Indiana

A Good Idea, For the Most Part

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

In less than three months I will mark my third anniversary with the Lovely Mrs. Shabazz and while the modern anniversary gift is crystal I think the traditional gift of leather sounds more interesting. I bring this up because the  Indianapolis City-County Council is looking at   offering up domestic partner benefits for same-sex and unmarried couples.  This isn’t a new concept.   The private sector has been doing it for years and I have always believed that government should be run as much like a business as possible.  And businesses should do what they can to attract the best and the brightest talent, while being fiscally responsible.  And since same-sex couples cannot legally marry in the state of Indiana, extending domestic partner benefits makes sense to me.

I do have a problem with giving the same treatment to unmarried couples.  And please note, I am not by any stretch the morality police, just ask my wife, the Lovely Mrs. Shabazz.  My problem with giving the same treatment to unmarried couples is that it disincentivizes them to stop shacking up and tie the knot.  Gay couples can?t get married.  Opposite sex couples can.  So if they want the benefits then they should do what my wife and I did three years ago on September 5 at 2:50 p.m., get married.

I have never been a big fan of that living together stuff.  It?s one thing if you?re doing it with the intent to getting married and staying together, but living together because no one wants the real responsibility and commitment that comes along with marriage, I have an issue with.  Also getting married instead of living together avoids the ?Judge Judy? factor.  In other words, you ever see married people on those Judge shows fighting over TVs and movie collections?   And I think by extending benefits to non-married opposite sex couples who have the legal recourse of getting married is a bad idea all around.

Now if you will excuse me, although my wedding anniversary is still three months away, I have to start planning now.  I may be an arrogant, conceited, self-serving, borderline narcissistic individual, but I?m not crazy.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on June 05, 2012 (boomark / email).