Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: cosmicforce who wrote (6659)	2/27/2001 12:17:41 AM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

While I think it is a good idea to discuss the terms of marriage before marriage begins (I did with my wife), I'm not sure it's well-suited for the basis of a law. As a basic libartarian, I'm normally against any new laws. But in this case, the problem is that society marries people, and society divorces people, and society pays the price of divorce and broken families. In a way it's a societal public health issue. If we saw the amount of turmoil in an animal population that we see in the divorce statistics we would declare an endangered species and throw gobs of money at the problem. Just because it's people doesn't mean we should take it any less seriously. Frankly, I think we should make it a LOT harder to get married than we do.

To: cosmicforce who wrote (6659)	2/27/2001 12:57:31 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

While I think it is a good idea to discuss the terms of marriage before marriage begins (I did with my wife), I'm not sure it's well-suited for the basis of a law. Over on the PCAT thread someone is proposing a law to force blood donations. Just because we CAN make a law doesn't mean we SHOULD. It seems to me that most of the proposals are voluntary. You don't have to have a convenant marriage you can get a regular marriage in the same state or go to another state. You don't have to go through the MD program you just get a discount for it. This is yet another area where parents get to pass on their dysfunctions. Hard to fix that with any law and still retain a democracy (or a democratic republic - someone nailed me on that before - lax use of language). Sigh. You can have either a democracy or a democratic republic that is rather totalitarian. Democracy only means you vote for things not that you have limited government. If a coercive policy becomes popular a democracy or democratic republic can vote it in. Democracy and freedom are two different things. I think having one makes you more likely to have the other but there is a clear distinction between the two. Tim