should 12T have e;ual time "ith their children. 'nd "hile this may dramatically hit the financial accounts of those "ho are using children for profit by creating or aggravating conditions of conflict, this reform "ill affect far healthier outcomes for families. I "ould li#e reforms to child support calculations. +ore specifically, an elimination of financial incentives for minimi)ing or eliminating a non*custodial parent8s time "ith their little ones. 's it sits no", there are basically t"o pieces to the child support calculation: 9,: 'n actual physical needs "or#sheet, and 9<: ' tax*free income redistribution "ith the (ourt establishing the higher of the t"o as the child support order. I recogni)e that custodial parents may need some time to adjust after divorce, and I have no problems "ith alimony/maintenance. 6o"ever, I "ould li#e the alimony portion of child support to be eliminated. If a (7 "ants to better their lifestyle, they can put the "or# into bettering themselves just li#e 1(78! are often admonished to do. (hildren are 12T tax*free income producing assets, and 1(78s are 12T indentured servants. &eforms to child support enforcement: If one "ants to accomplish a goal, it helps establish good or helpful conditions to achieve that goal. 5nfortunately, the $amily (ourt has become accustomed to pathological and often draconian measures for enforcement in "hich the civil rights of 1(78s are systematically ignored or eliminated through administrative court procedures. If a person loses their job, or becomes ill or disabled, it ma#es no sense "hat so ever, to ta#e a"ay their driver8s license, vocational license, destroy their credit, thro" them in jail, or force them into homelessness. 6o" does this help to ensure the support gets caught*up> It doesn8t. It simply ma#es the problem "orse and sets the non*custodial parent up for future, life*destroying failures. Truthfully, current regimes

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for enforcement that treat ?deadbro#e? parents as common criminals are completely inappropriate. @. !ocial !ecurity 'ct, Title IA, 7art D, !ection @-B ?Incentive 7ayments To !tates?: I have no problem, in theory, "ith states being re"arded for child support enforcement. 6o"ever, I have a big problem "ith !tates profiting from it, and a &3'%%C big problem "ith the lac# of resources available to 1(78s for visitation enforcement. $or little or no cost, a (7 can have the state pursue civil or criminal remedies for delin;uent child support. 6o"ever, an 1(7 in reality, must hire an attorney if his or her visitation orders are being ignored, and often, these orders are not enforced "ith any"here near the same severity by the (ourt as they are "ith child support orders. 'nd I8m confident this is happening in large part, due to the financial interests of those parties noted in paragraph four. Therefore, if there is going to be $ederal incentives for the enforcement of $amily (ourt orders, I "ant e;ual "eighting and importance put the enforcement of visitation orders. 6onestly, the message that money is more important than a parent8s relationship and the emotional "ell*being of children is remar#ably disgusting. I simply can8t tolerate that #ind of "orldvie". A'0' reform. I agree that victims of abuse and violence need the ability to feel safe in s"iftly see#ing the protection of the Dustice system. 6o"ever, fraudulent allegations of abuse made during $amily (ourt are getting out of control. This is a gender*neutral problem, and it seems it no" boils do"n to "hich party can launch this nuclear attac# first. There are no remedies available to the victims of fraudulent allegations E none, and the damage these allegations cause to both children and parents is catastrophic. The 'merican Far 'ssociation loves to fall bac# on A'0' as its reasoning for opposing any #ind of $amily %a" reform. 6o"ever, I can8t help but "onder ho" much money attorneys and investigators are ma#ing from a la" that allo"s someone to be accused of such a serious crime and presumed guilty of it "ith no credible evidence "hat*so*ever. !omething needs to be done about this, right no".

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In short, much of the current political and judicial rationali)ing for the current structure of $amily %a" centers on the concept of "hat8s in the best interests of the children. 6o"ever, "hat is becoming increasingly clear is that children are simply being used as a seemingly noble excuse to mas# a greedier underlying motive that is causing significant and irreparable harm to parents and children ali#e.

I understand you can expect to receive significant resistance to my ideas for reform because those parties noted earlier have a great deal to lose "hen they ta#e place.

6o"ever, I8m not concerned about them. I8m concerned about the health and "ell*being children and parents, and your position on this matter "ill affect my voting behavior going for"ard.

Therefore, I "ill be grateful if you "ill tell me, in plain and simple "ords, "here you stand on $amily %a" &eform.

Than# you so much for your time.

!incerely,