Yes indeed, but that would be a common sense and morally decent legal principle, but in the Family/Domestic Relations Courts of the USA, morals, decency and common sense do not prevail.

Unlike just about every single other country on the planet, the Family Courts of America are morally rotten to the core. Only in America do divorce/custody/property division cases last for years and years, sometime literally for twenty years.

The system in America is designed to (a) destroy families, (b) enrich divorce lawyers.

The JUDGE MADE laws (as well as some of the statuary laws) need to be change radically.

Here are some things that need to be changed:

1. Abolish alimony.

2. By Statute make clear that ALL prior owned property of every sort and description, including the income derived therefrom and any increases in the value thereof, forever remain the separate property of the spouse who owned it before marriage.

3. Ditto #2 for any property received by gift or inheritance.

4. More rational child support guidelines instead of he current system of slavery for the man that enables the ex-wife (it is always the ex-wife) to live that hedonistic lifestyle referred to by Deadwood. It should be ACTUAL COST, not theoretical based on income.

5. And any child support guidelines should be based on 5 year if not 10 year averages not current year.

6. The ex-wife should be required to get job training/technical college or university education (if she doesn't already) so that the child support contributions percentages can be mandatorily adjusted to 50/50 within 2 years of a divorce.

7. Abolish the judge made doctrine that the ex-wife "should be kept in the economic lifestyle that she enjoyed during marriage" - one of the most sinister and dirty rotten legal "principles" that ever flowed from the perverted lips/ink pen of a judge. Divorce represents the DEATH of the marriage and just like with any death, things are FOREVER changed for the worse - including economic circumstances.

8. Property division should be based on Economic Contribution, not just an automatic 50/50 (or sometimes it is worse). Yes, there should be statutory formula for a housewives estimated contribution.

The current system is based on feeding lawyers and ex-wives and makes a personal slave out of the ex-husband. Forever. Divorces should be quick and clean and inexpensive.Only in the USA. Maybe a little bit also in the UK and other Anglo countries.

Disclaimer: I have never been thru a divorce so this is not a sour grapes post, it is an intellectual post based on knowing what the real problems are in the morally bankrupt and perverted Family Courts of America.