An idea -- what do you think?

[grasswire]

What if single people decided to help each other get health insurance and/or pension-social security benefits by getting married on paper?

What if like-minded people made these arrangements of convenience to help out others?

It seems like the people are always getting reamed. Maybe this would be one way to get back at the corporations and the systems. Nothing illegal about it that I can see.

[Kenneth ken]

1. gosh, I hate to be the first one to post here

since I'm such a beyond-pessimistic type person.

It sounds like a good idea with several caveats.

1. Forget pensions/social security - they're going to be gone in a few years time. United Airlines is working on getting out of their pension guarantees, and if they do, more companies will follow suit. Bush* and friends will gut social security to cut deficits, and try to prevent US bankruptcy - keeping foreign countries buying our debt.

2. One would have to be very certain (as in all marriages, I guess) as to the compatability and conscience of the marriage partner. Once married, divorce becomes a viable option, and a good person could get badly screwed by a paper-spouse just as badly as by a 'real' spouse. (and not even have got the benefits of conjugal relations.)

3. Could kind of mess things up if you had a paper marriage, and then met the love of your life.

Apart from that, I don't see any arguments against this idea. Heck, I'm sure it already plays a role in some seniors getting married.

[Zorra]

2. Good idea, it would take some trust, but good friends might consider

it.

[grasswire]

3. I suppose....

...there's always the risk that government or insurance companies could make rules such as the rules that govern marriage in order to get green cards -- must actually live together.

But for the here and now, it would work.

So many unmarried people could put another on health insurance. So many currently unmarried older people could at least get SOME retirement benefits before it goes under.

Or what about adoption? Can one adult adopt a younger adult? Can a sixty year old person adopt a 50-year-old adult? Would there be any benefits to that as far as gaming the system?

We really need to start thinking outside the box.