I think it is pretty clear that we are heading into a major depression not just a recession. The tentacles are creeping into everything and even the standard bogus numbers produced by our fine government are starting to show serious signs of weakness (and considering how cooked those numbers are this is a major feat). I don't know of a whole lot of people who has lost their job but it seems clear that this is what is on the horizon and approaching like a runaway train.
With the standard practice of "imputing" income for child support and alimony firmly a part of the family court system there is no give if something like this happens. The numbers of men currently under orders is staggering and well into the millions, when these men start losing their jobs, their houses, their life savings, etc. the obvious solution on the part of the talking heads (who caused this mess in the first place but that is another topic) will be to swell the jail population - but that too has its limits.
Mass disobedience seems to me to be the only real possible outcome. If even 10% of the current total case load went back to court you'd clog the system well beyond its capacity to operate. Of course we've outsourced justice to organizations like Maximus who are free to take whatever they want without consequence but eventually even this level of plunder has its limits.
Child support terror operates within the framework of assets that are easy to steal, people who are easy to jail, and compliance. All of this falls apart when your primary concern is bread lines and basic survival. There are just too many parasites and not enough hosts and the standard practice of torturing the host doesn't work when the host is facing a choice of life or death if it continues to support everything the U.S. demands. It is already the case that certain acts of theft will get you less jail time than a child support contempt order will. Heck if they do the revolving contempt order (with new contempt for six months generated every month you are in jail) *murder* starts looking like a reasonable alternative.
My point is something needs to give and the U.S. has a very poor track record of ever admitting that its made a mistake. I think the last time that happened was with the repeal of prohibition and those in charge have shown that this knowledge is quickly forgotten as they continue to prosecute the war on drugs as if it made any difference.
Countries can and have existed as slave states for a time but they all eventually collapse as slave labor just isn't as efficient. People work much harder for themselves than they do for others regardless how hard you whip them. What I see happening is the run up to the fall of the Soviet Union where everyone was a slave, no one really wanted to do anything, and this apathy ran so thick that it eventually overcame the fear of being punished. Even sadist judges who enjoy torturing men need an army of loyal serfs to carry out their wishes, and if their hearts aren't really in it then nothing happens. At the very least arresting people (and housing them) is work and the police aren't going to want to go arrest 10 million men even assuming none of them turn violent and counter attack.
I realize that I am just wondering out loud here but does anyone know if any of the powers that be have even acknowledged that job loss and a new great depression might, just this once, be a teensy weensy reason why ex-wifey can't remain in Starbucks and Saks 5th avenue shoes this month? Wondering if anyone knows if any judge has resisted the jail em all mentality in light of this economic hurricane that is hitting.
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