Progress...

[Jaysyn]

And in return I ask you how your system would work for tax codes, the census, estates, insurance, inheritance, etc, etc...

Tax Codes? Simple: treat everyone as individuals, exactly as they are now. Just because two people get married is no reason to give them state benefits. If a child is in the mix, then give benefits to both parents.

Maybe. Never thought I'd hear you argue to making people pay more taxes.

Estates? Could you elaborate on any problems here?

Inheritance? The concept of a "will" would still exist, and taking the state out of marriage does not mean no record of the marriage could not exist.

Spouses get first dibs where I live, regardless of a will. Might be different in the UK.

Insurance? Simple again, treat everyone as individuals.

So we can pay even more to insurance companies? No thanks.

Census? I don't see how this would be affected. Taking the state out of marriage doesn't affect the ability of people who are married to write "married" on a census form...

You've got a point here.

Again, the state doesn't have to be involved here. I own a computer, and I have proof that I own it, but the government doesn't know about it. The same can apply to any type of property right.

Oh ho ho, I bet the do Adrian, I bet they do.

Your main problem here is that you are part of a small minority who thinks marriage should work this way. Everyone else doesn't think it's a very good idea. Also, over the course of two threads dealing with this subject you still never have answered the legal kinship part of the equation with anything that would work in the real world.