“An IOU for Oregon kids - Oregonian” plus 1 more

Posted: 27 Jan 2011 02:07 AM PST

Published: Thursday, January 27, 2011, 2:13 AM

In recent years, Oregon clocked a sad milestone. Deadbeat parents now owe more than $1 billion in back child support -- money the state never managed to collect.

We're poorer as a state because this billion never got to its intended beneficiaries, our children. It might have gone toward groceries, rent, clothes, lessons, comforts, maybe a better education for some. And, alarmingly, Oregon's performance in collecting child-support payments, by some measures, is still headed in the wrong direction.

As The Oregonian's Les Zaitz reported this week, Oregon today collects less than 60 cents of every dollar owed to families, which is less than the national average. Last year, our state and county workers helped families collect $264 million, which sounds good. But $181 million went uncollected.

Think of this as a kind of IOU. Legally and morally, of course, divorced breadwinners owe this income to their children. But, in a larger sense, Oregon owes these children its best efforts to collect this money, too.

Meanwhile, Attorney General John Kroger has effectively promised not just to improve the child-support program, but to turn it into one of the "top-performing programs in the country."

Yet, on three of five measures the federal government uses to gauge performance, Oregon is going in reverse. In 2009, our state slipped in the percentage of current child support it collected, the percentage of past-due support it collected and the child-support program's overall cost-effectiveness.

The recession, of course, has been a big factor, inflicting a double blow. When divorced breadwinners lose their jobs, they often can't make their required payments, much as they want to. (The Oregonian's columnist David Sarasohn once described such parents, not as "deadbeat," but as "deadwallet.")

At the same time, a downturn in income tax revenues hampers our state's nimbleness, innovation and capacity to collect. The child-support unit is down 40 employees, Kroger said Wednesday, with no real prospects of rebuilding anytime soon.

That makes it hard to recoup from that tiny fraction of fathers -- and, yes, it's still mostly fathers -- who could afford to pay, but don't.

An antiquated computer system has been crippling, too, making it hard for the state even to ascertain how many children it should be serving. Updating the technology could be critical, but isn't likely to happen soon.

Kroger is working to beef up enforcement, though, streamline transfer of wages from businesses and improve contact with parents. Beginning today, for instance, a pilot project will begin giving automated reminders to parents that a first payment is due. Correcting a delinquency swiftly is critical.

Sure, many of the child-support unit's problems are revenue-related. But a state audit concluded that Kroger also needs to set more ambitious goals. In 2008, according to the audit, Oregon lagged far behind many other states in getting the paperwork done to establish child support. We ranked 39th. That's abysmal.

In the past several months, Kroger has been getting a "dashboard" update on the child-support program's progress, which is good. It helps to instill accountability.

In light of the economy, we asked Kroger on Wednesday if, perhaps, he would have to lower his sights for child-support collection. He said no. The program is good and solid, he contends, but, "Our goal is to make it one of the best in the country."

Excellent.

Oregon parents have promises to keep to their children.

So, apparently, does Oregon's attorney general.

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Weekly eBay Roundup of Vintage Clothing Finds (PHOTOS) - Huffingtonpost.com

Posted: 26 Jan 2011 01:21 PM PST

No time to page through thousands of eBay listings? Then just sneak a peek at my weekly eBay Roundup of Vintage Clothing Finds.

This eclectic mix of designer and non-designer vintage clothing and accessories caught my discerning eye because of their uniqueness, contemporary feel or highly collectible nature.

As always, buyer beware! Be sure to read the listings closely and contact the sellers with any questions.

This week's finds include pieces by Halston, Thea Porter, Lilli Ann and Courreges. Be sure to check out the fabulous Gucci traincase and the amazing convertible fur coat.

Which item is your favorite? Leave a comment below and let me know.

GET READY, GET SET, BID!!!

More information on all this week's finds at Zuburbia. Keep clicking for this week's vintage clothing finds.

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(Disclosure: Editorial selections are made by Zuburbia with no direct promotional consideration from Bay sellers. Zuburbia is an affiliate member of the eBay Partner Network).

Follow Mary Kincaid on Twitter: www.twitter.com/zuburbia

Kids Clothing

Thursday, January 27, 2011