I'm not saying get rid of the government! (at least in this thread
). I'm saying remove the "special case" of marriage law. Treat financial and legal concerns like ANY OTHER contract (contract law that ALREADY exists - no need to reinvent the wheel).
Say I want to buy a house with a business partner - we don't need to get married to do it, you can own property with anyone you want (or multiple people). The contract specifies what the responsibilities and obligations are for each person and what happens if they fail to keep up their end.
You (and as many people as you want) can set up a trust fund for any number of people and, again, existing law lets you designate how that money is invested, withdrawn, distributed, etc.
Precisely! Get rid of "marriage law" and "marriage" becomes a cultural/religious institution, NOT a legal one. Why did we fight so hard for gay marriage? People could call someone their spouse, anyway. We did it to afford gay couples the same PRIVILEGES as hetero couples. Take away the privilege and there is no reason for the government to care who considers themselves married or not.
Again, I am not proposing to get rid of the government, just the "special case" of marriage/divorce law. It's not that I want "legal poly marriage", I want to do away with the the concept of "legal marriage" completely. Leaving people free to shape their lives the way they see fit and have the government treat each and every person equally under the law. Not give special privileges to some people because they are "married" and penalize those who aren't.
Actually, that IS exactly part of my argument. My employer doesn't pay for my auto insurance - even though I use my car to get to work. They pay for life insurance as a benefit (never really understood why), but I can buy more. Why is health insurance a special case?
Yes, healthcare reform is part of what it would take to make things work - but I feel we need that anyway, regardless of the poly aspect.
Give each worker an "insurance stipend" and let them choose what they spend it on. I want minimum car insurance, limited term life insurance, maximal disability insurance, maximal liability insurance, minimal property insurance, and health insurance for myself and certain members of my "household". Poly guy with 2 wives and kids wants a different mix based on his needs and what his other family members select - doesn't matter. Under the current system, some people have "benefits" they can't use (because their spouse also has employer-provided health insurance) and the guy with a wife who is a SAHM and has 15 kids gets more "benefits" than the single guy.
And my point is that it's a lot easier to argue for a change, such as healthcare reform, that benefits other discriminated against populations than to argue for a change, such as "legalizing poly marriage" that benefits only a few."
Currently, you can designate whomever you want as your healthcare power of attorney charged with executing your living will. Just as you can with a regular will. The law only designates the default person if you don't select one yourself. I would want MrS, not Dude, to be mine - not because he is more important, but he understands my desires and happens to agree with them. He would ALSO be Dude's healthcare POA, even though he is only his friend and I am his girlfriend, because I don't quite understand Dude's desires, do not agree with them, and would have a much harder time.
I am healthcare POA for my parents (and a few other people, not related to me), not my sisters, because I understand their desires, and am a better position to interpret them than my sisters because I work in healthcare. It doesn't mean my sisters are less important, but that, for that particular task, I am the most qualified for the job.
Not disagreeing with you there. I don't think that the vast majority of married people in this country are willing to give up their (unearned) privileges under current law to make things better/more fair for single people or unconventional relationships. Even generally well-meaning people are not willing to support something that takes something away from themselves, even if it benefits society as a whole.
*******DISCLAIMER************
Under current law I, personally, benefit from "marriage privilege" - my husband gets health insurance, I can file my taxes "married filing jointly", my husband would get our assets in the case of my death without having to pay a lawyer to draw up a contract or pay exorbitant inheritance taxes.