States/Marriage License

[indago]

Ian Huyett wrote for The Libertarian Republic 27 January 2014:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oklahoma Republicans are promoting a bill that could make marriage a private institution in their state. The legislation, filed by Rep. Mike Turner, could end all government regulation of marriage and leave the matter to individuals and their churches.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

article

If the federal government is going to determine what is — or is not — a marriage, then let them issue the marriage licenses, and divorce decrees, and family law administrators, child support decrees, visitations, etc.

[rstrong]

Nonsense.

When the federal government decreed the end of racism - including ending restrictions on interracial marriages - they didn't have to "issue the marriage licenses, and divorce decrees, and family law administrators, child support decrees, visitations, etc." Nor did they have to take over the bus lines just because blacks couldn't be forced to the back of the bus. Nor did they have to take over and administer non-segregated schools.

The states have an obligation to meet or exceed guaranteed rights and freedoms under the Constitution and Bill of Rights. They don't get to cherry-pick.

[O Really]

I guess nobody in Oklahoma ever expects to move anywhere else, since their non-legal marriages wouldn't be recognized anywhere. They'd be, in essence, a common-law marriage - recognized a few places but not everywhere. And if the state doesn't make it "legal" the feds wouldn't recognize it for taxes, etc., either. And good luck getting "individuals and their churches" (if any) to handle divorce proceedings. I think a lot of these people just stay up nights trying to think up outrageous stuff to see who'll bite - or give them some press.