Lazalarlives wrote:I'd have fewer problems with the modern 'marriage' debate if we'd get back to that core idea. So far most of the beneficiaries have been divorce lawyers, not kids.
Just my two cents,
Dave
Spoken like a true heterosexual with no idea what it is like to be told that YOUR relationship is substandard, that YOUR family is worth less than others.
Sorry, Lazalarlives and all the others who have been commenting on this, but you brought this particular topic up. I just refuse to back down on this point.
Unfortunately (from your perspective) marriage is NOT just about children. In the United States the federal government provides 1 138 tax and other benefits to married couples. Many of those benefits do centre on children, yes, but most do not.
Moreover, if marriage was JUST about children, then logic suggests that any couple that cannot have children, or is too old to have children, should be banned from getting married in the first place. Also, that same logic suggests that any couple whose children are no longer dependent upon them, should by law be required to divorce.
The question Americans should ask themselves, is this: are we really serious about our commitment to the principle of equal treatment before the law for ALL American citizens? Or do we believe that some Americans are more equal than others?
As for the statement regarding lawyers and children, that is one of the most unthinking, superficial and callous remarks I've read on these forums in all the time I've been a member.
The fact of the matter is this. If even ONE child can be certain that his/her parents will both have the right to make medical decisions for him/her, then all the boohaa about marriage equality was worth it. If even ONE child can be certain that tonight federal and state welfare benefits will provide enough food for dinner, then all the boohaa about marriage equality was worth it.
I can go on and on and on, but the truth is that, today, not just one or a few, but thousands upon thousands of American children, whose parents just happen to be of the same sex, can go to bed with the certainty that THEIR families enjoy the same legal freedoms, benefits and responsibilities that ALL heterosexual families are entitled to.
It is just a pity, and in my opinion as a foreigner who greatly admire America, a great mark of shame, that so many of the United States continue to fail in their commitment to that most important of American values.
Sorry for the rant, but like I said, someone else started the topic, and marriage is an important enough subject that I cannot simply remain quiet.
