There are some cases in court where alimony is set up just like unemployment, where they only receive it temporarily, which can make sense. Some are ridiculous though, constantly paying the person until he or she remarries or dies, and that is completely unacceptable. Some people just leech off the alimony on purpose, having no desire to making themselves independent once again. It does involve a lot of change for some people, but that doesn't justify jacking a portion of their paychecks, basically forever, if they choose. What is a guy suppose to do when his ex-wife is taking 50%, or more, of his checks? All the bills involved being on your own is already troublesome enough for a lot of people. There is a lot of gray areas involved, but overall, I think it's flat out retarded.