(no subject)
Were all too afraid to be angry sometimes, but honestly, its part of us, and sometimes we should tap into and use it.
I am pissed, beyond pissed, about this country. This country of fairness and equality, of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all. REPUBLICANS, you are putting a lie to all your bravado talk of freedom and patriotism. You are being blinded to simple truths by a string of lies being told to you. In some respects, DEMOCRATS ARE NO BETTER.
There needs to be a paradigm shift here, and I'm talking soon. In this country where we loudly tout to our own people, and to people everywhere else in the world, that we pride liberty to all to pursue our happiness, liberty is being denied daily.
Hundreds of thousands of couples are daily denied rights that infringe upon no one else's freedoms, but just the same, are forcibly taken away.
Marriage is not an institution of religion, emotion, love, etc. Marriage is a legal contract between two people that afford them benefits. A man and a woman of any background, religious creed, ethnicity, or locale can marry. They do not need to produce children, they do not need to live together, hell, they don't even have to know each other before becoming legally wed. While this holds true, there is not one legitimate reason in existence as to why two people of the same sex should not be allowed the same benefits.
Benefits of marriage include, but are not limited to:
- Receiving Social Security, Medicare, and disability benefits for spouses.
- Claiming the marital communications privilege, which means a court can't force you to disclose the contents of confidential communications between you and your spouse during your marriage.
- Filing joint income tax returns with the IRS and state taxing authorities.
- Creating a "family partnership" under federal tax laws, which allows you to divide business income among family members.
- Inheriting a share of your spouse's estate.
- Receiving an exemption from both estate taxes and gift taxes for all property you give or leave to your spouse.
- Creating life estate trusts that are restricted to married couples, including QTIP trusts, QDOT trusts, and marital deduction trusts.
- Obtaining priority if a conservator needs to be appointed for your spouse -- that is, someone to make financial and/or medical decisions on your spouse's behalf.
- Receiving veterans' and military benefits for spouses, such as those for education, medical care, or special loans.
- Receiving Public Assistance benefits.
- Obtaining insurance benefits through a spouse's employer.
- Taking family leave to care for your spouse during an illness.
- Receiving wages, workers' compensation, and retirement plan benefits for a deceased spouse.
- Taking bereavement leave if your spouse or one of your spouse's close relatives dies.
- Visiting your spouse in a hospital intensive care unit or during restricted visiting hours in other parts of a medical facility.
- Making medical decisions for your spouse if he or she becomes incapacitated and unable to express wishes for treatment.
- Consenting to after-death examinations and procedures.
- Making burial or other final arrangements.
- Filing for stepparent or joint adoption
- Applying for joint foster care rights.
- Receiving equitable division of property if you divorce.
- Receiving spousal or child support, child custody, and visitation if you divorce.
- Living in neighborhoods zoned for "families only."
- Automatically renewing leases signed by your spouse.
- Receiving family rates for health, homeowners', auto, and other types of insurance.
- Receiving tuition discounts and permission to use school facilities.
- Suing a third person for wrongful death of your spouse and loss of consortium (loss of intimacy).
- Receiving crime victims' recovery benefits if your spouse is the victim of a crime.
- Visiting rights in jails and other places where visitors are restricted to immediate family.
Need I go on?
Now I know you may say to yourself, "but what about civil unions?" or "why not just move to Mass. or Canada?"
Read the following:
Note that if you are in a same-sex marriage in Massachusetts or a domestic partnership or civil union in any of the states that offer those relationship options, many of the benefits of marriage won't apply to you, because the federal government does not recognize these same-sex relationships. For example, you may not file joint federal income tax returns with your partner, even if your state allows you to file jointly. And other federal benefits, such as COBRA continuation insurance coverage, may not apply. Consult a lawyer with expertise in this area to learn more about the rights and benefits available to same-sex couples.
I am pissed, and everyone who claims to be an American, or hold to the ideals of the constitution at all, should be pissed too. Denying citizens rights does not a free country make.
I urge all of you who are as pissed off as me, to spread this message. Change is needed. We don't want "Separate but slightly less equal." There is no leg to stand on when opposing this. The only weapons our opposition has is their fear of what is different. This country is founded on differences.
Its time for change.
Credit given to www.nolo.com for compiled information
I am pissed, beyond pissed, about this country. This country of fairness and equality, of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all. REPUBLICANS, you are putting a lie to all your bravado talk of freedom and patriotism. You are being blinded to simple truths by a string of lies being told to you. In some respects, DEMOCRATS ARE NO BETTER.
There needs to be a paradigm shift here, and I'm talking soon. In this country where we loudly tout to our own people, and to people everywhere else in the world, that we pride liberty to all to pursue our happiness, liberty is being denied daily.
Hundreds of thousands of couples are daily denied rights that infringe upon no one else's freedoms, but just the same, are forcibly taken away.
Marriage is not an institution of religion, emotion, love, etc. Marriage is a legal contract between two people that afford them benefits. A man and a woman of any background, religious creed, ethnicity, or locale can marry. They do not need to produce children, they do not need to live together, hell, they don't even have to know each other before becoming legally wed. While this holds true, there is not one legitimate reason in existence as to why two people of the same sex should not be allowed the same benefits.
Benefits of marriage include, but are not limited to:
- Receiving Social Security, Medicare, and disability benefits for spouses.
- Claiming the marital communications privilege, which means a court can't force you to disclose the contents of confidential communications between you and your spouse during your marriage.
- Filing joint income tax returns with the IRS and state taxing authorities.
- Creating a "family partnership" under federal tax laws, which allows you to divide business income among family members.
- Inheriting a share of your spouse's estate.
- Receiving an exemption from both estate taxes and gift taxes for all property you give or leave to your spouse.
- Creating life estate trusts that are restricted to married couples, including QTIP trusts, QDOT trusts, and marital deduction trusts.
- Obtaining priority if a conservator needs to be appointed for your spouse -- that is, someone to make financial and/or medical decisions on your spouse's behalf.
- Receiving veterans' and military benefits for spouses, such as those for education, medical care, or special loans.
- Receiving Public Assistance benefits.
- Obtaining insurance benefits through a spouse's employer.
- Taking family leave to care for your spouse during an illness.
- Receiving wages, workers' compensation, and retirement plan benefits for a deceased spouse.
- Taking bereavement leave if your spouse or one of your spouse's close relatives dies.
- Visiting your spouse in a hospital intensive care unit or during restricted visiting hours in other parts of a medical facility.
- Making medical decisions for your spouse if he or she becomes incapacitated and unable to express wishes for treatment.
- Consenting to after-death examinations and procedures.
- Making burial or other final arrangements.
- Filing for stepparent or joint adoption
- Applying for joint foster care rights.
- Receiving equitable division of property if you divorce.
- Receiving spousal or child support, child custody, and visitation if you divorce.
- Living in neighborhoods zoned for "families only."
- Automatically renewing leases signed by your spouse.
- Receiving family rates for health, homeowners', auto, and other types of insurance.
- Receiving tuition discounts and permission to use school facilities.
- Suing a third person for wrongful death of your spouse and loss of consortium (loss of intimacy).
- Receiving crime victims' recovery benefits if your spouse is the victim of a crime.
- Visiting rights in jails and other places where visitors are restricted to immediate family.
Need I go on?
Now I know you may say to yourself, "but what about civil unions?" or "why not just move to Mass. or Canada?"
Read the following:
Note that if you are in a same-sex marriage in Massachusetts or a domestic partnership or civil union in any of the states that offer those relationship options, many of the benefits of marriage won't apply to you, because the federal government does not recognize these same-sex relationships. For example, you may not file joint federal income tax returns with your partner, even if your state allows you to file jointly. And other federal benefits, such as COBRA continuation insurance coverage, may not apply. Consult a lawyer with expertise in this area to learn more about the rights and benefits available to same-sex couples.
I am pissed, and everyone who claims to be an American, or hold to the ideals of the constitution at all, should be pissed too. Denying citizens rights does not a free country make.
I urge all of you who are as pissed off as me, to spread this message. Change is needed. We don't want "Separate but slightly less equal." There is no leg to stand on when opposing this. The only weapons our opposition has is their fear of what is different. This country is founded on differences.
Its time for change.
Credit given to www.nolo.com for compiled information