Child Support Is Big Money

There's a thin line between transparency and publicity, as least in government. Both the City of Florence and Lauderdale County do the best job of self-promotion among other towns and counties in the northwest Alabama region. Google either one, and you'll find a plethora of information at your fingertips. Much of it may not look that relevant to the reader, but is nevertheless revealing.

We read frequently of the budget cuts to local courts and offices of district attorneys. Yet one area of the Lauderdale's district attorney group seems to be booming. Take a gander:

Child Support Unit

If you're short on time, we'll just point out two things: 1. The unit is run by Robert Smith JD. Robert is also in private practice, but we hardly begrudge his salary, whatever it may be, for his work with the county; 2. It manages to incorporate that ubiquitous phrase "For the Children."

Now, let's return to the main page of this informative site. Looking under the topic of "Investigators," we find that the child support unit has its own investigator. Obviously investigators could be used to find some deadbeat parents, but why does the district attorney's office have a special detective whose only assignment is to find these disappearing parents?

The answer is, no matter how much money is used to find and prosecute these deadbeat parents, the county (read: district attorney's office) brings in much more for every dollar collected. These jobs not only pay for themselves, but bring in extra revenue.

To be continued...



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