“Only 4% of non-custodial parents whose earnings drop by more than 15% are able to get a reduction in support payments.” (Elaine Sorenson, “A Little Help for Some ‘Deadbeat’ Dads,” Washington Post, 11/15/95, p. A25.)
Nothing has changed regarding reductions in child support since 1995, but the hold of invasive government methods has. Yet Bradley Amendment tracking, record-keeping and enforcement was hardly a problem to the majority of the American populace before the second term of the Clinton administration. Technology and its crushing grip had not come to full bear where the Bradley Amendment was concerned. That has changed. Computers, invasive privacy procedures and the attitude of law enforcement has created a new way of life for untold millions of men and a few women. The prospect of unemployment, chronic underemployment and homelessness is an increasing fate for an increasing millions of American men and women during this economic downturn with or without Bradley Law. The Bradley Amendment makes economic recovery for its’ victims almost impossible.
The Bradley Amendment has created a zero tolerance or mandatory measure for non-custodial parents, even in a depressed economy. The Bradley Amendment dictates that is is impossible for any judge to ever reduce or remove child support arrears accumulated for any reason. Most states will not voluntarily reduce child support during terms of unemployment or underemployment to match with income. To make matters worse, unemployment benefits and underemployed parents are tapped up to 65% of income for judicially declared child support without reprieve or remorse. The system is unrelenting. The reality remains that few non-custodial parents are able to get simple legal assistance or the cooperation required to reduce child support during a life crisis, resulting in a permanent catch-22 for millions of American citizens who mostly happen to be men.
There is no effective way out for non-custodial parents, so one of the effective costs of child support enforcement and Bradley Law include 5,000 additional suicides yearly and 100,000 additional men in jail at any given time. This results in additional unemployment during good economic times and is likely to increase dramatically during bad economic times with little hope for a new legal underclass of American. Otherwise responsible dads are driven further from their children during a time when ‘responsible fatherhood laws‘ encourage fathers to stay involved with their children by advertising on billboards. The Bradley Amendment has created a new nation, but not for the better. Instead, we have created a nation of quiet and unrelenting unconstitutional terror and despair. The law enforcement that claims to protect us has become an instrument of terrorism. ~ E. Manning
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Leon Walker 
I left the country. My c**t ex wife got my clearance yanked and I lost my job. Without the clearance my income dropped 40% but of course the massive alimony and child support remained in fact they were actively working to increase it when I just – left. I figure I had three choices with two different endings.
1. I go to jail for basically the rest of my life as I could never catch up with the court ordered rapine.
2. I kill her. At least this way I go to jail for a real reason and I would likely get out sooner. The dead don’t collect alimony or child support so no debtors prison at least. 20 years and freedom.
3. I leave. I take my chances that I can hopefully nab a second citizenship before 10 years is up (when the passport expires and the slave has to return to Massa’s cotton field).
I chose number 3. If it doesn’t work eventually i’ll choose number 2. Might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb.
I am trying to keep my head up and I am making a blog, that maybe my kids will read when they come get me. I am disabled and between the bradley amendment and they new Fines and taxes for health ins….I don’t see anyway for me, to survive, how can they do all of this and people just let it happen????
I want to die
I want to die, to be an abused father who is taken advatange of and his kids though they beg to stay with me and tell their mother to her face, “I’d rather have another mother and your not my mother”
The Judge quotes Biology and preaches Biology, all my income is taken I am going to lose myself and leavy the country
Lets do a Constitutional challange to this law and make it a class action lawsuit with retroactive calculations. The judges want to keep their jobs and keep the flow of new law breaking american citizens coming through the courthouse doors. Too large has the justice system grown and is now manufacturing crimes to feed it’s need.
The whole child support system from start to finish is invasive, destructive and unconstitutional. The Court
makes the all the decisions. They even make things up as they go along. An example of this is earning capacity.
Which is simply paper wealth that does not exist. Everything and anything they can do to criminalize
an adult. The Courts want people to jump through
hoops even if there are no hoops to jump through.
They have become bullies. They have suspended the
constitution in order to criminalize as many adults as
possible. Even when people have lost their houses,
jobs and benefits. The calus of 225, 000 dollar a
year family court Judges is incredible when they
put an adult in jail because he or she can not find
work. In economic crisis where unemployment is
15.8% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U6). It’s probably higher.
I plan to kill myself when they come for me, so my kids will get SSI and I won’t have to sit in jail…..or simply just wait and retire in jail…..one way or another I pray this country falls apart. thats my truth.