Big Brother Picks Your Mate

According to the US Government Accountability Office, there are 1,138 provisions in which marital status is a factor in determining benefits, rights, and privileges. These statistics don't even include the provisions in non-government matters, such as insurance agencies.

I once thought of homosexuality as a sin. I have since seen the issue through the eyes of reason, rather than what the church says. Bigotry is wrong, no matter what the Bible teaches. However, this rant isn’t about gay marriage. This rant is fundamentally about government intrusions into American lives. How many of you are really concerned about the gay couple down the street having sex? Is it something that truly affects YOUR marriage or relationship? I can think of many, many other extremely important issues that the President and Congress should put in front of the American people. Can anybody say FairTax? During this election year, the President has decided to put an issue at the forefront that he PERCEIVES will mobilize his conservative base. Who gives a shit about gay marriage? I have a wonderful relationship with a women of my own choosing, doing the things we enjoy doing, all without worrying about other couples down the street. I live in a multi-unit apartment complex. I know for a fact it is going on down the hall (Oh no!).

Why are we not focusing on more important issues? What about fundamental tax replacement, privatizing Social Security or education, or ending the internal war on our people, also known as the "War on Drugs"?

Why does the government have to be in the business of regulating families, or marriage at all? Societal history has shown us that marriage has been a decision of individual and religious sects throughout the world. Christianity, which is prominent in the United States, has always accepted marriage as love between a man and a woman, which culminates in a committed, lifelong relationship. For me, I prefer to commit to a woman and so that is what my marriage will be. Although, There are many different opinions about marriage and not every American will make the same decision. Therefore, why should the government decide? It should not. Marriage is based upon love and trust. Funny, I didn’t say that it is based upon a marriage license. Think about it. When people talk about why they got married, they talk about their love, common goals, and their commitment to one another. They do not talk about the act of getting a piece of paper the government issued to them, as if they were animals being vaccinated and licensed. A marriage license is not what matters. Since marriage is based upon the mutual interests of only two people, why should the government be involved in my marriage or yours?

If we first allow the government to decide who can marry, what is next? Who can get divorced, who can live or even dine together? Divorce is a last resort and should minimally be used, but that doesn’t mean the government needs to regulate it.

It's always assumed that Democrats are the only big-government politicians. Republicans are equally statist, perhaps in a more socially-evident manner, rather than fiscally. I say that the government need not license marriages. Leave us alone. Many people might ask how the government could control tax deductions and benefits for spouses if we don’t have marriage licenses. Why does the government need to control who is a beneficiary for insurance claims, Social Security survivor benefits, or certain government worker’s pensions? People should be able to choose their beneficiaries, no matter if they are a spouse, or not. In addition, privatizing Social Security would take the government out of the equation for survivor’s benefits. Private insurance companies typically use marriage designations for beneficiary classifications and risk analysis. However, these companies could easily make their own decisions, without government designations. Married couples have certain tax advantages over singles. Alas, no group should have loopholes or advantages over another group (gay, straight, or bisexual). Social engineering through our tax code is not desirable.

If there is any legitimate need to track marriages, why not register marriages in a database? Why in the world do we need permission from overbearing politicians and the intrusive government to get married? Please sit down and tell your Congressional representatives to get out of your private family matters and start focusing on important topics rather than pandering and playing election-year politics.