Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Why does the government regulate marriage?

Here. 

6 comments:

B. Prokop said...

Why? One reason: MONEY

Were it not for pensions, death benefits, tax status, dependent deductions, etc., the government would have zero interest in who was married to whom, or whether or not people were married at all.

Corollary: Why do same-sex couples want to get married? (Hint: It's the same reason.) And who gets to pay for their benefits? Everybody else!

grodrigues said...

@B. Prokop:

"Corollary: Why do same-sex couples want to get married? (Hint: It's the same reason.)"

Heh heh. I am almost tempted in invoking classical Marxist analyses of class interests and add: "follow the money".

im-skeptical said...

"Corollary: Why do same-sex couples want to get married? (Hint: It's the same reason.) And who gets to pay for their benefits? Everybody else!"

If it's true that we all pay for the benefits of gay married people, then wouldn't it be true as well for non-gay married people? If it's Marxist to claim a tax exemption for being married, then it's Marxist for all married couples.

But many of those "benefits" you would like yo deny gay people don't cost anything. They simply confer legal rights and responsibilities on the married couple. And that is indeed the business of the government to regulate.

Dustin Crummett said...

Bob, I assume you also think that's the only reason why, say, interracial couples fought against laws preventing them from getting married? That it's the only reason why anybody wants to get married?

B. Prokop said...

"That it's the only reason why anybody wants to get married?"

Not at all. You read my comment backwards. The question Victor is posing is "Why does the government regulate marriage?" Not "Why do people want to get married?" If money were not involved, no governmental agency would have the slightest interest in the matter.

B. Prokop said...

Dustin,

Re-reading my first comment, I can see how you asked your question. I expressed myself poorly, since I was intending to speak only to the issue of governmental interest. I would have been more clear had I written something like, "From the state's point of view, what is the impact of allowing same sex marriage?"