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elkid
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Joined: 18 Nov 2002
Posts: 8353
Location: hiding out in Philly
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 Posted: 11/09/04 - 10:14 Post subject:
As Joe pointed out, benefits are not an obligation, but a privilege bestowed upon employees. A company pays the larger percent of a premium for health care benefits (which, if you don't know, is a HUGE cost to the company), so if a company were to offer them to same sex couples and subsidize them for the employee's partner, that's how it would cost them more. But I know several of my friends are so thankful that their employers offer such benefit plans that they are fiercely loyal to their employer, so turnover rate is lowered which in turn lowers the overall benefit cost. Pretty much a non-issue in my book.
I think this argument will die down a bit, as the Republicans have several more pressing issues on the table at the moment. A constitutional amendment would be pretty radical, as it would require nullification of DOMA, and the fact that the Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the states are responsible for saying who can marry and how marriages can be dissolved. The states cannot, however, prohibit marriage "for a valid reason" (ex. they can't prohibit mixed race marriages). Homosexual unions have just started to take on that argument of validity, so it'll be interesting to see where it goes. That said, the states vary on common law marriage acceptance, age, waiting period, and licensing so I don't think they'll ever agree on gay marriage.
While it's true that religion played a big part in the founding of the country, I disagree it was based on Biblical law. Nor should it - I don't think the laws of Deuteronomy would have any applicability in a industrial society. Then we'd be actively stoning people in the streets, and muscling our way to neighboring countries as the law of the land and annihilating the vanquished to prevent revenge. Remember that a church-sanctioned marriage is not legitimate, legal, or binding without a license. A religious ceremony is therefore pomp and circumstance if you don't have that piece of paper.
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