[FormerLib]

And again, you don't need a marriage license to get married, after all. You only need one to have the government acknowledge that it is a legal and binding contract. Of course, the people of this nation have a say in what contracts their government will and will not enforce.

[Modernman]

Of course, the people of this nation have a say in what contracts their government will and will not enforce.

Sure, but I'm saying that there should be no such thing as a "marriage contract." Consenting adults should be free to enter into any contract that lays out their relationsip to one another, the terms under which the contract can be dissolved, how property is to be distributed upon dissolution etc. etc.

You could do that now, if you want to. However, keep in mind, if we allow government to define marriage, activist judges may very well end up forcing the country to accept gay marriage as equal to regular marriage. By eliminating marriage as something the government does, that risk goes away permanently.