From: "ScanThisNews" <mcdonalds@airnet.net> Subject: IP: [FP] National registry to track child support Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 06:59:33 -0500 To: ignition-point@majordomo.pobox.com ====================================================================== SCAN THIS NEWS 09/28/98 --------------------------------------------------------------- Ya know, they could darn near track anyone with this thing... --------------------------------------------------------------- 09/28/98- Updated 12:15 AM ET The Nation's Homepage National registry to track child support WASHINGTON - Beginning Wednesday, every one of the 16 million parents nationwide who are required to pay child support will be logged into a massive database to help the federal government track down those who fail to pay. [Well that's nice, now they'll be in there with the rest of us sheeple.] The registry will allow authorities to keep tabs on the more than 5 million parents, most of them fathers, who have moved to another state after a divorce, separation or breakup. [Yea, and about 200 million of us who haven't.] Many reneged or fell behind on support payments, says Michael Kharfen, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which will run the database. "Before, it was very difficult for a state to track down where the parent went, where he was working and how much money he was actually making," Kharfen says. "This database will track them, no matter where in the country they move." [Hey Keefer, there was a reason it was difficult - it was called liberty!] Critics of the registry say it violates the privacy of law-abiding parents. "Because someone gets a divorce doesn't mean their job, their income, should become an open book," fathers' rights attorney D. Gerald Williams says. [Wrong answer: critics are opposed to it because it violates fundamental rights of the "non-delinquent" citizens by forcing them into the same "locating and tracking" system.] Kharfen counters that the system is critical to states, which collect only about 22% of the $50 billion owed in child support every year. By federal estimates, 60% of parents involved in child custody cases renege on their payments. [Keefer - get out of the social payments system altogether. Then, you won't have this huge problem you've created -- "tracking delinquent parents."] Officials estimate that the system will recoup $10 billion in delinquent payments a year. [Probably about 20% of what the system costs to operate, and about 5% of what the "system" spends as a whole.] To track down scofflaws, the government will compare its list of parents with another new database that contains employment records for more than 140 million workers in the United States. That database, which was unveiled in October 1997, lists an employee's identity, address and salary. By cross-referencing lists, "we'll be able to tell the state that's looking for him whether they should start going for his paycheck," Kharfen says. [And it's about time for the citizenry to start going after some Congressmen's paycheck Keefer, then, perhaps, yours to follow!] By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY [With comments by Scott McDonald - today] http://search.usatoday.com/plweb-cgi/fastweb?getdoc+default+news+5734+0+wAAA +registry --------------------------------------------------------------- [thanks to J. Groom for the forward] ======================================================================= Don't believe anything you read on the Net unless: 1) you can confirm it with another source, and/or 2) it is consistent with what you already know to be true. ======================================================================= Reply to: <fingerprint@networkusa.org> ======================================================================= To subscribe to the free Scan This News newsletter, send a message to <majordomo@efga.org> and type "subscribe scan" in the BODY. Or, to be removed type "unsubscribe scan" in the message BODY. For additional instructions see www.efga.org/about/maillist.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Scan This News" is Sponsored by S.C.A.N. Host of the "FIGHT THE FINGERPRINT!" web page: www.networkusa.org/fingerprint.shtml ======================================================================= ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo@majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************