Marriage Of Like Kinds

I would like to open myself to attacks by the political left by posting about same-sex marriage. I realize this makes it possible to label me a homophobe but  don't care.

I have written about same-sex marriage before. I really do not have a problem with it nor do I have a problem with gay, or any other, lifestyle. Well, I do have a problem with socialists and progressives but that's not an issue... yet.

Let me refer you back to what I said in 2008. I wrote of the history, as I see it, of marriage... which I believe is the province of religion. Somewhere in history, it became a concern of government. Don't get me wrong, government has an interest in marriage. It has this mostly because a marriage is a financial partnership and it often produces new citizens.

But its primary interest is in the welfare of those new citizens and the financial partnership. It is brought in when a marriage is dissolved... just as it is when any financial partnership is dissolved. Unless there is a disagreement over assets,  the government deems it a private matter. As it should, I think. I consider children to be assets and, so, I put them in that category (some may disagree with that and view children as liabilities).

My proposal is that all current marriages be deemed "civil unions." I think that can be easily done in spite of the number of times the term "marriage" is mentioned in laws. A law stating that all marriages are now civil unions and all rights and responsibilities that fall under "marriage" now apply to "civil unions." So it doesn't dissolve marriages, just extends those rights and responsibilities associate with marriage to civil unions. As far as the law is concerned; a spouse (who would still be a "spouse") could still be the person who makes medical decisions, shares the assets and liabilities, and so on of the "marriage." Nothing would change.

What my proposal does is remove the government from marriage and force it to treat all partnerships, social or business, the same... which it should.

All a couple need do is apply for that "marriage" license and be approved (have it issued) and they become a partnership, or "civil union", in the eyes of the law. There would be no need of a ceremony at all. If a couple wanted a ceremony, they could have a civil ceremony or a church wedding, as they see fit, assuming they can find a church willing to perform it. But no church would ever be forced, under the law, to perform a ceremony.