No. There are plenty of reasons. Certainly, some practical benefits to marriage are reasons folks want to get married - but they're not the only ones.

i would just ask if only North Carolinians would respond here,

that way i can gauge who actually got to vote

Under what premise would you strip the benefits afforded to married couples if gay marriage is recognized? Why should a man marrying a woman be given protections and benefits that are not afforded a man loving a man or a woman loving a woman. I fail to see where our constitution treats all people as equal as long as they are not gay.

I love the intractable arguments skrum makes, gives me faith that the internet will always be a great place for discussions.

Kehoe:

Because of transactions costs. It's easy to determine who the mother of a child is. Not so easy to determine who the father is. Hence the invention of marriage with its fundamental rule: "forsaking all others".

Pretty sure marriage was invented well before people we're having to determine who the baby's daddy was of some unmarried couple.

And most people don't share your incredibly narrow construction of marriage, skrum. You can't simply deny the other reasons for marriage.

guys,

firstly, the thread is addressed to me.

secondly, i ended the thread asking if only people who reside in the great state of North Carolina would respond.

So far, no one who actually lives here, has posted.

So please, start a new thread so this thread can get uncluttered.

Thank you.

Since I'm an economist, the economic reason is the one I brought up. There are other, noneconomic, ones. But I suspect that the interest of gays in gay marriage is economic. They can have all the other ooshy-gooshy stuff with a private contract. They want the benefits.

Simple solution is to stop proxy posting wish.

What about gay parents that adopt?