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Keeping the government out of marriage is like keeping government hands off Medicare. Government sanctions marriage. Keeping the government out of marriage would also mean 10 year olds can marry. Someone has to make the rules and that's the gov't.
Doesn't matter what anyone, "thinks" or "feels" about this particular subject, the fact is, the less government intrusion we have in our lives, the better. Get the flippin' government OUT of our lives!
When you choose to be a part of a society, you CANNOT rule out having to deal with "evil government". What you can do, however, is get government out of personal lives.
I feel strongly the government should have nothing to do with personal life choices and decisions, unless they hurt others. Gay marriage (which as most know I do not personally support) should be up to the couple and the church. The only difference between legal unions and actual marriage is the religious ceremony. This should be up to clergy to decide if they want to perform the ceremony or not. Even SS benefits should go to a surviving partner, regardless of the sex of that partner. Actually that is about the only benefit not allowed today..Even the argument about privacy, every individual has the right to decide who can be given information about his/her health..
While on the surface it makes sense, beneath it all, it is the governments responsibility to make sure everyone is given equal opportunity. Marriage is one of those opportunities. Gay people pay the same taxes and should be afforded the same opportunities as heterosexual couples whether it be marriage or just shacking up. Sometimes you do have to step on toes for the greater good.
Also, government wouldn't be needed in this instance if the people didn't try to force feed their own personal beliefs into the personal lives of others. As long as that happens, there needs to be some type of regulation. So until Americans mind their own business, government will always have to intervene but since no one is going to do that, you get what you get.
[FONT=Arial]There's been a lot of talk in the last month about gay "marriage" and making it legal for them to "marry" and many people think it should be "legal" to get married. How about getting the government out of the institution of marriage?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Why do I believe marriage should be a personal issue and not a federal or state issue? The definition of marriage have been redefined so many times over the decades. A lot of couples have started treating marriage like a business instead of a commitment. Marriage is one-sided with the government involved and I believe it would be hard for a couple if they decide to split. The government (yes, divorce courts are run by the Govt) has invented alimony and no-fault divorce. Apart from marriage, the government is also involved in cohabiting couples after 10 years and that would be considered a common-law marriage in certain states. It would be hard for cohabiting one to split too and one might lose their property.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]With the government involved in marriage, I believe more people will be reluctant to marry or live together in upcoming years.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Now I know many liberals and conservatives will disagree. Many will question "What about the benefits". I honestly could careless about the "benefits". I believe people should be free to marry without governmental interference (no licenses or certificates, or worries about whether the marriage is legal or not).[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]So do you believe the government should stay out of marriage and cohabitation?[/FONT]
Marriage is a legal institution with, and properly so, rules, to wit, laws.
For example, there are restrictions on who can marry.
iFor example, a parent can't legally marry a child, nor siblings other siblings for Forst or sometimes, Second Cousins.
People can't marry non-humans, and a human can't marry more then one other human, nor somebody of the same sex.
These restricitons exist for genetic and health reasons, as well as to provide some foundation of reasonableness and sanity to a major construct of society, i.e. the familly.
That is why, undoubtedly, there are many who want to attack the instituion until it either doesn't exist, or has no teeth, or even, perhaps gums.
Doesn't matter what anyone, "thinks" or "feels" about this particular subject, the fact is, the less government intrusion we have in our lives, the better. Get the flippin' government OUT of our lives!
So you support massive tax cuts, ending programs like Soc. Sec. Medicare, Welfare, Food Stamps, WIC etc., etc,. etc., and cutting the budget to 25% of its current level???
When you choose to be a part of a society, you CANNOT rule out having to deal with "evil government". What you can do, however, is get government out of personal lives.
Oh for God's sake, it should have been pretty evident that was what was meant.
I give people too much credit on here in the brains department, apparently.
Next time I'll write in a patronizing and condescending way so that there is no question, whatsoever, regardless of CONTEXT, with what I meant.
So you support massive tax cuts, ending programs like Soc. Sec. Medicare, Welfare, Food Stamps, WIC etc., etc,. etc., and cutting the budget to 25% of its current level???
Glad to hear it.
Yes.
At the rate those programs are going, they'll be gone in the future anyway.
There's been a lot of talk in the last month about gay "marriage" and making it legal for them to "marry" and many people think it should be "legal" to get married. How about getting the government out of the institution of marriage?
Why do I believe marriage should be a personal issue and not a federal or state issue? The definition of marriage have been redefined so many times over the decades. A lot of couples have started treating marriage like a business instead of a commitment. Marriage is one-sided with the government involved and I believe it would be hard for a couple if they decide to split. The government (yes, divorce courts are run by the Govt) has invented alimony and no-fault divorce. Apart from marriage, the government is also involved in cohabiting couples after 10 years and that would be considered a common-law marriage in certain states. It would be hard for cohabiting one to split too and one might lose their property.
With the government involved in marriage, I believe more people will be reluctant to marry or live together in upcoming years.
Now I know many liberals and conservatives will disagree. Many will question "What about the benefits". I honestly could careless about the "benefits". I believe people should be free to marry without governmental interference (no licenses or certificates, or worries about whether the marriage is legal or not).
So do you believe the government should stay out of marriage and cohabitation?
The trouble is, if the government "stayed out of marriage," marriages would have no legal meaning. That can have serious negative consequences for people in long-term unions. I'll give just 2 examples.
Inheritance. Being legally married allows one partner to inherit the other's property automatically,and without paying inheritance taxes. If marriage had no legal meaning, persons other than the spouse could lay legal claim a deceased partner's property. This has happened often to gay couples.
Debt protection. In my state (Illinois) and many others, a married couple's primary residence can be purchased under a rule called Tenancy in the Entirety. I won't go into all the legal details, but what it means, in a nutshell, is that if either partner falls into debt, their creditors cannot force the sale of their home to pay that debt. This is an incredibly important legal protection, and it is only available to people who are legally married.
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