Just recently, my son received his high school diploma. As you may understand from my previous article, he now lacks motivation to do much of anything. I am at his side pushing him to continue his life in a good decent direction.
Together, my son and I will refuse to let this evilness take control of him and bring him down. We refuse to let this situation make him become someone he is not. We refuse to let this issue stop him from obtaining his life’s dreams!
Several weeks after the graduation ceremony, my son received a letter from Senator Charlie Justice. (he was a guest speaker at the ceremony) Basically, the letter congratulates my son and tells him about all the doors of possibilities he has opened and all the opportunities of success in his life.
If you can’t tell already, I don’t just sit down and be quite. Here is my reply to Senator Justice’s letter.
September 7, 2010
Senator Charlie Justice
Gateway Executive Center
8601 4th St. N. Suite 100
St. Petersburg, Fl. 33702
Dear Senator Justice,
Thank you for the wonderful letter you sent to my son. Any words of encouragement are good for him to stay positive about his future. I was impressed to see you attend the graduation ceremony on [August] 26, 2010. I too am very proud of my son for his accomplishment. He knows how important it is to have a diploma and continue a higher education.
Sadly, unlike most nineteen year old boys, my son does not have the same doors open to many possibilities in his life. He will not have the same opportunities as others and will struggle to be successful. He has a lot stacked against him.
Like many young men, my son trusted a girl he was seeing; when she told him she was on birth control. Little did he know, girls don’t always tell the truth. Nine months later a baby was born. He knows he has nothing to offer a child, a child my son did not want, a child he did not agree to have, and a child he was tricked into conceiving. Tyler was recently ordered to pay $759.46 a month in child support. He works part time and makes minimum wage. The judge imputed income based on what she feels he could be making. Not based on any employment history. Along with the ridiculous high monthly child support order, he was also ordered to pay $10,000 in arrears. I can not believe this is happening in the United States. Most men with educations do not make enough to pay that much in child support.
As I looked into this issue further, I discovered what a huge problem this is in Florida and the entire US for that matter. Where are the men’s rights? Why it is okay for a woman to make the decision to have an abortion, adoption, abandon, or keep their child? A man has none of those choices. Why are unwed men forced into being fathers when they never wanted to be? I thought there were equal rights for everyone. Sadly, I am finding this is very untrue.
Along with hundreds of other men, my son’s life is basically over. He has been given a death sentence. He will NEVER be able to meet the courts expectations. He can not continue his education because he needs to get a few more jobs to pay this debt he owes. As you know Florida is leading in unemployment. So when the judge told him he needs to get five jobs, I seriously think she forgot what state she is in. He will become so far behind in payments since he can not even come close to paying that amount. He will never be able to apply for a loan, save money, or obtain credit.
He risks having his driver license suspended and/or jail time if he gets too far behind. This is even more ridiculous. If these men have their licenses suspended and spend time in jail, this will put them even further behind. Senator Justice, I am sure you agree jail is for bad guys. It is not for men who are tricked into becoming fathers and who can not afford to pay such high amounts in child support.
Men are being punished for having sex. Where is the woman’s responsibility? Why are women in control of a man’s future? Why are women able to give up all rights to their child with no questions asked, but a man can not?
This is a major problem in our country. Young men are turning to lives of crime and some are committing suicide over this issue. Something needs to change. The ridiculously high support orders and the not so equal rights need to change. I feel the courts make it so high because they want these young men to fail. This isn’t about a war on women and children & deadbeat dads. Women aren’t the victims here. This is about unfair treatment to men. These women need to stand up and take responsibility of there own bodies and their own lives.
This letter to you is just the beginning of my journey to make people aware of this problem. The only thing that makes sense is there has to be a corruption between Child Support Enforcement and the Family Court system. I hope if this is true it will be discovered. All I want is for it to be equal and fair to both men and women.
I am looking to you for guidance. We need to get our legislators aware of this issue. It has been overlooked for far too many years. There are way too many good men who are loosing everything, as President Obama stated during his election, “We need CHANGE.”
I look forward to your reply.
Respectfully,
Beth Lang
Beth Lang is an American mother whose son was duped into becoming a father without his consent. Because of this, she has decided to dedicate her life to publicly challenging the corrupt system that enables the fraud. Her efforts to advocate on behalf of her son and all young men will be chronicled exclusively here, at avoiceformen.com.
