I Got Beefs

Mt two beefs today are this:

1. The Ponzi Schemers
2. Child Support Payouts

The Ponzi schemers have me pissed because it is a representation to me of what is wrong with a human being. A representation that someone can intentionally defraud someone while under the guise of a trusted and more intelligent individual handling someone's money, do it with a smile on their face and clearly have no conscious about their actions.
Stanford Financial Group - Allegedly swindles up to $8 billion.
Bernard Madoff's Investment Firm - Allegedly swindles up to $50 billion

Seriously - how do they sleep at night? At least in Madoff's case, it looks like he will probably rot in jail and die there since he is 70. And that gives me some solace that karma does come back on you.


Child Support Payments - tell me you think this is ridiculous.
Russell Simmons to Pay $40K Child Support a Month - Simmons has agreed to pay child support for daughters, Ming, 9, and Aoki, 6, of $20,000 each per month until the girls turn 19. Simmons also agreed to provide a new car, worth at least $60,000, for the children's use, until they turn 16. The car will be replaced every three years.

Now this is just another demonstration on how the child support system is broken. Can someone explain to me how it costs $20K/a month per child for this woman to raise and care for her child? I think it is fair to say that most people don't even come close to spending $20k a YEAR to raise their child. And how is it that the children need at least a luxury car to chauffeur them around and of course needs to be replaced every 3 years? My car is still pretty good after 5 years.

The notion that child support payments should be handled based on the income of the main parent that does not get the children is a bit beyond me. Because how is it that a low income earner may only have $300 a month in payments to make, but another person has to shell out a whole lot more????? Child support is supposed to be about ensuring the basic needs of the child are met - not outrageous things a child doesn't need. So what would my plan be you ask? Something more along the lines of: what is the custody arrangement? if it is 50/50 - then to me, no payments to anyone should be made. Health insurance should be made based on the best health plan and the parent who has to pay the premium, should get a 50% payment from the other parent. Otherwise, a lump sum of money (based on a reasonable sliding scale with $2k a month cap) is decided on as what will constitute the care of the child over the course of the remaining amount of years until the child reaches 18. The total fee is then assessed against the custody arrangement of the parents. The parent that has less custody will then have to pay the other parent a sum based on the offsetting custody time and how the money corresponds based on that time.