Writer's Block: Marital license

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In all practicality, can you just imagine how fucked up that would get? Picture a Marriage DMV, taking time off work to wait at the local office, filling one form after another and standing in line after line-- and then some idiot accidentally prints your renewed marriage license with "civil union" instead of marriage and you'd suddenly be filing for different tax breaks, or the government with all its political agendas tears you away from the love of your life because they define your passionate S&M lifestyle as abusive or considers your mutually-agreed-upon swinging to be an offense to your monogamy and grounds for government-induced divorce.

No. While I think couples might do well to perform periodic self-checkups of the state of their relationship, it must be up to the couples themselves. I leave the power to enter, stay in, and leave relationships in the hands of the individuals involved, and I encourage them to act on that power when necessary. If you're abused, it's not the government's job to get you out; find your strength and walk away. If you're unhappy, it's up to you to make the resolution to fix your marriage or decide that it's not worth it and move on. The government does not need to babysit us in this way. And, conversely, why should we trust the government to define a proper marriage for us in the first place? (I mean, look at what a shitty job they're doing of it already!).

However, if we want to talk about licenses to bear and raise children, I'm listening. That involves a dependent minor with absolutely no choice in the matter. But in all but very few cases, marriages in the US are between two consenting adults; they have every right and power to make decisions that affect their own happiness (or unhappiness). It's their right-- and their responsibility.

Writer's Block: Marital license

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In all practicality, can you just imagine how fucked up that would get? Picture a Marriage DMV, taking time off work to wait at the local office, filling one form after another and standing in line after line-- and then some idiot accidentally prints your renewed marriage license with "civil union" instead of marriage and you'd suddenly be filing for different tax breaks, or the government with all its political agendas tears you away from the love of your life because they define your passionate S&M lifestyle as abusive or considers your mutually-agreed-upon swinging to be an offense to your monogamy and grounds for government-induced divorce.

No. While I think couples might do well to perform periodic self-checkups of the state of their relationship, it must be up to the couples themselves. I leave the power to enter, stay in, and leave relationships in the hands of the individuals involved, and I encourage them to act on that power when necessary. If you're abused, it's not the government's job to get you out; find your strength and walk away. If you're unhappy, it's up to you to make the resolution to fix your marriage or decide that it's not worth it and move on. The government does not need to babysit us in this way. And, conversely, why should we trust the government to define a proper marriage for us in the first place? (I mean, look at what a shitty job they're doing of it already!).

However, if we want to talk about licenses to bear and raise children, I'm listening. That involves a dependent minor with absolutely no choice in the matter. But in all but very few cases, marriages in the US are between two consenting adults; they have every right and power to make decisions that affect their own happiness (or unhappiness). It's their right-- and their responsibility.