by Charmaine Crouse Yoest

About the author: Charmaine Crouse Yoest is an author and a Bradley Fellow at the University of Virginia.

Imagine for a moment. It’s a quiet, suburban neighborhood with children playing in the cul de sac. An earnest-looking investigator from the state’s Child Protective Services department approaches one of the homes and knocks on the door; a young woman answers. The investigator says, “I’m from Child Protective Services. I need to see your license.” He means her parenting license. Debra Wilson had obtained the license in order to qualify for the child income tax deduction. The Wilsons needed every penny, since Debra’s husband Steve had been unemployed for six months after a wave of downsizing at his company.

That decision led to a web of...