From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!ihps3!ixn5c!inuxc!pur-ee!CSvax:jrs Newsgroups: net.singles Title: Marriage and the state Article-I.D.: purdue.446 Posted: Fri Nov 12 18:54:29 1982 Received: Mon Nov 15 05:16:24 1982 I am very surprised that in all of the recent discussion regarding pre-nuptial agreements that nobody has mentioned the thought that they really wouldn't be needed for almost all cases if it wasn't for the stupid, silly, archaic, hypocritical, inconsistant, and totally discredited laws regarding marriage in this country. (and most probably Canada too, I'll hazard a guess.) What we really need to do is send a clear message to our state (and provincial) legislatures and get them to clean up this unholy mess. I haven't met one intelligent person who could defend the property/alimony/custody laws current in existence. Not to mention the lawyers and judges who make a living deriving "fair" settlements based on disasterously unfair laws. Until common sense is re-introduced into common law, the pre-nuptial agreement is a very powerful tool to avoid the poor excuse for a legal system currently surrounding the "institution" of marriage. After all, you're marrying the other person, not the state. - Flame off, Jeff Schwab