Minimum age for marriage

[greenroomsurfer]

Everyone should get murdered, I mean everyone should get married at least once.

 

[kathydwells]

Everyone should get murdered, I mean everyone should get married at least once.

:funn: Amen brother!!!!

 

[DuneAHH]

Marriage ? The state regulated all aspects of the marriage process, from "publishing the banns"?an announcement of the intent to marry that was an early predecessor to the marriage license?to the marriage ceremony, the giving of dowries, property and inheritance rights, and in rare cases, divorce.

Scooterbug...
I learned alot of fascinating information from your post.

Seems to me the boiled down essence of government's historical (& modern) involvement in marriages largely comes down to the above highlight. There is a time & place for some regulation in the marriage arena...

Having said that...I heartily say YEAH to marriage (or NOT) outside the boundaries of government licensure, if, as NoHall said "it's none of their business"... because there are no underage children or inheritance rights involved.

 

[scooterbug44]

Having said that...I heartily say YEAH to marriage (or NOT) outside the boundaries of government licensure, if, as NoHall said "it's none of their business"... because there are no underage children or inheritance rights involved.

It's not that easy - we have so completely integrated marriage into our legal system that your marital status affects almost every area of life.

You can try to keep the government out of your relationship, but to live a normal life or deal w/ any type of emergency you have to have legal documents explicitly stating things or you have no rights or claims whatsoever.

Besides the major tax/estate planning benefits married people can be eligible for:
-"family" discounts on car, health, homeowner's insurance etc.
-receipt of military and social security benefits
-visiting rights in a hospital (family only policies in most ICUs)
-right to make funeral arrangements or allow an autopsy
-visiting rights in jail
-being allowed to live in areas zoned "family only"
-leave to care for an ill spouse
-bereavement leave for spouse or spouse's relative

 

[DuneAHH]

It's not that easy - we have so completely integrated marriage into our legal system that your marital status affects almost every area of life.

You can try to keep the government out of your relationship, but to live a normal life or deal w/ any type of emergency you have to have legal documents explicitly stating things or you have no rights or claims whatsoever.

Besides the major tax/estate planning benefits married people can be eligible for:
-"family" discounts on car, health, homeowner's insurance etc.
-receipt of military and social security benefits
-visiting rights in a hospital (family only policies in most ICUs)
-right to make funeral arrangements or allow an autopsy
-visiting rights in jail
-being allowed to live in areas zoned "family only"
-leave to care for an ill spouse
-bereavement leave for spouse or spouse's relative

Of course you're right....but I found several "legally" alternative routes of dealing with several of these very issues in my marriage that "wasn't" a marriage ... it came down to research & choices.

 

[scooterbug44]

My point was that you still have to legally define your relationship in some way - even sans kiddos and inheritance issues.

I think you can cover most of the decisions/access issues with some form of power of attorney etc. but there is still no escaping relationship "laws".

Glad I don't have to deal with any of this firsthand since according to Sowal I'm too young for marriage anyway ;-).

 

[NoHall]

It's not that easy - we have so completely integrated marriage into our legal system that your marital status affects almost every area of life.

You can try to keep the government out of your relationship, but to live a normal life or deal w/ any type of emergency you have to have legal documents explicitly stating things or you have no rights or claims whatsoever.

Besides the major tax/estate planning benefits married people can be eligible for:
-"family" discounts on car, health, homeowner's insurance etc.
-receipt of military and social security benefits
-visiting rights in a hospital (family only policies in most ICUs)
-right to make funeral arrangements or allow an autopsy
-visiting rights in jail
-being allowed to live in areas zoned "family only"
-leave to care for an ill spouse
-bereavement leave for spouse or spouse's relative

My point was that you still have to legally define your relationship in some way - even sans kiddos and inheritance issues.

I think you can cover most of the decisions/access issues with some form of power of attorney etc. but there is still no escaping relationship "laws".

Glad I don't have to deal with any of this firsthand since according to Sowal I'm too young for marriage anyway ;-).

My interest in "privatizing" marriage started out as a joke. I have been threatening to start the Straight/Single Rights Movement for years. I get none of the spousal benefits you listed.

Joking aside, if marriage were removed from government, don't you think that the hospital would allow me to see my husband/partner in ICU? More than likely the government-sanctioned marriage would be replaced by some sort of power of attorney in the case of catastrophic illness or injury. When I used to nanny, I required that parents leave me a simple signed document stating that in the event of an emergency, the parents left me in charge of signing off on treatment for the children. I don't have a spouse, but I have life insurance. I named my beneficiaries. Employers would recognize the need to allow leave. (Otherwise, they will have employees taking sick leave anyway.)

As for inheritance, I think Leona Helmsley just proved to us that where there's a will, there's a way. I used to research real estate for an attorney's office; if you own any sort of property and are over the age of 25, you should have a will.

That only leaves us with tax issues. All the more reason to go to fair tax...