DOMA and Prop 8. Both History.

[eppie]

Yet, I'll always be the one to ask 'Why?' Why do I need to tell the government what I'm doing in my personal life?

No you don't need to tell them, they know it already. (following the news? )

If I want a Will, I'll need to make a will. If I want a more complicated contract, then lawyers do prenuptial agreements all the time. From the government's perspective, there is really one question; Are you both of legal age to consent? Which in this day and age is more of a sexual relations concern, rather than a " Are you willing to be committed to this person for the rest of your life" concern. In fact, we'd be better off with tribal customs where if you share a bed and a meal with your mate, you are married. Does the government ever get to say, "No, we're not allowing you to marry"? If not, then its a useless hoop jumping exercise implemented by control freaks and should be abolished. Everything else related to prohibitions of marriage is dominant culture social taboo, and has very little to do with governance.

And you solution is making things easier???
In a modern stable society you need a stable form of family. I know lots of people divorce, but it is good to state at a certain point you will start sharing everything officially with your partner. And that there is a set of rules and laws that arrange things like standard ways of how inheritance works. Seriously.....you are lobbying for lawyers here??

And, then, what prevents us from legalizing polygamy and why would we prevent it?

Because it is an unequal type of living together. Well....maybe theoretically also one woman could marry several guys at the same time, but we all know that that is not the deal with polygamy right?
Polygamy is institute in societies in which women are second rank citizens. So the same reason we don't allow children under 18 to get married.