Marriage...really?

So, there is now another grand brouhaha all across this grand country of ours...No gay marriage in Maine. My reaction...so what? My real issue is why is government even legislating marriage? That's what I don't get. Marriage is a personal matter, and the government has no right to have any say in it PERIOD. We don't let the government tell us who we can hang out with, or have coffee with or even prefer to kick in the shins if it catches our fancy, and we can run fast enough afterward. But, we allow them to regulate whom we can marry? I honestly don't get it.

Maybe I look at things this way. We have a firmly grounded belief in civil liberties, and a separation between church and state. That being said, the government stays out of so-called "moral matters."  Now, we must define a moral matter, as opposed to criminal matter.  Truly, criminal matters are a subset of moral matters, and thus we will only get an idea of a criminal matter by first defining the former.  A moral matter is, in my estimation, a matter in which when choices are laid out in front of you, they in some way shape your character, or reveal an aspect about how you are.  It may not be the best definition, but I think for our purposes, it will work.  Now, with that, a criminal matter is a subset of the above, with the added distinction that by making one choice, you are at that time forcefully infringing on the rights of another. 

With those definitions in mind, we can see that marriage does not fall into the latter category, at least not in most cases, and especially not in the cases in which we are discussing.  If one were to forcably marry someone else, this can hardly be considered marriage, and would thus be reduced to whatever crimes took place, e.g. kidnapping, rape, etc.  So, removing those erroneous notions from our mind, we are discussing the commitment between consenting adults to spend their lives together, and create a household.  Now, should the government really be regulating such an agreement?  My answer is no.  Leave it to people to decide how they manage their relationships.  Different religions have different rules of conduct, and those who wish to adhere to those rules should be allowed to do so.  If two homosexuals want to make a commitment to each other, then let them.  I see no reason for the government to play any role in the matter.  When it comes to legal decisions, such as end of life care, then give your partner power of attorney.  Cut out the tax breaks for married people, the government has no say in it.  That is the only way this whole thing is going to be solved.  You want to make a commitment, then make a contract upon marriage, and agree to things.  If you break up and divorce, and one or both parties don't live up to the agreement in the contract, then take them to court for breach of contract. 

Really America, I'm disappointed.  This is rubbish that the government uses to sway us via emotion, and not through actual analysis of what the government should be doing.  If money weren't wasted campaigning on such nonsense, then it could be spent going toward the economy, or education.