"A Gay-Marriage solution..." What say you?

Replacing the income tax with either one of those would help all around... except for our tax and spend government. As to the gay marriage issue... there is a lot more to that than taxes and marriage benefits. The whole issue is an attack on the very foundation of marriage and religion. They are out to destroy both... and our family values as well. It is nothing short of a culture war that fits in with the liberal's agenda as well.

I agree. I think a flat tax is the way to go. The amount of taxes we already pay is ridiculous. Government is way to big. I support a flat tax and get government in check.

In honesty, you kind of confused me at first...starting out with the gay marriage issue and then jumping over to tax changes. Hubby explained it though so now I got it :) As to the questions...the tax changes sound like a good idea on the whole and would probably benefit alot of ppl. However I don't see it solving the problem of gay couples wanting to be entitled to the same benefits that married couples have b/c it isn't just the tax break that they want. They also want to be able to claim their partner's Social Security benefits, be able to be covered by their partner's isurance policy, in other words have all the benefits that a married couple have. The problem comes in that by doing that they are being allowed to claim benefits they are not entitled to. They are having rules changed to suit their lifestyle choices. I don't see why marriages cannot be left just as they are and have Civil Unions for gay couples. I still don't think that even under Civil Unions they should have the right to the benefits b/c like it or not that is not what those benefits were meant for. There are alot of programs that are set up in a specific manner...as an example...Hubby has VA for his medical. It only covers him b/c he served in the military. Even though we are married it doesn't cover me and I don't have any medical coverage. However that is their policy and they aren't going to suddenly change it just to suit me...and I don't expect them to. That's the difference...most ppl follow the rules but here's a group of ppl that want all the rules re-wrote to suit them. So like I said, although I think that the tax change would benefit ppl, no I don't think it would solve the gay marriage issues. [b]~~AT PEACE WITHIN~~ **STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS**[/b]

I think alot of the problem people have with this is that "marriage" is an institution, with all the history and religious connotations of centuries of use. Also, most of society is already set up to deal with the default rights one automatically receives when a heterosexual legal union occurs. All the homosexual community wants is that same set of default rights that the heterosexual community gets automatically. If you stand before a judge, minister, rabbi or other legally authorized person and swear by the same words to do the same things then you should reap the rewards and benefits that union confers. Is this issue different than polygamous marriages? Just curious how that works out, since this apparently happens quite often. If you are the 2nd or 3rd spouse, are you still entitled to all the same rights just because it is heterosexual union? Didn't mean to muddy the waters with that last idea, but I do wonder. If you make marriage ONLY legal between 1 man and 1 woman, that leaves alot of people and "unions" across the country and around the world out in the cold. If you are serious about your commitment to that person, or persons, then you should get all the responsibilities that go along with it. Convincing a government that is not set up for that union to accommodate it will be the hardest part - SS, Medicare, and all other county, state AND federal rights of the marriage vow.

I am not too sure that it is a 'reward' for hetro couples to get married under the tax system we now have. Most married people I know get txed more than the unmarried couples I know. But, I don't think that their should be any legal or religious issues surrounding marriage. I think it should be more of a comminity/personal thing. If you love someone enough to want to spend the rest of your life with them. To commit yourself to someone. They 2 consenting adults should be allowed to make and mark that commitment in whatever way they choose. If they want to jump over a broomstick in the street, or have someone say words of blessings over their heads, or whatever, it's a personal decision and the end result is that they have chosen to be together and have chosen to make it public. I think that's was real marriage should be about anyway.