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DONTUSEKIDS.COM |
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PAY KIDS: A NEW APPROACH |
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Many political insiders privately concede that Mike Cox and Pay Kids have a highly questionable relationship, but refrain from publicly objecting to what they view as such a politically “hot” item. Pay Kids is unquestionably a popular organization. Prosecuting “deadbeats” appears to be higher on the agendas of politicians than the missing OBL. In spite of the fact that 87% of the Michigan’s cited child support arrearage is owed by noncustodial parents with incomes less than $10,000 per year, these people--unlike OBL--can be caught and “brought to justice.” Indeed, once apprehended, convicting and sending them to prison is certain because poverty is no defense. They are not entitled to legal representation. They are statutory felons without legal recourse. Yet the troubling question of whether Pay Kids is, in essence, a “New Approach” for running a PAC on massive corporate contributions remains unanswered. Many noncustodial parents charge that the Pay Kids “Deadbeat” Billboard Campaign is just a vehicle for promoting Attorney General Mike Cox while “poisoning the minds of a generation of children against noncustodial parents.” And they would seem to have sufficient grounds for an investigation of the matter. They complain, however, that this cannot be done--in Michigan, the Attorney General is the high official who polices Charitable Organizations, an arrangement they compare to “the fox guarding the hen house.” [see AG web posts regarding his ultimate responsibility for this function: (1) and (2)]. They see themselves, as parents and as citizens, hopelessly caught in a highly political and destructive Catch-22. When even politicians of the opposing party fear raising an issue that would--under normal circumstances--have them flying into action against an opponent’s political machine, one can understand these parents’ sense of helplessness. Some stew about appeals to the IRS or the Justice Department for assistance. Perhaps this explains--as they perceive it--the sudden withdrawal of corporate sponsors’ logos from the Pay Kids web site. They note that Dominos Pizza--whose CEO has been reported as a likely 2006 Gubernatorial candidate--was first in the apparent corporate exodus from the organization. Other sponsors reportedly include Quixtar, a division of Alticor--also the parent company of Amway, source of the DeVos family fortune shared by Betsy DeVos, Chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party. Given that contributions to Pay Kids are explained in terms of “helping Mike Cox do his job” as a public official, one parent wryly observes that this amounts to “corporations lining up to pay taxes--when’s the last time you heard of that?” He offers an alternate explanation: “they’re using a charitable organization to promote their most successful party official . . . when he rises, so do they. And the beauty of it is that it’s not only ‘unregulated’, it’s tax deductible!” In spite of the failure of politicians and government officials to address the questions circling Attorney General Mike Cox and Pay Kids to date, a public investigation--although its source is uncertain--remains a possibility. The political fallout from such an investigation would surely be enormous. This could explain, as some allege, Pay Kids sponsors flocking from their positions on the Pay Kids web site this week. It remains to be seen, however, if their putative fears will be justified by any government investigation of the matter. If an investigation does occur and evidence of wrongdoing is uncovered, the challenge of honoring the efforts of Pay Kids volunteers and supporters will be essential to meet. So will the needs of the children of Michigan. Noncustodial parents observe, however, that the needs of those children--their children--are long overdue for the sort of substantive discussion that the Attorney General’s “Devaluation Campaign” has made impossible. In the words of one, “a lot of us just want to see our kids.”
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