Gay Marriage

[kandrathe]

That's where all those tax laws, insurance laws, etc. come in.  The government still has to deal with marriage for this kind of stuff.

Why? Abolish that stuff. They can still factor in tax deductions for children without needing to know the exact configuration of the household. If a household has one, or two, or three bread winners, what need is there for the government to know that? I'm against income taxes anyway, but that's a different discussion. If the state is going to punish wage earners with taxes, then it should do so evenly and fairly for each worker. Treat them as individuals, and treat them all equally.

Employers offer benefits to a worker and that worker's family -- it is a contract between the worker and the employer. Sometimes that employer is the state, and so the state can determine what a "family" or what a "spouse" means for themselves. Insurance companies likewise will have a definition of what "family" and "spouse" are, and if they do not offer benefits to a particular groups needs, that group of consumers will choose an alternative. Where the state might have a role is to offer medical benefits, or insurance benefits to the disenfranchised. In my state, that is how medical insurance works. Everyone has medical insurance, because if you are denied coverage by normal insurance companies or are unemployed and cannot afford it, then the state offers full medical insurance for as low as $4 per person in the family.

When you say "traditional marriage" what does that mean?

Merriam-Webster says:

1 a (1) : the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2) : the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage <same-sex marriage> b : the mutual relation of married persons : WEDLOCK c : the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage

My personal view is that it is primarily a spiritual bond one makes to another individual. I object to the state needing to supply the license, or the church having to sanction it such that it can determine our state of grace. So traditionally, it is three things; 1] a spiritual bond, 2] a legal thing, and 3] a church sanctioned thing -- of which, in my opinion, the first is the only thing that matters. To me it is the spiritual contract that is important, and the commitment is between the individuals involved. Remove the state involvement, and allow the people to choose whether the religious part matters and marriage still remains as it always has been.