Should government regulate marriage??

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by pelathais

But again, how is the "freedom" of a gay person restricted because the county clerk won't sign out a marriage license to them? The gay couple is still free to pursue their gayness in whatever fashion they wish (within reason, like everybody else). They can shack up and split up or whatever they want to do.

We do have some responsibilities for regulating our society. I think most gays agree that the regulations involving the age of consent are important and we need them. We have already agreed to regulate these matters - what has happened that should persuade us to dramatically change things?

And, I'm not trying to hinder anyone's pursuit of happiness. In fact, for many if not most of them, the marriage restrictions are probably doing them a favor!

They already are free to live their lives and they already have the same rights as everybody else. What rights are they being denied?

I think the gays really need to take a step back in their discussion on this issue. They've been arguing with terminology that actually hurts their case. We're running head-long into a real mess without even having discussed the pro's and con's of the issue.

This is a lot like a trillion dollar stimulus package that hasn't even been debated on the floor of the House or Senate. We need to slow down and allow some of the wisdom that we do have to seep in to guide us in these matter. In the mean time gays have the same thing everybody else has except a scrap of paper.

A lot of that same sentiment was popular regarding blacks and whites marrying. The issue is that you have two adult citizens who want to enter a consensual civil contract with one another in what is supposed to be a free society. I'm no prophet, but I predict that like it or not, gays will get the right to full "marriage" if we are not careful. You see, if we grant them "civil unions" they will not have any grounds upon which to take it all the way to the Supreme Court because the "civil unions" will provide them all the rights they desire. However, if we resist this politically they will go to the Supreme Court and fight for "marriage". My prediction is that given the libertarian view of social liberties in our country they will win it. Granting civil unions will in fact protect "marriage".