OK..There's ONE reason to get married...

I was reading someone blog about the evils of Christianity and how horrible we all are for loving Christ and a bunch of whining about not patronizing a company because they support an organization that is anti-gay-marriage. It was pissing me off, as atheists often will when they start ranting and foaming at the mouth, but it jogged a memory. Something I learned in Real Property in law school. Something that forces me to make a much regretted concession in the War Against Marriage.

You know I am against marriage. I don't think gay people should be allowed to get married. I don't think straight people should be allowed to get married. I think the entire institution of marriage should be abolished. It's an antiquated and outdated concept with no real redeeming value. If two people want to be together forever, then they want to be together forever. They should do so. Matters not their gender or religious affiliation. If they want to have a party and celebrate it, they should do so. If they want to have a ceremony and promise something to their God(s), they should do so. And if they change their minds later and want to split, they should do so.

They don't need a name for it. A label that makes it more convenient for others to judge them. There should be no stigma for their children...they, too, are just people. They're joining isn't better or worse than anyone elses. If they want to file joint taxes, file em. As long as they are both signing the form with free will and capacity, then cool. If they want to declare each other as insurance beneficiaries, do so. Worried about Hospital visitations? Everyone carries a little card in their wallet with a list of people that are allowed 'family' visitation at the hospital. No only can you allow your gay lover, you can disallow your brother-in-law! Win-win! If they want to adopt, let em adopt. Deny their request based on their proven character, not their gender. and Alimony is easy to figure out. Whoever makes more pays whoever makes less. Child custody? Again, it's works out BETTER without gender bias. There is no good reason/need for marriage.

Used to be that marriage was necessary for the woman to be protected in her rights to the man. It was to remind him that he had responsibilities to the family when he went off to fuck all sorts of strange trim. And it gave the woman rights she might not have otherwise had. Those days are gone. Now a days, fucking around will screw you (pun intended!) worse than not. (Ask Tiger Woods.) Further, this whole "you CAN'T sleep around, you MUST remain faithful" makes the strange trim the forbidden fruit and that much more attractive. Get rid of marriage and it will help morally weak (yeah, I SAID it) men see what they got at home and do the honorable thing by their wives (be that faithfulness or departure). If they don't HAVE to be faithful, then they will, with greater frequency, CHOOSE to be. That's my theory.

So, there's no point to marriage. Well, there's one. It's called 'Tenancy by the Entirety'. If a man and a woman are married and they buy a piece of real estate, they both own 100% of it. It's a magical legal trick that has ancient roots and I am not convinced it can be adapted. Oh sure, there's 'Joint Tenants with rights of survivorship' but that's not nearly as cool and is more likely to be contested by alternate heirs. So when one partner kicks it, in Tenancy by the Entirety, the other owns the property, no questions asked. I think everyone should have this, if they purchase a family home. And it ain't fair that it is limited to man/woman relationships. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E5DA1231F932A15750C0A9629C8B63

So, let's pass some legislation to give Tenancy by the Entirety to any persons who file a stack of annoying and complicated paperwork and then we can get rid of this whole marriage thing, all together. Until then, I gotta say there's ONE reason to get married. But JUST the one...