A state government deciding what is a marriage tramples on a right held by the individual. Why should people go through all this legal maneuvering when they could simply get a license and have a ceremony, civil or religious, so that the contract they made must be recognized by all levels of government, including the federal government?
Is there any legal document that a couple can execute that would bind the federal government to pay out Social Security surviver's benefits to a surviving partner and allow the couple to file a joint tax return? What legal document would prevent greedy relatives from challenging a surviving partner's right to inherit.or a partner's right to decide on treatment of a patient?
Why should any couple be forced into a legal morass when other couples have access to a simple, streamlined procedure that grants them all of these rights and more?
Why not use the term "marriage" on the civil level? What would be the point of not using it? If a couple wants to enter into addtional obligations, they can marry in a ceremony within their religious group that outlines their additional religious responsibilities. Nobody is stopping you from doing this. I know that Jewish people include a contract in their wedding customs.
Way to start in the middle and misinterpret in all directions.
1) Last time I checked, there is no "individual right" to have any government entity define any contract, marital or otherwise, according to one's personal opinions.
2) Whether or not it would be "easier" for a particular individual to enter into one specific contractual arrangement rather than another is not relevant to whether or not that contractual arrangement is legally appropriate. I might think it's "easier" for me to pass on my property when I die if I marry my son (blech!) rather than write up a will, but that doesn't in any way convey some sort of "right" for me to choose the first contract rather than the second.
3) Anyone who thinks that simply getting married obviates the need for other legal arrangements in regards to wills, medical powers of attorney, etc. is a ******* moron who really needs a sit-down with an attorney and/or financial planner. I have been married for 24 years as of last month, and I can assure you that I still have both a will and a legal directive in the event of my medical incapacitation.
4) I don't personally approve of Social Security in the first place, and therefore have very little patience with the government saying, "We're going to take your money, whether you like it or not, to MAYBE give back to you when you're old, and if you die before you hit the magic age (or if you're too rich when you get there), we're just gonna keep it." I would quite frankly prefer that people's retirement funds be privatized and under their personal control to begin with.
5) If you think marriage/divorce is "simple and streamlined" in comparison to virtually any other legal arrangement to accomplish the same things, you're nuts. Getting into a marriage might be quick and easy, but nothing after that point is.
6) The point of not using the word "marriage" for things outside of its original meaning and intent is just that: words mean things. And "marriage" means a lot more things outside of the simple legislative recognition that homosexual activists pretend is their reason for demanding its redefinition. In fact, all the things it means outside of the basic legal and financial contract - which is supposed to be what the law is acknowledging - are the REAL reasons behind this fight.