It’s a shame to think that the taxpaying citizens of Hertford and Bertie counties will have to reach a bit deeper in their pockets to find $200,000.

But that may be the case if, as projected, the State of North Carolina closes the twin-county Child Support Office in Ahoskie and thusly shifts a portion of the operational costs on Hertford and Bertie taxpayers.

What’s a bigger shame is that taxpayers have no other options than to fork over their hard-earned money to pay for such a service.

While it needs to be noted that we commend those divorced/separated parents who accept responsibility for the children that were the products of that once loveable union, we are appalled by the large number of parents who choose to do the exact opposite.

It also needs to be noted that the services of a Child Support Office are needed to act as a liaison between divorced/separated parents. But it’s perhaps a safe bet that the majority of the $800,000 spent annually by the local twin-county office for operational costs is used in an effort to track down “dead-beat” parents who dodge the responsibility of taking care of their children.

Perhaps the closing of the local Child Support Office was inevitable. There are only a handful of similar offices left in the state. In the majority of counties, child support is part of the Department of Social Services.

The jobs of those involved in such programs would be made much easier, not to mention less costly, if all parents would simply do the right thing and take responsibility of their children. You are the ones who made the decision to bring a child into the world…you need to be the ones providing the care.