Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Congrats & thank you Canada!

As far as I know most of these "new laws" are not actually new laws, so much as they're simply changing the wording, or understanding of the current laws and allowing two men or two women to be married. The separate but equal arguement is the same one we (gays and lesbians) have been using to say that "civil partnerships" aren't enough. It the same arguement that lead to equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.

One day the govt. may step in and insist that if you have sons AND daughters, that you MUST have a three bedroom home or they will take the children away....

.....naw, that could NEVER happen.


Of course, if it did, would the next step be an audit of a prospective family at the time of conception?

Returning to the original intent of this thread; It appears that the Canadian Govt is a bit more based on common sense, and the intrinsic freedoms of the contries inhabitants. The populace is given a little credit for having the basic intellegence to govern their own private lives.

We, on the other hand will be protected from ouselves even if it causes us irrepairable harm.

Canada's government believes in more freedom ? Not even close. If you don't like the health care system, you are screwed. You still pay for it. Top tax rate ? over 50%.

Business regulations are horrendous unless you are a major corporation.

On the bright side, Canada's people are a blast.

Spiff - I know you will never agree with me on this, and I understand why. You have your desire for your ability to be married in the eyes of the government.

This new set of laws (whether by judicial ruling or elected representatives) will allow you to leave an inheritance to your same sex spouse tax free. You will also get to receive your spouse's Social Security benefits should he pass on, along with other benefits.

Your agenda is to have the government "fix" a problem of inequity as you see it. This inequity was caused by government in the first place.

My agenda is to see the government get out of EVERYONE's life.

For example - this new set of laws does not protect the right of someone who wants to stay single. That person gets no tax breaks, no ability to pass on to someone he or she chooses an estate tax free, and cannot say "I want my friend Joe to get my Social Security and my estate with no tax liability" and have it done. Of course, if he marries Joe, then he CAN pass on these benefits.

Our governments - state, federal, and local have co-opted marriage in order to be able to control a little more of our behavior. This "gay marriage" will add to that, rather than create more freedom for everyone.

Each time the government passes a law like this, a particular group feels good, because those in that group gain.

When you think this through, Married people (which has always been defined as being between a man and a woman) have long gotten benefits denied to single people. Instead of fixing this true inequity with real reform, we have expanded the term "married" to include man and woman, man and man, or woman and woman. Now ANYONE in those groups gets preferential treatment over single people.

That is not justice - that is making another voting bloc happy with a "victory" at the expense of others.

Yup, guess it just goes to proove that the grass, really is, greener.....

We have more in common than we originally thought!

Thanx, I feel much better, now!

LMAO ... I spend a lot of time in Ontario. Canadians, like us Yanks, LOVE to tell you every problem their government has.

Give me three Canadians, a good martini bar, and we will solve BOTH country's problems in three hours ...

Great Idea!!

Gotta hurry though.....We don't want to go thru this all again on the fourth!!

Once was more than enough!!

By the way Spiff, I'm totally with you. I think it's wonderful that this step is finally being taken. Maybe we're at a tipping point.

>>Quite frankly, Why the HELL should anyone have to get some government a$$hole's permission to be married ?

Because the governments perform most of the marriages and essentially all of the same-sex marriages -- not churches. The churches up here are generally not big on same-sex relationships so the government's definition of marriage really does matter.