e CommonSense: Distress in Domestic Relations: Playing Games with Child Support

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Distress in Domestic Relations: Playing Games with Child Support

What’s a person to do when his income isn’t keeping up with his expenses? How can he find enough money to hire old friends and new girlfriends, when all Andy Reilly will let him have is a measly $42.3 million?

Judge Kenneth Clouse found himself in this painful dilemma last spring, and he has found a solution: annex Support Enforcement and its $5.2 million in federal funds.

Just one problem: Judge Clouse’s plan requires replacing Angela Martinez, a very competent 50 year old Latino woman with 20 years experience, with a younger white man.

(Bells should be going off right about now at Holsten & Associates! Better put on your thinking caps, friends, and figure out how you are going to explain this one to the EEOC!)

And not just any younger white male either, but Josh Waterston, Upper Darby’s own Boy Genius who has already done tours of duty in Domestic Relations and in the Public Defenders Office.

(Joshie wasn’t very successful in either place, but mediocrity has never been a barrier to a bright political future in Delaware County, especially for lawyers. The more mediocre they are, the more they need a County job, so there is an endless supply of lawyers willing to do the Party’s bidding.)

Judge Clouse’s plan has outraged Senior Judge Robert Wright, who spoke at a judge’s meeting for the first time in many, many years to condemn the shabby treatment of Angela Martinez.

Of course, Judge Clouse has the support of de facto Vice President Judge Kathryann Durham, who loves playing games with people’s lives, just for fun.

Judge Harry Bradley will go along with anything that doesn’t threaten his daughter Mimi Bradley Walker, and this plan actually increases Mimi's power. High pay, low hours: it’s the ideal situation for a Lexus-driving princess!

All of this would be just business-as-usual in Delco and could be shrugged off, except that Delco consistently ranks at the bottom of Pennsylvania's 67 counties in terms of child support enforcement effectiveness, and this will only make it worse.

Hmmm - while he's looking for a receiver to manage the Chester schools, maybe Governor Rendell could find one for Delaware County, too?

6 Comments:

At 2:48 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Looky looky what do we have here? Crooks in DOMESTIC RELATIONS? No! you don't say" Judge Kenneth Clouse doing something underhanded then & now again? The way i see it domestic relations should not even exist at all! The way i see it domestic relations is the reason why alot of fathers are not with there children now and also the reason why many families are broken up. For real when did the caucasion judges start giving a shit about young black kids or minorities? it's all about money and if you don't have it! you go to jail! to jail, what kind of stupid shit is that? I will never forget, i found out about my son in 2004 when he was three and a year later when i was working i took my paper work to the courts concerning my employment and i was incarcerated for 35 days & lost a career. Ever since that day i've been on a personal vendetta against the judges and DOMESTIC RELATIONS. it's like this! modern day slavery and Mr. Crawford is no slave. I am making all kinds of moves against the system! and I don't need a third party to help me take care of my son! especially a caucasion judge who knows nothing about taking care of a young black child. I was reently accused falsely of child abuse and told to stay away fo three years
after being found not guilty i was told to still stay away until further notice and there is custody order in affect as i write! and the courts still expect me to to pay! you must be crazy.

 
At 2:13 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

First Of all..... Josh Waterston is far from Mediocre.... I spent years trying to get a dime out of my daughter's father. And all the judges did was accept his excuses and $25.00 towards his thousands owed and let him walk awy. Til Josh Waterson stepped in. Once he came on the judges listened. Now I am at least getting 50% of what is owed. Josh is far from Mediocre. And as far as Domestic relations goes.... they did not force the mother the the child of the man above to file... her choice and yours to Lie down with her. Domestics is helping people get something for thier children with out it what recourse do any of us have agains deadbeat karaoke Dj dads....

 
At 7:30 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Delco Office of Child Support is a JOKE! They hold the dads hands and leave the moms and kids to fend for themselves. It's a nightmare! The Contempt judges who are supposed to enforce payment, well after 12 hearings in 18 months they have done NOTHING. The girls deadbeat dad shows up with a pathetic story and the judge feels sorry for him, not for my girls who've seen less then $100 in four months.

 
At 7:40 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Domestic relations is just a money making venture.. contempt they don't even know what that means how many times does someone have to be in contempt before something is done too many times all you have to do is cry poor mouth and they feel sorry for you the judges are sickening they believe that a man can collect money from our social security system because clearly he is obese and doesn't want to work but let the children hurt over this if you have a sob story they are all about listening a bunch of looneys domestics should not exist i agree with all of the above

 
At 4:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I been through a half dozen careers due to being labeled a dead beat, and yet I never skiped a payment, I always been in compliance including medical, but even more important I been every bit a father to my child. being there always and especially when it mattered the most,so Why all the hassel and back room deals? I always questioned if this department is truely for the best interest of a child? I personally can say and not by my own words, but by the courts own orders and documentation they signed, that so much in my case was unjust, the contemt charges against me were unfounded, as with the pfa's that were dismissed, I guess in those situation justice was served, but why? I guess being a dad first and foremost, while working and sacrificeing is not good enough,I don't understand the hassel,to have you career ruined, and livly hood jeapodized is to me so counter intuitive for my child. Now I hear that the culture has changed in delaware county domestic relations, but personally damage done!, and with recent questionable
acts by this department or system I still strongly beleieve that many forms of evil still exist, SO is my child better off because of this system, absoluty NOT! and every tax payor should be just as ashamed as I am of the powers to be that were, and still may be in affect. It was your attacks, your consistant acts of harassment for NO REASON WHATS SO EVER, but perhaps ego,greed and bias, that corrupt denial of my parental rights were placed against me,it DID NOTHING GOOD FOR MY CHILD,instead it created a poor standard of living for my kid. and while I never wanted it to end up this way, EVER! the system failed and allowed bad law to take place, enclosing, I strongly believe my childs hardship will not go in vain, that Gods will is to send a message to everyone within this organization that is 100% CONCERNED for our youth, to stand up and step up and expose every bit of what is wrong or corrupt with the system, it's time to make this failed system work, and for all the true dead beats, that includes those in the legal profession that create such hostility, I pray for you, because God is the true and just judge.
God Bless you all!

 
At 4:54 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Never found such informative articles
Relationship with Jordan Pusle

 

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