Safety Cap's Journal: Who should write laws on marriage? State/Feds?

So the Nebraska state law that sripped rights from gay and lesbians to marry, have civil unions...or breathe was struck down.

"Those damn dirty 'activist' judges. Let's kill them all" -- Tom Dee-Lay

Okay, here's a radical idea: the government gets out of the 'marriage' business altogether. No one gets marriages. Instead, you apply for and are issued a civil relationship license and enter into a contract for the same. The requirements for civil contract are the same as they are now: two (or more) legal-age adults, who are of sound mind, etc.

If you want to get "married," then you go to your Church, Mosque, Temple, or Ryan's Family Steak House and get the officiant to mumble the words, light in incense and rattle the beads to complete the ceremony your individual belief system may require.

What about divorce?

That would be written into the civil contract - a method of dissolution/bailout clause/whatever.

For your "marriage," simply go to Ryan's Family Steakhouse and order the #12 without gravy.

It sounds like a good idea

[M.C. Hampster]

Total cliche: but what about the children? Being that marriage affords certain rights to both parents when children are involved, do those simply carry over in this new civil contract? What about when there are 4 adults getting involved?

And how does one handle certain benefits that come from marriage, especially those from the government? If you have 3 spouses, who gets the S.S. benefits when you die? Does it just get split among the three? What about medical insurance? As an employer, aren't I dis

Re:It sounds like a good idea

[Ethelred Unraed]

Total cliche: but what about the children?

They will fattened up on a diet of corn and high-protein fortified grain, then inspected by USDA officials and be sold on the open market, with prized examples being paraded at the State Fair. They tend to run around a lot when you chop off their heads, too.

Oh, children, not chicken.

Cheers,

Ethelred

Re:It sounds like a good idea

[elmegil]

I'm just wondering what the solutions are for the myriad of issues that come about from modifying the definition of marriage.

So then we restrict the marriage contract to two otherwise unencumbered adults (i.e. no seperate contracts for each couple).

While I'm not against plural marriages of various sorts (as long as they are freely entered into by consenting adults), I do agree with you that they raise quite a few more issues than the two and only two partners version. That's a tough issue to deal with, a

But

[Red Warrior]

I like gravy.

Well

[Safety Cap]

I think it makes gravy in your mouth when you chew it!!!!1111