GPS in Real Life

Bc she would automatically get the kids, and he’d have to pay her 1/3 of what he makes, after taxes. In some states, he’d also have to pay for her to have a other place to live for awhile and schooling. I have a couple friends in similar positions, and I see what happens when they do leave. It’s shitty.

Should marriage be outlawed?

It has always seemed extremely destructive to both women an men.

The organization I am working to build will be a much better deal for both.

SJG

It's no wonder the divorce rate is near 50% - and many more stay in it and endure

Some men are intimidated by intelligent women who compete on an equal level in the work place. I can't imagine getting married for good sex. That's what happens

"Should marriage be outlawed?"

No.

People should make their own choices without being compelled by a government or other people.

Sometimes I think there is just a need to seek legal and social sanction for the relationship. So marriage is the way to do that, and a guy sometimes feels that he has to prove that he is not chicken. So he agrees to play Russian Roulette, but with 5 bullets.

This need for legal and social sanction, lot of institutions drive this.

SJG

Building An Inclusive Economy wpusa.org

Led Zeppelin, 1969 Danish TV youtube.com

@Random I love intelligent women where do you find such a thing.

Wow! Another guy who met my X wife, unbelievable!! Lol

Some people would still be practicing slavery.

Personally I would love to terminate them myself. My justice is much swifter and more decisive than letting the government do it.

I would have been happy to kill my Pentecostal Daughter Molester myself.

But it is generally better if the government can be moved to do it.

And of course marriage is a government administrated institution anyway.

At least there should be some reforms, some easier way out of it. Some kind of a rescue mechanism.

SJG

@25: "I love intelligent women where do you find such a thing."

Probably not at your average Trump rally.

One of this country's most resolute practitioners of slavery was South Carolina's John C. Calhoun. He always said, "I can hitch up my wagon and load up my slave and go anywhere I want and no government has the right to stop me."

In indeed this does still seem to be the basis of most Libertarian or anti-government thinking.

It is just saying that you have to accept the status quo. You have to accept that those who have power have gotten the laws rigged their way, and that there is nothing you can do about it.

My conscience would tell me in such a situation that the right thing to do is to shoot Calhoun out of his wagon seat. But then he and his backers would expect the government to act.

It is only if I try to get the government to stop slavery, then they are against government action.

Now marriage is a more complicated system. Just ending it, with no more Community Property or Spousal Support, or court enforce custody arrangements would be wrong. And people will still be practicing common law marriage, even if it has no legal status. But marriage can still be the destruction of one's equal citizenship. So I say that we need to provide easy exit valves, as it is more often than not as I observe, a death trap.

SJG

It shouldn’t be outlawed, but things would be a lot more fair if ppl had prenups, if child support was reasonable (and not income based), and if alimony was used more often. Alimony is highly stigmatized since it is going to the ex, but it comes out before taxes, and the taxes are paid by the recipient, so it’s taxed at a lower rate.

^^^^^ Yes, here we go, this is getting interesting.

Many conservatives and religionists do not like prenups, seeing them as nullifying the laws of marriage and divorce before the fact.

But when married I once told my wife that there are only three kinds of people who get married without prenups,

1. Religious Fundamentalists

2. The Destitute

3. Idiots

But even if everybody had prenups, that would still not prevent marriage from being extremely destructive.

I do agree that we should not just outlaw it, because it will not go away, and outlawing it would eliminate the legal standing of spouses in divorce cases. So we should reform it.

For child support to be reasonable and not income based? I see that as a hard one. Usually the way to make it more reasonable is to make it more income based.

And about taxation of alimony, it used to be deductible by the one who pays, and taxable to the recipient at their generally lower rate. But in order to give more breaks to the rich and corporations, by getting more $$$ out of the bottom, Trump and the Republicans have reversed the prior convention. Doesn't that just completely suck!

I think more reforms are needed, it comes down to the divorce law. Maybe it does mean making more declarations on the way in, so that in effect everyone has prenups. But I think there also have to be more avenues for intervention while the marriage is running.

In CA and I think some other states the domestic violence laws are very tough, Mandatory arrest and NO CONTACT order unless the victim shows up at the initial arraignment and asks instead for Peaceful Contact, or at some later time petitions the court to lift the earlier order. Such No Contact could be for 6 months, or a year, or the 3 year probation.

I think there need to be other practical exit valves. Physical violence is not the only issue. There are also emotional terrorism and financial violence. Courts still look down on victims and do not always do what is needed.

I think still other reforms should be considered, like practical means of support, besides just stiff legal intervention.

But most conservatives will never go along with any of this, because they want to rule by making scapegoats of the poor and those who do not practice social conformity and compliance and keep up appearances.

SJG

Did the new tax laws really make alimony taxable to the giver?? That usually just helps the govt, since that money is likely to be taxed at a much higher rate.

And yes, I think child support should be a relatively flat rate, much like it is for foster care. I don’t see why a rich guys kids cost more to raise than a poor man’s, and if she doesn’t like having to rely on him to do his share for things like ballet, and football, premium childcare, private school, etc. then she should have thought of that before she made him a father. Personal responsibility.

The reason divorce is so expensive is because it's WORTH IT.

"Did the new tax laws really make alimony taxable to the giver?? That usually just helps the govt, since that money is likely to be taxed at a much higher rate. "

YES! Its Trump and that Evil Ayn Rander Paul Ryan.

And child support and alimony are sliding scale because they say that these dependents should be supported in the style they are accustomed to.

Usually the people who cannot pay are the low income, having to pay the minimum amount, but often going thru long periods of joblessness and effectively being forced out of the above ground labor market and economy.

Remember, historically a divorcee is seen as a bad person, needing punishment, because the good conservatives make marriage work at any cost, like sexual abuse of children.

Very Good: amazon.com

SJG

Led Zeppelin, 1969 Danish TV amazon.com