It is time, to tell the truth about the Ohio Fatherhood Commission and its many subsections in the local counties. Everyone has become smoked and mesmerized by the name when in reality they have nothing to do with fathers or fatherhood. These are social service agencies that have leached off the back of the problems many have with being involved with their children for years, one more layer and an obstacle to equal parenting that is right for all fit parents and their children. This is the government trying to take over the family.

 

I began studying the social agencies that profit from this a couple of years ago after a comment was passed to me that one of the groups that opposed HB232 was Catholic Charities. Now you would think that the church would support this type of legislation but they didn’t. Their reason was that they were worried that they would lose the funding that they receive for counseling children that are screwed up by having a fit parent forced out of their lives. The fact is you don’t screw a child up by taking a fit parent out of their life and you do not need the large tax dollars that are spent now to straighten them back out.

 

As I researched this in preparation for the introduction of the custody legislation that I wrote (SB144 & HB253), I spent time looking for every available report that I could use to my advantage. Some were obvious such as the last Task Force on Family Law that was done in Ohio.   As well as the last review of Ohio’s Child Support law of note on the last report should be that OFC member Steve Killpack was supposed to represent the fathers of the state yet he voted for every increase that was suggested and the use of a table that would cause a 20-27% increase in child support (taxable income determines where an individual falls). That is a pretty blatant admission that you have no idea what you are doing and have no desire to truly change the legal system and those barriers to fit parent involvement especially when you benefit from it.

 

Tracie Robinson’s Quote to me:

When I first started I thought the problem was fathers not wanting to be fathers. I have since learned that it is the law that has placed a barrier in the way and needs to be changed.

 

 

One report that I found that disturbs me the most and shows that the Ohio Fatherhood Commission has no desire to change the status quo is their report to Strickland the recommended legislative changes to the Statehouse 4 years ago that the law be changed to equalize the custody laws. Report to Strickland A report was issued in 2007 and they did nothing to attempt to make the changes. Yet when told that the changes were coming I was told by Tracy Robinson that I should be patient that legislative changes take a long time. I find that humorous since it only took me a couple of months to get the bills introduced in both the Senate and the House.

 

I started to look at where their money came from and what it was spent on. The National effort is funded by TANF funds and the federal legislation clearly states that it is to collect more child support from fathers.

 

I recently asked for and received contracts for the Cuyahoga County Fatherhood Initiative to see what their money was spent on. I found a very disturbing trail of OFC members that approved money back to their home county and then back to themselves with little to no benefit to the community or fathers in general, just waste and self-pocket filling.

 

The picture was now very clear as to why they wanted “patience”, it would end their money trail. That report has been forwarded to Cuyahoga County members, State Auditor Davis Yost, and Governor Kasich. One member of the county council took my findings to Senator Rob Portman and was dumbfounded at what I found. One thing you have to understand also is that this program is the one that has always been bragged about as the model for the rest of the nation.

 

This is a short version of this but when you read the reports you can only come to the same logical conclusion that I have, the Ohio Fatherhood Commission has no desire to change the current law and will do whatever they think they have to stop it.

 

As a result of my report, the Commission was gutted and new members were appointed. One of those new members has contacted me and is willing to help get this new custody legislation passed.

 

 

Ray R. Lautenschlager

Ohio Family Rights

National Legislative Director

President@ohiofamilyrights.com

 

 

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