What is the point?

by Evangeline High
(Arizona)

DOES the "Child Support Enforcement Program" really "Enforce" child support payments? It hasn't for me...I don't even know HOW much my Ex owes me in back-payments! Isn't that what the "Program" is for: To keep track of, & to "Enforce" the payments??? I have been somehow surviving & raising our (now teenage) son on less than $10,000/yr. (THANK YOU Food Stamps!!!). I have to account for EVERY PENNY I spend...
In our divorce/custody hearing, the judge calculated over $500/mo.

in child support payments (almost a decade ago), but I opted for less than half of that, since I was making more money of my own back then, & I didn't want to impinge on his "lifestyle" too much.

For this whole past year, he has only paid HALF of that ~ & THAT accumulated amount is not even half of what he already owed me! Anytime I have brought up what he owes me(which is VERY rarely ~ he gets mad about it, so I don't like to address any of it at all, unless my son NEEDS clothes: & even then, I feel bad for having to ask!), he threatens to take our son away from me (not for our SON's benefit ~ he's never had much time for the poor kid ~ but for his OWN financial ease).
I'm well aware that he's the one with the money to get a good lawyer, so I've just been waiting for the "Enforcement" squad to step up & take notice ~ & to "Enforce" the court order.

WHEN (if ever) will this happen? If the court ORDERED payments, why don't they "Enforce" them when they are delinquent? WHY don't they do periodic re-evaluations of each case automatically (even every five years or so...After all, circumstances DO change all of the time!)???

Here's another stupid question: Do they make the non-custodial parent pay the entire accumulated amount eventually? If so, what good does it do the CHILD, if they wait until AFTER the kid is all grown up to enforce it? The money is needed to RAISE the child, NOT to compensate the custodial parent for the years of abject poverty in which the child was raised!!!