What gets me is that he says, “IF there are holes” in that safety net.

Of course there are holes.  We have veterans and college graduates living on the streets.  Not that I think there are people who deserve to be homeless.  But even if it was a matter of being responsible and “working” and “making good choices.”  So many people have done that and yet – somehow they fall through these cracks.

IF they exist.

I hope this statement isn’t forgotten too soon and that we will hear a lot of talk, and see it followed up with some action.  There are holes in the safety net.  There are too many people who are homeless or hungry.  We do need to make changes.

There may be another job opening this summer.

In the meantime, every job I apply for seems to go this way.  Most of them like me, but there are just so many people looking right now that I find myself coming in second (or maybe third) all the time.  And meanwhile, I’ve used up my life savings, cashed in the retirement funds – and nearly spent all that too.

How do you hold out another 6 months – keep your family fed… ???

So my kid and I came up with this great idea the other night.  I happen to have an extra kidney.  It seems to be in pretty good shape, at least it’s keeping me healthy.  Why not sell it?  Anyone need a kidney?  Would it be worth paying my living expenses so I can keep looking for work for another year?

Just thinking…

You know the drill: “Traditional marriage is a contract between a man and a woman.”

But why? Why can’t two women have a contract? Why can’t too men? It never really made sense. And why should I care about what goes on behind closed doors in someone else’s bedroom?

I think the problem with my understanding comes because of the general emphasis on the “man and woman” part. It’s the contract we need to be looking at.

What exactly is a marriage contract anyway?

And then I fond myself reading an article about traditional marriage in some 3rd world country and the light bulb suddenly came on.

Traditional marriage is a contract.

It goes something like this. A young girl is getting on in years – 12, 13, 14 and possibly becoming a handful – or maybe just eating a little more than her fair share of the family food. So mom and dad put out feelers and find someone who will take their daughter off their hands – possibly in return for something to help them feed the rest of their family… a couple goats, a cow…

Yes, welcome to traditional marriage… a contract (like a bill of sale) between a man and a woman’s parents.

Of course, in the United States we are decades, possibly even a century or two away from this kind of tradition. But look again at those who talk the longest and loudest about the sanctity of marriage…does their marriage look more like a partnership or a bill of sale?

So my issue is not with equality – but with marriage.  There are a lot of people who don’t want to “redefine” marriage.  I suspect that it is more about the contract than about the participants.

How long has it been since the last 911 call that didn’t get answered because the woman was calling about her husband?  And you know, husbands have certain rights…

Essentially, a man can do what he wants with his property.

As much as I’d like to see marriage redefined, it will take generations before that definition could sink in… if ever.

I think it would be better to ban marriage as a human rights violation and start over with something new.  Something different.  Something that clarifies the nature of that “contract”.

I like the term “domestic partnership”… it’s a good start.  We should be promoting a more equal partnership for all couples whether they are the same sex or not.  If “civil unions” or “domestic partnerships” were the recognized relationship for ALL couples then I think many of the related issues about hospital visits or insurance would get cleared up pretty quickly.