I’m speaking on gay marriage specifically, but this really applies social issues in general.  Why do gays want to have their marriages recognized by the government anyway?  Yes I know of the taxing changes but that is a separate issue and for the life of me I cannot figure out why the government discriminates against you on your marital status.  Why can’t we all just be taxed the same? It isn’t currently illegal for 2 gay guys or girls to get married.  I’ve never heard of police going around rounding up the gays because they had a private ceremony and they’re cohabitating.  I’m marrying a great woman in August and I see no reason why I need the government’s permission.  The argument shouldn’t be if gay marriage is right or wrong, that is for you to decide, it should be whether or not the government has the responsibility or the right to approve or disapprove of my or anyone else’s marriage.

What is the point? It isn’t illegal to cheat on your spouse. It isn’t illegal to get a divorce either.  So why do we need a marriage license?  Why, at least originally, did the state require you to get a license to do something that people have done for thousands of years? I did some very quick research by googling “history of marriage license” and what I found might shock you.  It looks like Europe didn’t require licenses until the 16th century so that parents could approve of young people’s marriage. It wasn’t really required in the USA until the mid 1800s, and by the 1920s, 38 states required a marriage license so they could make sure there were no interracial marriages.  The anti-interracial marriage laws are now off the books, so what is the point?  Is it for record keeping and statistics? Couldn’t private churches or societies keep records just as well as the government? Could it be for taxes? I’m not familiar with the changes in tax laws because I’m not yet married and if there is anything more boring than read “No Child Left Behind” it’s gotta be tax law.

I say we straight people start protesting marriage licenses and demand that the government stops discriminating on marital status and just has one set of laws for all people. I say that, but of course I’ll go throughthe proper channels and go to the court to get my license, I just don’t understand why I have to.

If my arguments are weak or you think you can add to my argument, please chime in.  Social issues don’t really interest me a whole lot, so I don’t do a ton of reading on them. My attitude is for the government to get out of the way and let me live my life the way I want.  In my perfect world, both the left and the right have the choice to live they way they want because the government isn’t forcing me to live the way they want.

I briefly browsed through several websites, but I got most of the information here.

God Bless Freedom, Liberty, and Personal Property,

Slappy Jones II