Let’s abolish marriage. Let’s divorce assumptions, commit to compromise, and acknowledge marriage for what it has become: an affair between church and state, and you’re footing their phone bill. Marriage privatization—the idea that government shouldn’t define or authorize marriage—is far from radical. According to family expert Dr. Stephanie Coontz, marriage originally arose as a private contract between two families, and the efforts of church and state to decide which marriages are valid and w...

Let’s abolish marriage. Let’s divorce assumptions, commit to compromise, and acknowledge marriage for what it has become: an affair between church and state, and you’re footing their phone bill. Marriage privatization—the idea that government shouldn’t define or authorize marriage—is far from radical. According to family expert Dr. Stephanie Coontz, marriage originally arose as a private contract between two families, and the efforts of church and state to decide which marriages are valid and w...

On Nov. 20, the justices of the US Supreme Court will decide whether they should hear one of the several cases that challenge the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. DOMA defines marriage as between a man and a woman for federal purposes, effectively preventing same-sex couples from receiving the benefits of several federal laws. The case in question is Golinski v Office of Personnel Management. Karen Golinski, a lawyer for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, married Amy ...

Credit: statejournal.com Despite the media focus on abortion and contraception issues, there are reasons to believe the crucial female swing voter will base her vote on economics, not “compassion politics.” While one-third of Americans are self-described independent voters, only 3 to 5 percent of the electorate can actually claim to be “swing voters.” The rest either vote along party lines or reside in states like California or Texas, where the outcome is clear. This small but crucial 3 to 5 ...