Dan

Basic Benefits [of Marriage] - Bpston Globe 1. Shared Taxes. Married couples get to average their salaries to reach a lower bracket which benefits married couples with one high-wage worker and one low-wage worker (typical of a family where perhaps the mother works "mom's hours" to supplement the budget while the kids are young.) Hence gay couples in a comparable situation are taxed at a higher rate. 2. Next-of-kin privileges. If one partner gets sick or dies, the other can be shut out of the process by the family, particularly if it is an "enlightened" one wrt to homosexuality that has perhaps disowned the child until the catastrophic illness has occured. At times, these folks can even be precluded from attending the funeral. Marriage would,place the control of these gut wrenching situations into the control of,the spouse and not the family. Think of it another way, what if your husband's family despised you and were able to keep you out of his intensive care room or, god forbid, keep you from his funeral. Gays, take enough heat in society, I think their grieving for loved ones is one area where even the most homophobic of homophobes ought to be able to cut them a little slack. 3. Bereavement leave: many employers only grant leave to workers who lose close relatives. Significant Others (SOs) are not factored into the equation, so to speak. 4. Wrongful death benefits. Gay spouses could sue for loss of consortium if their partner were killed by a reckless act. 5. Pensions and health insurance. Few employers grant benefits to unmarried partners (SOs). Even if granted, the government taxes it. Spousal benefits are tax free, on the other hand. 6. Immigration. In marrying an American, aliens automatically gain citizenship. Gay couples cannot do that, and then have to split up when the visa expires. 7. Social Security. Spouses, not partners, receive survivor benefits. 8. Inheritance: Gay partners pay estate taxes, married couples are exempt. 9. Child custody: Sanctioning marriage would greatly facilitate the process. 10. Family discounts: many organizations offer reduced rate family memberships. In most cases gay couples don't qualify and therefore have to pay the higher rate. 11. Car ownership automatically transfers to a spouse, but not to a surviving partner. 12. Widows/Widowers have standing to challenge their late spouse's will. 13. Spouses cannot be compelled to testify in court against one another. And another list of benefits denied to gay couples: Accidental death benefits for the surviving spouse of a government employee Appointment as guardian of a minor Award of child custody in divorce proceedings Beneficial owner status of corporate securities Bill of Rights benefits for victims and witnesses Burial of service member's dependents Certificates of occupation Consent to post-mortem examinations Continuation of rights under existing homestead leases Control, division, acquisition and disposition of community property Criminal injuries compensation Death benefits for surviving spouse for government employee Disclosure of vital statistics records Division of property after dissolution of marriage Eligibility for housing opportunity allowance program of the Housing, Finance and Development Corporation Exemption from claims of Department of Human Services for social services payments, financial assistance or burial payments. Exemption from conveyance tax Exemption from regulation of condominium sales to owner occupants Funeral leave for government employees Homes of totally disabled veterans exempt from property taxes Income tax deductions, credits, rates exemption and estimates Inheritance of land patents Insurance licenses, coverage, eligibility and benefits organization of mutual benefits society Legal status with partner's children Making, revoking and objecting to anatomical gifts Making partner medical decisions Nonresident tuition deferential waiver Notice of guardian ad litem proceedings Notice of probate proceedings Payment of wages to a relative of deceased employee Payment of workers' compensation benefits after death Permission to make arrangements for burial or cremation Proof of business partnership Public assistance from the Department of Human Services qualifications at a facility for the elderly Real property exemption from attachment or execution Right of survivorship to custodial trust Right to be notified of parole or escape of inmate Right to change names Right to enter into premarital agreement Right to file action for nonsupport Right to inherit property Right to purchase leases and cash freehold agreements concerning the management and disposition of public land Right to sue for tort and death by wrong ful act Right to support after divorce Right to support from spouse Rights and proceedings for involuntary hospitalization and treatment Rights by way of dour or courtesy Rights to notice, protection, benefits and inheritance under the uniform probate code Social security benefits on the death of spouse Sole interest in property Spousal privilege and confidential marriage communications Spousal immigration benefits Status of children Support payments in divorce action Tax relief for natural disaster losses Vacation allowance on termination of public employment by death Veterans' preference to spouse in public employment In vitro fertilization coverage Waiver of fees for certified copies and searches of vital statistics So why stubbornly insist on denying us what really is our right by law in the first place when it's all about a word you're arguing about?

Domino, do tell me how gay marriage threatens heterosexual marriage and its so called deeply rooted cultural background and history? I cannot grasp that concept..

you're missing the point.. i am not referring to who has what genitals. i am referring to the fact that interracial marriage was illegal not a long time ago, and even considered highly immoral... now it is not.

i didn't say anything like that. i don't know where you brought that from, but i do believe that no matter what one's gender/sexual identity, they should be allowed to get married to whoever the hell they want.

marriage is about a right... when a government bans gay marriage even though there are churches who would gladly conduct/bless gay marriages, it's a clear indication that it's a violation of citizens' rights.. marriage is about commitment, not about gender. Studies about gay parenting have indicated that there are no problems with the children. That is why gay couples have the right to adopt... when you say that marriage is the union between a man and a woman, you remind me of mr. bush... not a very pleasant person to be compared to, right? A nice way to put it would be the following: So whatever the hell the Catholic church thinks about gays is their own problem, and whatever the hell you think about gay marriage is your own problem, but by law, I should be allowed to get married, simply because religion and government are separate and the government should have no say on what one can do with regards to things like religious marriage.

or even a better example: interracial marriage... at one point, churches refused to conduct interracial marriage, even if both were of the same religion and church... it wasn't until some 20-30 years ago that this "ban" was lifted.... do you disagree with interracial marriage? i think there's even more involved in that than in gay marriage, cultural differences, etc.....

the word is the right. if straight people have a right to it, so should gay people, under the law of the state (government, that is).

it's the same thing, Domino. both were oppressed groups and both had a fight for freedom/liberation... at one point, women had no right to make their own choices with regards to marriage, etc., or in more open-minded societies it was a taboo, now it's something normal in most societies. they are comparable...

a good one...

weirdo??!?!?! me???? *kick* lol... j/k!!!

i just googled it, and apparently, there is no way for men to know -- it varies from one woman to another... ergo, it's another myth..

if you can't prove that something exists, it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. likewise, if you can't prove that something doesn't exist, it doesn't mean that it exists. therefore, you cannot force people to believe "because there is a higher being out there." that is like defining the term "juvenalian satire" the following way: a form of satire.. well, what IS satire... you get the basic idea...

no... in fact, i've never seen that website before. but i admit i've been on other (non-Armenian websites), and i have to say it's such a poor way of dating -- a good way of getting to know people and developing friendships though.

hmmm, is it really? i guess it's time that i google it lol...

lol, online dating... sucks... sorry Armo, just my 2 cents, don't mean to be evil or anything lol.

hmmm oookay.................................

And what Armenian traditions are you talking about -- is axchig pakhtsenel part of your so-called Armenian traditions? i suppose that's better than homosexuality/gay marriage? ..... look here for more: http://64.21.83.54/forum/index.php?showtop...=20entry76319

Ummm, Ara, how would people know a girl has lost her virginity if she doesn't tell? How is that a hindrance to her future marriage if she doesn't tell? Or is there some kinda way of telling -- lol, I don't know about such things!!

and what is specifically wrong with being the "sex, drugs" kinda guy, hmm? and please, i think you are "ters"... mmhmmm... sexual liberation did not come until very recently, so I don't think it's "old-fashioned," and even if it is, as long as it's open-minded, who gives a hell about it's old-fashionedness?

welcome to the forum, hyegirl! i don't know about any cases of Armenian guys going to Armenia and coming back with a bride lol, so I'm afraid I don't have much to say on this one.

ummmmm, sex and drugs are old fashioned? i am beginning to be convinced that you DO live in the middle ages.... uhhh... but seriously, that's not my picture on my avatar.. edit: and that is not rock and roll.. it's punk/industrial..

lol sev-mard haha.... and here's my 2 cents on women driving cars -- it's TOTALLY cool!! - although women tend to be slow/excessively careful/worried drivers lol... let's just say i try not to sit in a car where a woman is gonna drive... i don't have the patience for going that slow.. i'm ADHD!!! what can i say... lol

what's so hard/embarassing about going to a guy and telling him you like him/would like to go have coffee with him if that's possible? if he's a friend already, he would either be happy if he likes you too, or take it "cool" even if he doesn't like you that way. and if it's a total stranger, then what the hell, why be reserved, you have nothing to lose anyway, you probably wouldn't see him again lol.. i'm not a girl, so i wouldn't know what's so difficult about it.... so don't be so hard on me when you reply!!

i highly recommend f-prot. norton anti-virus is a major headache.. but f-prot requires a license purchase, as do most anti-virus software.... the only one I know of that is free is AVG by Grisoft.

i'm an atheist. umm? what's wrong with being anastvatz? is that supposed to be some kind of a swear-word?