Dear Representative ________,
There is a real issue that needs and deserves your attention. It may even affect you someday.
It's active in almost every state. Texas has stopped it, but for states like Florida and
Massachusetts, it continues to grow, killing hard working people in the process.
The Issue is “Permanent” Alimony. Help and Support your ex-spouse...Yes. But not pay with a life sentence.
Here’s why:
There are men and women who have worked hard to make our country it what it is, in spite of our temporary current economic situation. They’ve sacrificed and put in tremendously hard work making products, providing services, transportation, medical, food service, public service and much more. They also contributed financially to their own marriage. This is Spouse “A”.
There are other people who chose a different path. It could be raising children, or finding someone to marry who would take care of them, or even a combination. There is no question that Raising a family is an extremely important and difficult job! It’s a part of the core of our country, and this core structure is falling apart. We need parents raising their family, even if in different homes. Plenty of spouses (Spouse “A”) would love to share raising a family with Spouse “B,” but it’s very difficult with the courts as they are. Custody and raising children is not the point of this letter, but it is related. Careers and education are readily available for both A and B, if either choose to have them. That is the function of “Rehabilitative Alimony.”
For Spouse “A” to have to pay a lifetime of “permanent alimony” to Spouse “B” because Spouse “A” has produced the majority income for the first 15-17 or more years of marriage is wrong. Maybe Spouse “B” was encouraged to get a career or employment, but chose not to. This should not enslave Spouse “A” to a lifetime of alimony payments, a financial drain that is truly a chain.
Many times Spouse “A” didn’t even want the Divorce! Florida is a “No-Fault” Divorce state. There need be no reason, other than “My marriage won’t work.” Spouse “B” can file for divorce at any time. Now Spouse “A” is forced into the Divorce Court System. As the one who has earned the income to this point, Spouse “A” has also entered the “pay for everything” phase, where Spouse “A” pays for all attorneys, all appraisals, living, transportation, and medical expenses, and more. Remember, Spouse “A” didn’t know about, or want, a divorce. It was forced upon them. Is that fair?
Permanent Alimony must stop. It’s Completely Against What We Believe as Americans! It’s Hurting Our Country. Penalizing people for hard work and rewarding others for lack of effort is not what America was founded on.
There is no motivation for Spouse “B” to ever seek employment, marriage, or take any action that would jeopardize Spouse “A’s” alimony payment. Losing that would mean learning a skill and becoming employed, or find some other “spouse” that would take care of them.
This does not include Child Support. The spouse with the children most of the time still needs financial help with raising “our” children. We believe in Child Support.
States like Texas have rewritten their laws to limit alimony to Three Years. After that time, a person should be able to support themselves. Of course, a persons physical disabilities need additional consideration, but healthy people (Spouse “B”) should not be rewarded with “permanent alimony” and not contributing to their own future, nor the “payor” (Spouse “A”) be penalized for working. Someone had to do work!
Some people truly were blind-sided with their own divorce and need some assistance to help them get on with their lives. Three years is plenty of time, if they want to get on with their life. It can be a rejuvenating opportunity, a blessing in disguise! It could be doing something they’ve always wanted to do or having a new career. They can “grow” from this experience. Removing this permanent alimony crutch can help them to grow. They now have permission.
Some other people are using marriage as a form of “Retirement Plan” with the full intention of getting a divorce and a paycheck every month, after 15-17 or more years of marriage. This is wrong and should be stopped. They have everything to gain by waiting out the marriage for 17 years, guaranteed by law! There are people who know how to play the “Retirement Plan” game, and are teaching others. It’s spreading!
Please, let us do whatever research you need, for you to help change our laws to stop penalizing hard working people. The laws are outdated, made at a time the divorce rate was 10%, and the workforce was male dominated. Now, the divorce rate is 50% for first marriages and over 60% for second marriages. According to The United States Department of Labor, “Women accounted for 51 percent of all workers in the high-paying management, professional, and related occupations.” 59.5 percent of our labor force is women. Today, both sexes have multitude career options, thanks to wise changes made in our laws.
The wounds of divorce will never heal, when reopened every month when you pay, or even receive, an alimony check. It’s time to bring these laws up to 2009, where the people of today live.
What do you need? Who can we contact? How can we Help? We represent thousands of the people you represent.
Thank You for Your Time.
Sincerely,
An Employed, Working, Voter
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