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Oh my Word. Can You Believe This S***?

TwoOfUs's picture

A petition to limit the inheritance rights of stepparents.

 

My favorite line: 

"In effect, this petition proposes legislation to reduce the legal status of step-parents from that of "spouse" to that of a child, grandchild, or other heir. No American should be made to suffer as did Cinderella!"

 

 

https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/step-parents-inheritance

Comments

justmakingthebest's picture

That's right.... all us evil step parents are trying to ROB the skids of what is rightfully thiers....

I.Just.Can't.Even.

Cover1W's picture

That's just insane, literally.  I sense entitlement and a reason they were exculded from the Will.  So this would over-ride a Will!  Here's the argument

Background

Countless American children & grandchildren--both minors and adults--are robbed of our inheritances because our mom or dad remarried a stepmom or stepdad, who, as a SPOUSE, has unlimited rights to inherit, even to the TOTAL EXCLUSION of us, our siblings, and our children.

Our family lost everything because our STEPMOM of 18 years, whom we loved and trusted, inherited all Dad's estate as his "spouse." We, Dad's kids and grandkids, got NOTHING. Then Stepmom evicted us from Dad's home and never saw us again. She had only married Dad for his money and property. This horror could not have happened if our rights had been protected by a law that limited Stepmom's inheritance rights. This petition calls for such limitation.

LIMIT the inheritance rights of ANY step-spouse who marries a man or woman with blood or adopted children, grandchildren, siblings, etc. Your step-parent's inheritance claim on your parent's estate must be NO GREATER than your own.

Such legislation will also put an end to questionable wills that unexpectedly disinherit us children or leave ALL to a step-parent (or to his/her children) while TOTALLY EXCLUDING your own blood or adopted family members.

In return, the step-parent's own children are equally protected, as NO step-parent can inherit more than a parent's natural or adopted children.

Predatory step-parents destroy families. The numbers are frightening. Don't be fooled by loving promises without laws to back them up: remember that WE were fooled for 18 years. There are far more Cinderellas in our country than there are Brady Bunches. The estate you save could be your own.

Cover1W's picture

Note the loved and trusted her but she's deemed "spouse" not wife.  Says it all right there, those quotes.

lieutenant_dad's picture

Oh yes, becausw my DH is the only reason that we own a house, have savings accounts, and other material possessions. I haven't contributed in the least bit; I just spend and cost money.

My SSs, on the other hand, have contributed at least 50% of our household income, and if weren't for them, I would live a much poorer life on only DH's wages...

Oh. Wait. Scratch that. Reverse it.

When my stepkids start contributing to their inheritance, I'll start considering what their "share" is.

ETA: I LOVE that the description of the petition paints all SPs as evil and all blood relatives as saints. There may be VERY REAL REASONS why parents exclude their blood from an inheritance. Putting limitations on what a person can and cannot do with their own property is a slippery slope.

TwoOfUs's picture

Exactly my story. 

My DH came into the marriage with 100K+ of 'debt' in the form of child support. 

In my view, he's already given the kids (and their mom) 'their inheritance' 

CODs = so incredibly entitled. Where do they get off. 

At least now we have it in writing. Skids want us 'reduced to the level of child' in our own homes and inheritance. 

TwoOfUs's picture

Agreed. 

And the assumption that the rights of legal spouses should be limited is inane. Wow. Such entitlement. 

Not to mention the fact that in many divorce situations:

1. The stepmom is actually contributing more to the household (that would be the case for me)

2. The stepmom is subsidizing kid expenses (also the case for me...and if I'd invested even half of the money that I've spent on my skids in the past 10 years and had put it in an interest-bearing investment instead...the amount i'd have at 65 would be staggering. I gave up that earning potential for someone else's kids. Because I love him.) 

3. That the dad has often ALREADY divided his pre-second marriage assets equitably with his ex, meaning his kids have already inherited some property from him if their mom manages to hang onto it. (In my case, DH took more of the marital debt and gave BM the house, which she promptly lost, just to get out of the marriage in one piece.)

Anyway. 

I couldn't handle it...I left a comment and 'borrowed' some of your language. I hope you don't mind...

TwoOfUs's picture

I really wanted to leave a comment but couldn't without 'signing the petition'

Oh well.

justmakingthebest's picture

Me too!!! I was so irritated that you can't say anything unless you sign and there is no way in Hell I would do that!

TwoOfUs's picture

lol. 

I went ahead and did leave a comment. It felt so good...my signature ultimately won't mean anything as this kind of legislation would never pass. 

Adult users...er, I mean skids...can just go sob into their pillows about it. 

classyNJ's picture

At least right now its just a petition.  I can't see where they would write a bill that would override a will.  

DH and I say all the time that we got married so I could protect his sons inheritance incase he passes before they turn 25.  DBDB would try to take everything!  

TwoOfUs's picture

Good point. 

BM is so dumb with money...if skids did inherit before 25 she'd definitely blow through it all. Just on wrecking and trashing cars. 

TwoOfUs's picture

Also...this will never, ever pass. 

There are already numerous legal ways for men and women to make sure their assets are divided up as they see fit. The fact is, poor little COD, if your dad had wanted you to inherit...then you would have. It's not your Stepmom's fault that she's left to carry out your dad's final wishes. 

Gives a nice glimpse into their greedy, grubby llittle minds, though. 

 

thinkthrice's picture

never.  I shudder to think of all the stuff that has passed over the last 20 years or so.  

mro's picture

Where to start-- there are very limited scenarios where the law in some states does not allow a person to be disinherited, namely referring to the spouse.  When you think about it, this is classic enmeshment like we see so often here- adult "children" wanting to be given equal priority to the spouse, and vice versa.  Look at their language they use-- "step-spouse" (???), and "spouse" (not just spouse, but "spouse" - quotation marks emphasized. 

Keep in mind, inheritance laws (in my state, anyway) DO protect bio-kids when the surviving spouse is not the kids' parent, when there is not a will.  They get nearly as much as the surviving spouse.  It is only when there is a will that the children may be excluded.  So they're saying the parent does not have the right to decide who his or her heirs will be.  I call BS on that.

I can tell you what happened with my parents: my stepfather left everything to our mom.  We begged him to consider his kids and talk it over with an attorney.  He felt as he had settled some property on them earlier that his decision was fair.  Point being he was of sound mind and it was his decision. As far as my siblings and I feel, it is our parents' decision to make when they do their estate planning.  They can leave it all to a cats' home if they want.

Disclaimer: not a lawyer.

One more thing- they were married 18 years? And the kids were already born (obviously)? And SM "kicked them out of Dad's house? (Well technically she kicked them out of HER house BWAHAHAHH*diablo*)

Point being, just how old were these "kids" anyway? They had to be well into adulthood when they were kicked out.

TwoOfUs's picture

lol.

I did a spit-take when I read that line, too. 

And then just thought...good for her.

thinkthrice's picture

moveon.org. . ...

Moveon.org is ALL ABOUT entitlement  FREE SHIT!!!!  but I digress.  And yes it is a state law but associations like moveon.org want everything federalized.

Major Blunder's picture

Little fockers, I already don't get a benefit from one of DW old jobs, it's was a Union job and there iss a death benefit that goes to her ex unless "he" remarries and there is no sign of that happening.  I can tell you that my skids aren't getting anything from me, I'll sell it all before I die or give it away !!!!!!

hereiam's picture

My husband doesn't want to leave his daughters ANYTHING. Not while I'm alive, not if I die first. That is his choice and it SHOULD be his choice.

His legal obligations ended when they became 18. Why should he be obligated to leave them anything when he dies? They did not earn it, he doesn't want them to have it. Besides, everything he has, he has because WE worked for it together, with me contributing more. So, yeah, everything should be mine, if he dies first.

Merry's picture

The fact that their father did not see fit to leave them anything says it all. Yet, it is the SM's fault for merely existing. Of course.

TwoOfUs's picture

Newsflash to my skids. 

Your dad already gave you most of your 'inheritance' when he gave your mom the house and took on her debt in the divorce. 

We've built everything we own together, with me contributing more. Even if I hadn't contributed more, a spouse supports his/her partner in numerous ways that you can't possibly even know about. They are life partners who deserve to share in each others' fortunes. 

A spouse's legal and moral responsibility is to provide for the health and happiness and financial wellbeing of his/her life partner, if at all possible. It's in the marriage CONTRACT. A parent's legal and moral responsibility is to support you until you reach adulthood and prepare you to make it on your own. Anything beyond that is a gift, not a right. 

thinkthrice's picture

is Chef's feral's inheritance.

MoominMama's picture

Lol!  I don't think that one will have wings. It would mean changing the very basis of inheritance law and marriage law. Ridiculous. 

It certainly wouldn't fly here as the law of inheritance is very different. The government sets it at Spouse of deceased gets half and the other half is divided amongst the children. Where this gets complicated is that the children are owed a portion. For example, if their father dies even with a surviving spouse they are supposed to get a share out from half of the inheritance. With two kids thats a quarter to make things simple. They get around this by having a clause of 'fruitful use' - which means the surviving spouse gets to use any property, chattels and even money (the interest but not the capital) until their death. You get the inheritance tax bill for this whether you get the money or not. We had this happen when DHs mother passed away. We got a bill for inheritance tax and i couldnt believe it: we hadnt received any money fgs!!.  DH had a hell of a time explaining it to me as it made no sense. In my mind you cannot get a tax bill for money you have not earned/received. Yes you can here. What they work on is that you have to go to court to force your surviving parent to pay you that money.  We didn't do that ofc. His father is quite well off and he paid the tax for all four of the siblings. Two of which are very well off and could have paid it themselves but that's another story.

 

Ispofacto's picture

This one is hilarious:

Jonathan D. Ursprung from Danville, KY

Mar 17, 2018

"Please God , i wish this was in tact now , My Sister and i are facing this citiuation now , we think our step - Devil is poisoning Our Father into Dementia , Anti- freeze or something similar. Shes taken power of Attorny already with no chance of Gaurdianship , our family farm of over 50 years where our grandmother passex on to our father in her will states that at our fathers death it comes to us , however shes planning on selling it , to be able to move to florida. I'm afraid , its all i had to look forward too for my Son and i. What can i do... Im bout to loose my mind..."

TwoOfUs's picture

I know. 

The comments from Tennessee and Kentucky are priceless. Bless their hearts. (I have tons of family in both places...all smart, educated, and accomplished...so not knocking those places). 

The one about the stepmom kicking them all out of their dad's really nice double-wide on lots of land kind of made me sad.