Ammendment 2 (Marriage Protection Amendment) (insurance, house, tax)

[gradco2004]

How do you guys feel about this? I'd be interested in hearing both sides of this issue. I am sorry I have to post a biased link on the situation, but its the only one I know of. Please feel free to post another un-biased or opposing view link. Here is the wording of the ammendment, though:

Florida Marriage Protection Amendment
"Inasmuch as a marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."

...meaning...

If passed, the amendment will ban all recognition and benefits for unmarried couples, straight and gay. It will block civil unions, domestic partnership and repeal existing protections and family benefits.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by gradco2004

...meaning...

If passed, the amendment will ban all recognition and benefits for unmarried couples, straight and gay. It will block civil unions, domestic partnership and repeal existing protections and family benefits.

What about company benefits? Right now, just by your say-so, you can get medical coverage for your domestic partner through your employer, will this go away?

[gradco2004]

Originally Posted by riveree

What about company benefits? Right now, just by your say-so, you can get medical coverage for your domestic partner through your employer, will this go away?

As I understand, yes... since legally, any union other than marriage will not be honored, the proponents of the bill can sue the insurance companies for breaking the law of the state.

This bill will only make it harder to take care of the other humans in our lives, be it straight or gay. Some people are willing to go so far as to let people go un-insured to prove what exactly?

Without people being able to engage in at-least a domesic partnership, gay or straight, we will see more of this:

Lawsuit: Jackson Memorial barred lesbian from seeing dying partner -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

At least some Florida counties offer gay couples domestic partnership, but that will be taken away with this bill. Imagine this happening to an old un-married couple. That would be an outcry for sure!

The video is heartbreaking to say the least

[ShakenStirred]

Originally Posted by gradco2004

How do you guys feel about this? I'd be interested in hearing both sides of this issue. I am sorry I have to post a biased link on the situation, but its the only one I know of. Please feel free to post another un-biased or opposing view link. Here is the wording of the ammendment, though:

Florida Marriage Protection Amendment
"Inasmuch as a marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."

...meaning...

If passed, the amendment will ban all recognition and benefits for unmarried couples, straight and gay. It will block civil unions, domestic partnership and repeal existing protections and family benefits.

If it fails, will I be able to take on a second or third wife, since the wording "...of only one man and one woman" will have essentially been shot down??

Hmmm....now I really have to think about this one.

[gradco2004]

Can someone tell me what is so wrong with polygamy? It is not what I would choose for myself... but I don't see how it would harm any of us?

But, to clarify... polygamy is not comparable to same-sex relationships... if that is the correlation you were aiming for.

[gradco2004]

Originally Posted by ShakenStirred

If it fails, will I be able to take on a second or third wife, since the wording "...of only one man and one woman" will have essentially been shot down??

Hmmm....now I really have to think about this one.

If it would make you happy... I hope you would have the ability to at some point in time. Your plural marriage would not affect mine one bit.

[gradco2004]

Originally Posted by gradco2004

If it would make you happy... I hope you would have the ability to at some point in time. Your plural marriage would not affect mine one bit.

Currently,Florida law prohibits marriages between persons of the same sex (s. 741.212(1), Florida Statutes), and defines “marriage” as the legal union between one man and one woman and provides that the term “spouse” applies only to a member of such a union (s. 741.212(1),(3), Florida Statutes). Florida also has a "Defense" of Marriage Law DOMA, that was adopted in 1997 and codified as s. 741.212, Florida Statutes.

So... since this is already law, what is the benefit of this amendment? Whether this passes or not, the gays and polygamists still can't marry. I beg the question again... can anyone justify this amendment?

[riveree]

Originally Posted by gradco2004

Currently,Florida law prohibits marriages between persons of the same sex (s. 741.212(1), Florida Statutes), and defines “marriage” as the legal union between one man and one woman and provides that the term “spouse” applies only to a member of such a union (s. 741.212(1),(3), Florida Statutes). Florida also has a "Defense" of Marriage Law DOMA, that was adopted in 1997 and codified as s. 741.212, Florida Statutes.

So... since this is already law, what is the benefit of this amendment? Whether this passes or not, the gays and polygamists still can't marry. I beg the question again... can anyone justify this amendment?

There's always someone trying to push some crazy legislature .

These kind of things usually go nowhere, but they make the politician's supporters happy.

What if a male and female are married and one of them has a sex-change operation, is their legal marriage now null and void?


Now having a second wife in the house could come in handy, can I make her do all the cleaning and laundry?

[dawnspencer]

Not sure why the govt has to oversee every personal decision people make. Don't believe marriage should be even in the IRS tax code. Personally this issue doesn't affect me, but it is an example of how the govt tries to control us, and that is not their role according to the constitution. You shouldn't get a larger deduction for just being married and able to file jointly or for dependents. Maybe if that fair tax ever takes off we can eliminate govt from interferring constantly in peoples lives. I'm one of the liberals, but consider myself a fiscal-conservative, welfare reform, prison reform, right to bear arms, less govt and of course pro-choice (unless a better alternative is available to all). Conservatives many times claim to be pro-reducing govt, but they are the ones always trying to push their agendas on everyone else by introducing laws to restrict how others lead their lives. Let's just be good people and let everyone live their lives. We have a lot worse problems in the drug dealers and sexual predators to worry about. But even considering all our govt does that we may not agree with, we are still live in a great country where we are allowed to disagree and there is a process available to us to promote change. (that is definitely not a plug for Obama, not sure about that one, yet, Clinton would have instilled that fiscal conservatism that's been missing for the last 8 years)

[OC2Jax]

Originally Posted by gradco2004

So... since this is already law, what is the benefit of this amendment? Whether this passes or not, the gays and polygamists still can't marry. I beg the question again... can anyone justify this amendment?

It's to keep marriages legal in other states from being recognized in this state.

It's a way the bigots in this state keep trying to deny marriage equality when other states grant equal rights.

As other states start to add the right for marriage equality (like the rest of the world is starting to), this amendment, if passed in November, will eventually be found unconstitutional down the road.