If Ron Paul gets the GOP nomination, would you vote for him in the General Election?

[joeydb]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

thats fucl<ing bullsh.it that gay marriage should be accepted only at the state's rights level where "they belong".

if you believe that and are married.. you are an fing idiot and should deserve none of the federal benefits from marriage... since its a states rights thing and all.

I didn't say accepted: marriage should be defined and officially recognized at the state level, if at all.

The federal government should have nothing to do with marriage whatsoever.

There are scant "federal benefits" from being married. With taxes, there's even a "marriage penalty" depending on how the tax code is written in any given year - it's been present and then removed several times.

Lower my taxes. And those of my spouse, whether filing separately or jointly - who cares? We're at the point where the self serving tax code is tripping all over its own artificial distinctions.

Taxes should be only a means to raise needed revenue, and not to control behavior or to make people live in such a way to reduce their tax burden. The basis of taxation is citizenship, and citizenship is not amplified or reduced by your marital status. Marital status should be irrelevant to taxation.

Make one rate - flat tax - regardless of marital status, mortgages, income level. No deductions. Make it so simple that you calculate "x rate" times gross income, and send it in weekly, monthly, whatever. Get rid of withholding entirely, but have the IRS bill every month - so everybody is reminded every month that the tax burden is bigger than your rent, or mortgage, or car payment, or student loan payment. THAT will bring the spending down.

But aside from tax code impacts, and my wife not being allowed to testify against me in court, what exactly are the "benefits" that the federal government bestows on me as a married person?

And for those that are for gay marriage - that is the way to achieve it. Get the government entirely out of the business of recognizing and performing marriages. Make it a religious ceremony only or a binding agreement that a lawyer can make official.