🚀 go-pugleaf

My $0.02....

First, Texas (my state) does not have alimony; it DOES have community
property.

The basis for alimony, in terms of the marriage vows?  Well, in a
marriage, both partners agree to care for each other for life.  Just
because one partner breaks this promise does not relieve the other
of breaking it.  This is strictly from a 'moral' perspective.

From an ethical perspective I think there are occasions when one
partner sacrifices a career for the other partner's, or for their
children.  Often this is a mutual decision.  

This is a worst case but it happens:

let's say I marry someone when I'm 18.  Later we have kids, which
we agree I should stay home and raise.  Those kids turn 18 (I'm
now in my forties).  My husband divorces me for a younger woman.
I now have no career skills, and I've missed out on the best
career-building years of my life to work.  How can I support myself?
I certainly cannot support myself as well as my husband can support himself, 
who has had the benefit of years and years of work.

In this case do I think a woman should get alimony?  Absolutely.
do I think she should get it if she could have been working and
just chose not to?  Probably not.  But then again, if you think
you've got a lifetime contract as a housewife/hostess....

I can support myself (engineer) but I think that in SOME cases
alimony's appropriate.  Not in all.  Unfortunately who decides?
I hate free-loading women for making women look bad, but I also
hate skirt-chasing old guys for making men look bad.
-- 
Amy Moseley Rupp			Mother to Elizabeth AnneMarie,
amym@oakhill.sps.mot.com		born 11/4/92 
(512) 329-7117