Greetings!
Forward this Newsletter To Your Friends And Family!
We opened some interesting discussion last week when we asked:
Which reason for receiving alimony do you think is BEST for our society?
1. Keep recipient off welfare.
2. A transitional path to education, self-support or re-marriage.
3. Entitlement for having contributed to the marriage.
4. Punishment for infidelity.
Each one of these purposes deserves it's own discussion. This week, we'll look at the first reason: Keep recipient off welfare.
Does permanent alimony keep recipient off welfare?
Presumably the reason to keep people off welfare is the cost to the state and taxpayers. This assumes people are on welfare because they do not receive permanent alimony. Merely the ability of one person to pay another person for the rest of their life so we can keep people off welfare is reason enough. How damaging is that philosophy to our society?
To assume that enough individuals not receiving permanent alimony will apply for welfare and be a burden to the state is unrealistic in 2012. There are as many opportunities for women of all ages as there are for men of all ages today. Education plays a role, as does appropriate motivation. We must plan for their transition back into personal growth and accomplishments.
The cost to the state from lifetime alimony court costs, arrests, and mountains of paperwork would certainly be greater than any welfare payments paid. All the court time, the delays, the taxpayer dollars wasted on courts that drag on for years, all of these and more add up to a large cost to Florida Taxpayers.
Many lifetime alimony recipients have the talent, the skill, the know how, and the ability to better themselves through education, training, or maybe even being an entrepreneur. They have no incentive to take the next step in their life. In fact, if they do, they risk losing their lifetime alimony, so why even try? If given a nudge in the right direction, they may just blossom, and everybody wins.
And lastly, many alimony recipients will re-marry when the alimony is gone. It's a fact. They will find someone with similar views of life or similar interests, and re-marry. This is very common when alimony stops. And why shouldn't it be? It's much nicer spending the rest of your life with someone you truly care for. Isn't that what it's all about? After following the alimony ex-pat blog for several years, it appeared when the alimony check was missing for 2-3 years, the recipient re-married and moved on with their life. Necessity is the mother of invention.
So to assume that recipients no longer receiving permanent alimony will be a burden to the state may be a misperception. There will be ample time for the recipient for preparation in caring financially for themselves through employment, education, entrepreneur, or re-marriage.
And that's why the first answer, "Keep recipient off welfare" is incorrect. It doesn't take into consideration the human factor, only outdated statistics.
Next week, we'll discuss answer #2. A transitional path to education, self-support, or re-marriage.
Subject: Best Reasons For Alimony
Keep it straight to the point. We ALL have our stories and they are each tragic. Now we have to focus on the solution.
Thanks!
|
Mandatory Life Insurance - Part TWO
 In many divorce agreements, divorced spouses have been required to purchase a life insurance policy so that if they die during the period of durational or permanent alimony, the ex-spouse will receive a payment which will make up for the loss of the continued alimony payments. As opposed to the court-ordered alimony, this obligation to carry life insurance is more customary than according to statute. The amount of life insurance which is required varies. In some cases, the face amount of the policy may be higher during the period of time when child support is required and then it drops to a lower amount when it is alimony alone. In other cases, there may be a decreasing term limit as the alimony payer gets closer to the end of the period of durational alimony or closer to retirement age. Required life insurance often is an additional clause which seems to appear in the final judgment. It is often inserted without regard to the insurability of the alimony payer. For example, requiring a person to purchase additional life insurance when a man is in his 50s can be a tremendous financial obligation since it is in this age bracket when life insurance costs are accelerating, especially if there have been any medical issues. If, for example, during your divorce, if you have been treated for heart disease, cancer, depression or if you are a smoker, the cost of life insurance will rise significantly. It can also be a reason why you can be "cited for contempt" if you don't continue to show proof at regular intervals that the policy is still in effect. Next week we will discuss life insurance further. Please check back to our website and to our weekly newsletters. We will be answering questions which you send to info@FloridaAlimonyReform.com. We are interested in hearing from you about any horror stories you have encountered regarding mandatory life insurance. |
|
Your Video's Wanted!
We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words. So is a video. We can all visit our web site and read the horror stories, but what makes a a true impact is seeing and hearing stories from individuals who are victims of the current abusive alimony laws.
For this reason, I have asked our members for short videos telling their stories how the current alimony laws negatively impact their lives. I realize people have jobs and families that keep them very busy, but I am asking ALL of our members, men, women, and adult children of alimony payers to submit a one to two minute video telling your story.
We need to show the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar that the current laws affect real people. We need to show them it's not a few people, but a lot of people, and not just men, but women and children as well. FAR represents over 2,000 families which means we represent close to 10,000 Floridians. Please take a few moments to record a video. State your name, the city in which you live, and briefly tell your story. Please do not use profanity and do not "trash" another party. Just stick to the facts. The video need not be a Hollywood production. You can use your cell phone to record it.
Please make time to do this very important task. Make it a priority. If I am not working or tending to my family, I am working on alimony reform. I am doing it to help myself, but as I always state at our town hall meetings, even if my own alimony problem were to be fixed, this is still a cause I believe in and would continue to work hard to change our antiquated laws. Please make time to do this and contribute your share to alimony reform.
Thank you,
Debbie
|
WestonTown Hall Meeting
 | |
Alan Frisher
|
I'm happy to say that our Weston Town Hall Meeting was a success. While the rain probably prevented a few people from attending, we still basically filled the room. A birthday party was occuring for a young boy on the other side of the partician to our meeting, and ironically, many of our members commented that at one time they were on the other side of the partician and never dreamed that they would now be on our side dealing with issues surrounding alimony. Be that as it may, our meeting was informative and productive.
Besides members, and soon-to-be members to FAR in attendance, we actually had a couple of curious family law Attorneys in attendance as well who had helpful comments and cogent questions. When asked how they heard about our meeting, they responded that that other family lawyers informed them about it. You see, the word is spreading...and the word is 'reform.' I am hopeful that they are now more aware of our intentions surrounding alimony and how, by educating our legislators, we expect to change our current alimony laws.
I thank our core group and everyone who attended. I also hope that all of you learned something new and useful about FAR. Please spread the word and tell everyone that you know about our website, our Facebook page, and how they can get involved. Alimony doesn't just affect divorcing spouses. It affects children; it affects families; it affects society. Abusive alimony orders, permanent orders, oftentimes destroy lives and is against the foundation of what freedom in our society is all about.
As the 'Divorce Expo' has been rescheduled for Jan 5th (and may be rebranded to be called 'The Relationship Revolution'), our next Town Hall Education Fundraiser meeting will be sometime in November in Tampa. Stay tuned for more specific and exciting information about FAR-----coming soon in future newsletters.
|
Legislative Task Force Needs YOU!
The legislative committee is starting to visit legislators and we need your help.
With 120 House seats and 40 Senate seats, this endeavor cannot be done with a few volunteers. If you are committed to reform we need you to find the time to visit your respective legislator. This usually lasts an hour maximum. Surely you can find two hours of your time between now and November to visit your Senator and House Representative.
To make it even easier for you, we have nine chapter leaders located across the state. Contact us at info@floridaalimonyreform.com, send us your name, contact number, city and county where you reside. We will put you in touch with the proper chapter leader for your area and place you on the legislative volunteer distribution list where you will get up to date news on whats going on.
Chapter leaders have the legislative packet, a guide to how to set up and attend the meeting, and a summary sheet that documents the meeting which we need to gather data. The purpose of the meetings is to educate, collect information and find out if they are for or against reform and the reasons why.
Remember, without your time, effort and contributions, reform will never take place.
Webinars?
On another note, we are looking into holding webinars to accommodate people that have not been able to attend our Townhall meetings. They will be especially informative as our bill starts going through the committees of the House and Senate. These webinars will provide a status of the bill and what we need from you in order to keep the momentum going.
Be on the lookout for more information regarding webinars in the near future.
|
|
What You Can do to Continue To Help?
 | | Time Is Ticking Away |
Sometimes it's worth a "refresher" look at how exactly you can help.
Here are a few ways that you can help:
1) We would like to encourage you to sign up so that we can work together to change the alimony laws. By joining us, we will have one more voice to press legislators to change the laws and you will stay informed on the latest alimony news, including the progress of the Bill. It is very simple to join us:
Go to our website and type in your email address and then click on the button "Sign Up" and follow the instructions. You will see a page asking to enter your mailing address. It is VERY IMPORTANT that we have your mailing address so that we can know how many FAR members are in each legislative district. We will not share your info with anyone outside of FAR
without your permission.
2) Please write and visit your local legislators and tell them to support FAR's alimony reform efforts. If the legislator is not available, meet with their legislative aid.
On our website, click on the menu item "LEGISLATION" and then click "Write Your Legislators" - here you will find links to find your legislators and a sample letter that you can use.
3) Look out for our emails and make sure to leave comments on the news articles and stories that we send you.
4) In the newsletters we send out, you will find information about the Committees we have formed throughout the state. Join one of our committees: Legislative Committee, Educational Committee, or Advertising Committee. All the committees still need volunteers. This is a Big Mission in a Big State. From the Panhandle to the Gold Coast, we need volunteers to help change these laws.
5) We understand that a lot of our members are legally pressured and financially stressed. Please know that it takes a lot of funding to make any significant changes to our unjust alimony laws. If you possibly can, please consider making a donation to our organization. Information on how to donate is also on the website.
6) LIKE and comment on our Facebook Pages:
7) If you're a woman, please Join the Second Wives' Club by contacting Debbie on the Second Wives FB Page.
Our website includes information of all kinds including information about the current alimony laws and much more.
Please check our website frequently for new articles and the latest information. We look forward to working with you to change the unfair alimony laws. Go to our website to see an archive of our newsletters. |
Contributions Still Needed $$$
Even though we are not currently 'in session,' we still need our members to continue their financial contributions.
We are anticipating great strides in alimony reform in Florida, and we will have to pay for them. Nothing is FREE.
As we complete our 501(c)4 and PAC formation, there must be money in the coffers to contribute to key legislators.
While FAR volunteers are driving all around the state to meet with legislators and other alimony victims, contributing countless of hours of work, those of you who are not physically active with alimony reform can help financially. If everyone who is a member of FAR pays just $15 a month, we can build up our coffers and be prepared for the battles.
To those who already contribute: Thank You!! You're making a difference in our laws!!
Contribute because it's the right thing to do, not because we demand it of you. Do the math. A short term investment to end a Lifelong Debt will give you the greatest ROI in your life!
Short Term Monthly FAR Payments or Lifetime Alimony Payments?
Your Choice!
Your Contributions are a Wise Investment in Everyone's Future!
Click Here to Contribute
THANK YOU!
IF WE LET UP, WE LOSE!
|
|
|
|
|
Forward this email to your friends, family, and co-workers NOW!!
They need an Alimony Education and we need a
BIG Alimony Army
Join the Florida Alimony Reform Movement |
|
Social Media Power
LIKE us on FaceBook
and
Join Us On Twitter
Facebook and Twitter Icons are located on the FAR Home page on top right side.
Help grow our forces.
|
|
