Once again, the war over the minds of Mainers is being waged by two sides who are more on the same side than they believe. The rhetoric is endless, about those who want to destroy the sacred institution of marriage and those who are religious bigots for attempting to impose their religious views on the population. Sometimes, the rhetoric runs deeper about those who wish to enact a communist takeover of America by undermining morality via marriage and those who are heartlessly homophobic in their quest for total theocracy. The solution to the problem on either side is a simple government quick fix. The ironic part is liberals claim they want freedom regarding this matter by creating more government control, while their conservative counterparts claim to be pro-limited government by creating more government control. And there is where you have the agreement.

Marriage matters, absolutely. It is a milestone event in the lives of every human being, when they pledge the remainder of their existence to another soul, and from there they take their love to a new level. The marriage brings two individuals together in a sacred bond of love and a family often takes flight from there. Marriage does matter, absolutely, but it does not to government.

Government, on any level, has it’s own bigger concerns. The federal government has multiple undeclared occupations ongoing, a rising federal deficit, and a whole myriad of social problems stemming from their own reckless intervention in all levels of society. State governments, like here in Maine, have excessive bureaucracy, debt problems and budget shortfalls to focus on. Spending time on marriage that could be instead spent on improving our economy is a waste of time.

This is not to say however, that the religious views of conservatives or the rights of homosexuals do not matter. They do.

Marriage is not going to fix the economy. Allowing homosexuals to marry is not going to cause the federal deficit to rise or the communist takeover of America. On the same point however, allowing homosexuals to marry is not going to give homosexuals freedom, it just gives homosexuals the power of big government. This power will never be stable and will forever be back-and-forth as long as it exists.

So how about getting government out of marriage altogether?

It’s not as radical as it sounds. If conservatives are true to their word about being advocates for limited and fiscally responsible government, then spending money on keeping government expanded to monitor the lives of individuals should seem outrageous to them. Similarly, if liberals are true to their word about being advocates for freedom for homosexuals, then the idea of keeping power within government instead of with themselves should seem ridiculous. The logic is simple.

Marriage is a private contract between two consenting adults, or if you’re religious, it is a covenant with God. Either way however, it is not a private contract between you and a bureaucrat in Augusta or a covenant with your Legislator. That’s the point.

Marriage matters…just not to government.