Posted on 01/25/2006 11:31:57 AM PST by DBeers
WEST PALM BEACH (FBW)–Palm Beach County Commissioners voted unanimously Jan. 10 to create a county-wide registry of domestic partners. Unmarried couples, including homosexual partners, may sign up to receive “visitation rights and decision-making abilities,” according to the Palm Beach Post.
Couples may pay a $50 enrollment fee to make them eligible to make decisions for each other on health care and funerals and burials, and also make “family” visits in jails and hospitals. Couples must prove partnership through documents showing common home ownership, address and credit card accounts.
Palm Beach County is the second Florida county to create a domestic partner registry, after Broward County in 1999.
Rand Hoch of Palm Beach Human Rights Council hailed the vote as “pro-family legislation,” according to the Post article.
Mat Staver, founder of Orlando-based Liberty Counsel, told Florida Baptist Witness the Palm Beach ordinance is an example of why Florida needs to pass an amendment to its constitution which defines marriage as the union between one man and one woman.
Staver, who drafted Florida’s existing Defense of Marriage Act in 1998, said the legislation is not enough in today’s political climate.
“We cannot leave marriage up to a judge,” Staver said. “We don’t need to be scouring the Internet or anticipate headlines ... to determine whether [marriage has been preserved]. We need to be able to go to bed at night and rest and know that marriages are preserved.
“Activitst judges or rogue legislative bodies will undermine marriages and will hurt our children,” continued Staver. “We need to preserve marriage once and for all through our constitution.”
The registry creation follows an October vote by the commissioners to give county employees in domestic relationships the right to apply for health benefits.
I am assisting in pinging the list.
FReepmail me and DirtyHarryY2K if you want on/off the ping list.
How is this possible? Isn't this the type of thing that's regulated by state law and not a local "by-law"?
Congressman Foley must be ecstatic!
I would think so; however, it would appaer nothing prevents this scenario and as such these leftist counties are simply exploiting the system by creating a symbolic designation called "domestic partner". After considering the article more thoroughly -it seems the way they get around the State Law is by not granting any direct benefits to the 'partners'; however, it could be argued that the expense of maintaining the registry exceeds the symbolic fee and as such is a taxpayer burden...
but if the FL DOMA passes then these will constitutionally go by by.
essentially this is paying $50 dollars for a health care surrogate designation which is available for free from the "Myflorida" website.
This is nothing more than the homosexual lobby positioning themselves in order to fight the DOMA in the vote rich south fl area.
The constitutional DOMA will pass and they get to collect campaign contributions from homosexuals too stupid to understand the political game.
good point.
The only surprise here is that Broward beat Palm Beach on this one. I'll bet Monroe has had it forever!
Not yet as far as I know.
Will these?
I don't think the DOMA prohibits domestic partnerships, only calling those partnerships "marriages."
No, the version I saw had a "domestic relations" prohibition too.
Essentially this is just recording the living will of those who cohabit for sex. It denies the right to record a living will for those who do not cohabit for sex.
DOMA's which permit civil unions are no longer politically viable as they are exposed as a sham which the homosexuals intent to use to "backdoor" into marriage.
Keep in mind we have two new law schools (5th tier) in FL with no lack of nuttcase professors who support the ABA's model domestic relations code which calls all marriage a civil union and children as an accessor to breeding couples. (would you be surprised at the number of homosexuals on that committee?)
"essentially this is paying $50 dollars for a health care surrogate designation which is available for free from the "Myflorida" website. This is nothing more than the homosexual lobby positioning themselves in order to fight the DOMA in the vote rich south fl area. The constitutional DOMA will pass and they get to collect campaign contributions from homosexuals too stupid to understand the political game."
Dead on BUMP!
I will never forget pulling out of our neighborhood, and looking at the rainbow-colored american flag in my rear view mirrors. Ahhh...but the city of Palm Beach can try and take away the Christmas Manger...
I am so glad I moved out of that county!
Love seeing a lot more Bush/Cheney'04 bumper stickers here in the Orange/Seminole counties.
;-)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.