So what else is new?
by Tom Sullivan
I rag on friends for saying people who vote Republican are voting against ... you know. But they usually mean that in terms of their bottom lines. In fact, they're often voting for policies contrary to their own values. Policy after policy passed by conservative lawmakers undermines the very world they claim to be conserving. The stability of work. The stability of communities. The stability of families.
Case in point from Politico:
Lawyers are counseling couples considering divorce to do it this year — before a 76-year-old deduction for alimony payments is wiped out in 2019 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.The law and order party proved this week they are just posers feigning commitment to the law. The family values party elected a pussy-grabbing, thrice-divorced, porn star-diddling man-child. And they've passed modifications to the tax code that will encourage divorce and leave broken families even more damaged than they might be:
“Now’s not the time to wait,” said Mary Vidas, a lawyer in Philadelphia and former chair of the American Bar Association’s section on family law. “If you’re going to get a divorce, get it now.”
Many divorce lawyers criticize Republicans’ decision to end the break, saying it will make divorces more acrimonious. People won’t be willing to pay as much, they say, which will disproportionately hurt women who tend to earn less and are more likely to be on the receiving end of alimony payments. (Child support payments are not deductible.)You were expecting GOP lawmakers would prioritize protecting women?
“The repeal reduces the bargaining power of vulnerable spouses, mostly women, in achieving financial stability after a divorce,” said Brian Vertz, a family law attorney in Pittsburgh.