In a world where math, statues, and roads are racist, it’s hard to imagine what new depths of idiocy progressives will reach in their eternal quest for the Black vote. Their latest claim is that child support is racist, and California, already a hotbed of lunacy, is pushing to eliminate interest owed in back pay by deadbeat fathers as part of its “reparations” plan.
Per California’s Reparations Task Force, child support is disparate. “Although African Americans are less than seven percent of California’s population, they represent around 18 percent of the parents who owe child support debt.” Therefore, being a deadbeat dad is acceptable and forced support of your children is racist.
To counter the disproportionate percentage of Black men refusing to make child support payments, the Reparations Task Force recommends the legislature “enact legislation to terminate all interest accrued on back child support, requiring only the payment of the principal owed.
The report dictates, “At a minimum, the proposal recommends that the legislature eliminate the prospective accrual of interest on child-support debt for low-income parents.”
The report claims that “child support debt [should be] based solely on a parent’s financial circumstances and ability to pay” and calls for the elimination of minimum child support payments.
Not only is interest to be written off, but under this plan, outstanding child support debt will be eliminated as well.
In contrast to the Task Force’s data, the most recent Census Bureau report reveals that only one-third of custodial Black parents are awarded child support. Since most white custodial parents are awarded child support, this proposal will only deepen the “wealth gap” between Black and white children.
The Task Force report finds that the 10% interest the state charges on back child support “hinders” the ability to find employment, attend job training, achieve higher education, and maintain housing due to the current legal consequences of failing to pay mandated support.
The Task Force relied on data collected from a 2003 California Department of Child Support Services study. The study reported that 27% of owed child support was unpaid interest and argued that those who owed child support typically had lower incomes than average Californians. The “unjust” burden of paying interest on back child support requires larger portions of income, argues the study.
Instead of paying child support, Black non-custodial parents should be permitted to make “offers in compromise” and have forgiveness of child support debt.
California already offers The Debt Reduction Program, paid for by taxpayers to help non-custodial parents pay off the interest accrued on back child support. The program is offered to all California residents regardless of race and reduces debt owed to the state government while not affecting monthly payments to custodial parents.
No matter how it’s viewed, reparations in California make no sense. Although slave owners from other parts of the nation brought slaves with them to mine for gold, slavery in the Eureka state has never been legal. It was constitutionally banned prior to the state entering the union.
In addition, California is flat broke. With a budget deficit of more than $32 billion and half a trillion dollars of debt, California can barely keep the lights on as it is. The task force has scaled back from its recommendations of $1.2 million lump sum payments to eligible Blacks and is now calling for more modest installments.
If California approves so-called “reparations,” figuring out who is eligible for payments will be tricky from start to finish. Just like eliminating owed child support will negatively impact Black children, many kids may also miss their opportunity to “cash in.”
Task Force member Cheryl Grills explains, “Our most vulnerable could be left out: children in the child welfare system who cannot trace family heritage; our folks who are incarcerated, who don’t have access to the tools to establish their lineage because they can’t hop on a computer in prison; and our folks who are suffering from mental illness, who aren’t going to have the wherewithal; and our folks who are unhoused.”
The preliminary findings of the Reparations Task Force consisted of more than 1,000 pages presented to the State Assembly for consideration, with votes to take place as soon as September.
The rest of the nation watches the emerging train wreck of a once-great state breathlessly, considering it as Step One in a national reparations movement.
But for kids in California relying on child support payments, liberals have once again proven that for progressives, Black Children’s Lives don’t matter.
After all, kids don’t vote.
