The Amendment that passed for the definition of marriage

[Bells]

Apparently , friend of mine is up in arms, since she's one of those "engaged and living in sin." ...you know..those "GO-nowhere engagments with no actual wedding date, but they think they're engagement actually MEANS something engagement..(sorry for the run-on sentence, lol).......because companies are taking away benefits (or is it not allowing benefits) for those who aren't married.

 

I personally, as a single unattached person, don't think that non-married people should be getting benefits and perks as if they WERE married.

 

I mean it's only fair, right? It wouldn't be fair to us people who don't have a " "live-in" girlfriend/boyfriend, right?

[norajane]

You can marry your live in gf/bf, but choose not to. Or she can marry her engaged dude and get those health benefits and other legal rights.

 

Gay people cannot marry, although they might like to get all those legal rights afforded to married couples, including carrying your partner and family on their health insurance. So alternative policies have been put in place by certain companies and government orgs to offer similar rights to health insurance.

 

Otherwise, I've misunderstood your post, since I'm not really sure what the issue is you are referring to.

[Bells]

You can marry your live in gf/bf, but choose not to. Or she can marry her engaged dude and get those health benefits and other legal rights.

 

Gay people cannot marry, although they might like to get all those legal rights afforded to married couples, including carrying your partner and family on their health insurance. So alternative policies have been put in place by certain companies and government orgs to offer similar rights to health insurance.

 

Otherwise, I've misunderstood your post, since I'm not really sure what the issue is you are referring to.

 

Sorry....well, apparently there was a small area in the ammendment, as my friend stated....let me go look....

 

[sIZE=2]She said shes' upset because certain wording on certain STATE'S Amendment could allow for people/companies/crazies to take benefits away from unmarried, hetero couples... (some people in our state have to vote on certain state amendments as well).

 

Then she relates it to how she's not deserving of it because she's living in sin and deserves to burn in hell. lol.

[/sIZE]

[Lauriebell82]

Okay, well people have the right to chose whether or not they want to get married.

 

Single people have certain perks also..I don't pay for my health benefits, but if I added dependents I would have to. So in my case it pays to be single.

[Bells]

I'm not quite sure what you are asking about here. Could you clarify?

 

I did...I jsut posted the clarification...this was a STATE related ammendment that did not pass, and my friend is peeved that people living together, but not married....aren't deserving of perks as a married couple would.

[norajane]

I did...I jsut posted the clarification...this was a STATE related ammendment that did not pass, and my friend is peeved that people living together, but not married....aren't deserving of perks as a married couple would.

 

She has the choice to get married and get those perks. She chooses not to. Or, perhaps, her bf chooses not to. But she does have that option.

 

The only single people who are not married who might get those perks are the ones who are offered some domestic partner health insurance benefits by the companies they work for (or the government, if they work in a state position). They cannot choose to get married, as it is not an option for them.

 

Perhaps the state amendment would have prohibited companies from offering those health benefits to domestic partners (i.e., gay couples who can't marry and get those health benefits), but it seems you are saying her state shot that amendment down.

[Bells]

She has the choice to get married and get those perks. She chooses not to. Or, perhaps, her bf chooses not to. But she does have that option.

 

The only single people who are not married who might get those perks are the ones who are offered some domestic partner health insurance benefits by the companies they work for (or the government, if they work in a state position). They cannot choose to get married, as it is not an option for them.

 

Perhaps the state amendment would have prohibited companies from offering those health benefits to domestic partners (i.e., gay couples who can't marry and get those health benefits), but it seems you are saying her state shot that amendment down.

 

No the amendment was passed to Ban gay marriages in our state...however upon further research on the net on my part, there was the question, " How would this effect domestic heterosexual couples?"

 

It said it COULD effect it by stripping them of the "perks" they get while living together (without being married).

 

I'm glad actually, but you think companies are going to piss their money away on mere boyfriends and girlfriends? LOL Esp with budget cuts and lay offs by those same companies?

[norajane]

I'm still not sure what exactly we're talking about, but the simple answer is heterosexual couples who live together but are not married are not in ANY WAY affected by gay marriage bans or any domestic benefits offered to gay couples.

 

Heterosexual couples who live together get nothing more or less than they would if they weren't living with anyone - there are NO laws, company policies, tax laws, or anything. Nothing is being taken away from them because they are not offered anything in the first place. If they want additional legal rights, the kind they would get if they were a legal couple (married) they have to marry and they CAN marry. If they choose not to, that is up to them.

[Lauriebell82]

No the amendment was passed to Ban gay marriages in our state...however upon further research on the net on my part, there was the question, " How would this effect domestic heterosexual couples?"

 

It said it COULD effect it by stripping them of the "perks" they get while living together (without being married).

 

I'm glad actually, but you think companies are going to piss their money away on mere boyfriends and girlfriends? LOL Esp with budget cuts and lay offs by those same companies?

 

What "perks" do they get while living together without being married? I'm not married and living with my boyfriend and I don't get jack! I don't get a break on taxes, or better benefits or anything. To tell you the truth, you benefit more from being married because of the tax break!

[StartingOver07]

Not knowing where Bells' friend is, this is only a guess, but I think what he is trying to express is that the language of the marriage amendments passed in several states potentially jeopardizes the legality of domestic partnerships which, in some states, confer some of the same benefits as marriage (although typically not as many as marriage).

[MiniMina]

I think what you are referring to is the benefits that Domestic Partners receive in lieu of being married. These are often company specific as most states do not require that companies offer domestic partner benefits.

 

However, if a company does choose to offer domestic partner benefits most of them require that they be registered as domestic partners in a state directory like the one listed here for California.

 

http://www.sos.ca.gov/dpregistry/

 

If they are registered as domestic partners (heterosexual or homosexual) then they can receive benefits from their companies. So it's not just anyone with a live in boyfriend or girlfriend receiving these benefits. Now, I don't know how much the amendment actually affects these benefits, but I do know that a lot of people are worried about losing the rights they were recently awarded by the supreme court.

 

As for heterosexual couples choosing not to marry, there can be a lot of reasons for that. If you are curious about it I suggest the alternatives to marriage project. (but only check it out if you have an open mind)

 

http://www.unmarried.org/

[catastrophe]

I don't understand why there should be any difference in rights for married vs. unmarried in any form. Why should a married person get more rights or benefits than a single person? The fact that this is even a discussion shows how much this world is biased against single folks.

 

How about this - anyone who has health insurance can pick one person to share it with - their wife, husband, lover, or friend. Why should people with a spouse and kids get more benefits from the exact same job as a single person? And why should a married couple get a tax break? Why is the government punishing single folks (or rewarding marriage)?

 

Once again, I just DO NOT understand the society we live in.

[EnigmaXOXO]

Why should a married person get more rights or benefits than a single person?

 

Because marriage is often the prelude to raising children. Prenatal care, delivery, monthly pediatric visits, immunizations, dentists, etc., etc., etc. can really add up ($$$$$)

 

Affordable health care is probably the only benefit legal marriage provides. A tax break in the form of “deductions” only pays off if one spouse is the sole provider. Two childless spouses working only add to the families net income and could very well throw you into a higher tax bracket.

 

However, I use to work with a man who didn’t have to pay any income taxes at all because he was paying child support for eight children ... Go figure!

[EnigmaXOXO]

If this were allowed, some people would probably give the extra benefit to someone in return for money, which is not the purpose for which it would be intended.

 

Yup. Or they’d get legally married only for the sake of saving a few bucks on their premiums. Health care in the States is BIG business. Nothing like Canada or France.

 

Realistically, nobody really gets a financial break when it comes to health insurance. Even if married. Those costs are simply supplemented by increasing everyone’s insurance premiums overall.

 

They’re gonna make their money, one way or the other. The only way to really “save” is to increase the amount of your deductible. Then pray like heck you don’t get sick.