Solving the Marriage Conundrum
Since it appears that neither the left nor the right are going to agree on who is entitled to enjoy the bliss of married life, I have a solution – get the State out of the marriage and divorce business. No more state-issued marriage licenses (think of the money we’ll be saving taxpayers by getting rid of the Clerks of the Peace and the employees that run those offices in Delaware). If you want to get married, go to your respective house of worship and let your priest/pastor/rabbi/imam/shaman perform the ceremony. If your religion prohibits same-sex marriage, oh well. If it prohibits mixed-faith marriages, oh well. If it prohibits inter-racial marriage, oh well. Since the teabaggers and other right-wing fanatics claim that marriage is something solemn and holy, let the religious institutions take over responsibility for saying who can marry in their church/synagogue/mosque. No more civil marriage!
As for divorce, get the State out of that business, too. No more divorce courts. If your religion prohibits divorce, well, I guess you’re stuck. If it does, then you go to whomever to terminate your marriage. As for the division of property, you’d better have a good pre-nup, or it will be left up to your religion’s own devices.
See, problem solved.
So what happens to the atheist’s/agnostics among us?
Mark H – Since in this scenario, we would gain absolutely nothing by being ‘married’ in houses of worship we don’t believe in, I’d imagine we would simply live together in monogamous (or not) relationships.
This isn’t actually a solution, though, because it fails to acknowledge that marriage is a social status in addition to being a legal and/or religious one. Good luck getting secular straight people to abandon the “married” label, and good luck getting most straight people period to give up the legal rights that come with a marriage license.
Marriage is more than social and religious, it also comes with significant tax breaks.
As far as the state is concerned, marriage is a contract and not much else. A contract between two people with rights and obligations attached to it. Divorces are a dissolution of that contract. I think that the state has plenty of reason to oversee contracts, It has NO reason to be involved with sacraments.
What I think ought to happen is that civil unions ought to be the state’s business. Any couple could go to the courthouse or some state office to register their civil union which would get all of the tax privileges and relationship rights as marriages do now. But if you want the sacrament of marriage, then you go to the church of your choice and get that if you can. But let’s be clear about what the state’s role is and what the preacher’s role is and officially separate them.
So let’s throw in another curve – any tax breaks associated with marriage are done away with. Discuss.
If that’s going to happen MJ, make the Republicans do it.
Of course, UI. It might be their only line of defense.
of course I still love that line form the movies
“why can’t they mary, they have the right to be miserable like everyone else”
but also – think of the stimulus package that gay marriage will give family lawyers……
so what’s the problem, I still don’t understand….
equal rights and a stimulus package – WOW
(im being ironic with the divorce thing – but it is a consideration)
Those tax breaks are greatly reduced under Comrade Obama.
Left and Right agree on marriage? Typical liberal garbage. The constitution clearly lays out the states regulate marriage.
Whacky libs always want to eliminate the constitution unless it suits their methods of madness.
liberals are such fools:
Higher taxes on marriage and family. The
“marriage penalty” (narrower tax brackets for married
couples) will return from the first dollar of income. The child tax
credit will be cut in half from $1000 to $500 per child. The
standard deduction will no longer be doubled for married couples relative
to the single level. The dependent care and adoption tax credits
will be cut.
“The constitution clearly lays out the states regulate marriage.”
Where? The word never appears.
that means it is clearly laid out. the fact it is omitted means “no fags”
Duh, geezer. Haven’t you taken a non-liberal poli-sci course? Guru Beck knows. Moron.
@Idiot Truth What, is hannity on vacation? Stop with the nonsense Dbag. Go stand outside a grocery store and spew your garbage. I give it 10 minutes b4 you get tossed. Welcome to Delaware. We love that women have a choice and we respect everyone in spite of our differences. I take that back; I can’t respect anyone with a religious agenda that oppresses.