Mean-spirited anti-marriage bill opens up a can of worms and will hurt everyone
There aren't too many times when it's exciting to wait in line at a government office, but a year ago this week, my fiancée and I couldn't contain our anticipatory joy as we rushed to the court house.
With Robyn's parents in tow, we patiently waited in line – even taking a quick selfie to share with the world. We filed paperwork. We presented photo IDs and birth certificates. We even picked out a paper color and font. All told, it was a surprisingly easy and fun experience to apply for and attain a marriage certificate.
Now, thanks to a mean-spirited, reactionary bill, Sen. Greg Albritton wants to get rid of state-issued marriage licenses altogether. The bill, which was approved by the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee on Monday, would instead require spouses to file a signed marriage contract with a probate office.
Let's set aside for a moment that the Senate is wasting taxpayers' valuable time and money by using the special session (the whole point of which is to pass a freaking budget) to score cheap political points via culture war issues and focus on the bill itself.
Read more: http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/08/mean-spirited_anti-marriage_bi.html