The big story in the news today was the Kentucky clerk who is refusing to issue marriage licenses.  This comes after a Supreme Court decision that permits marriage licenses for gay couples.

This all reached an apex today when it was reported that the clerk – Kim Davis – was arrested after being found in contempt of court.  There is so much wrong with this, it is hard to know where to begin.

My immediate reaction was surprise.  I know the state does some crazy things, but are they really sending someone to jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses?  In the real world outside of government, you don’t go to jail for not doing your job.  Usually your boss will tell you to do your job or they will find someone else to do it.  In most cases, if you still refuse, you will be fired.

This is the stark contrast between the force of government and the voluntary society.  In the free marketplace, this situation would be handled peacefully.  Nobody would be sent to jail.  If someone refused to do their job, they would likely be fired and not allowed on the property any more.  They would receive their last paycheck.

With this outrage, I get to hear all of the ignorant comments from both sides of the debate.  I generally try to be optimistic for the future of liberty, but I have to admit it is a little harder to be optimistic on days like today.

I have heard both sides citing the First Amendment to the Constitution.  I actually heard some ignorant fool saying that she is violating the 1st Amendment by not issuing the licenses because she is denying people their rights.

Let’s all read the 1st Amendment together.  In fact, you really only need to read the first five words: “Congress shall make no law…”

In case you need a translation, it means that Congress shall make no law.  How can somebody not in Congress not doing something be a violation of the 1st Amendment?  She is in violation of not doing her job, but there is quite a difference.

I don’t really sympathize with this woman either.  I know everyone has issues they are passionate about, but get a life.  The woman is working for the government, so what does she expect?  And for all of those defending her in the name of religious freedom, it must be difficult knowing that the woman was reportedly divorced four times.  I think someone should have refused to issue her a marriage license at some point along the way.

Of course, when it comes down to it, the government shouldn’t be licensing marriage.  As a libertarian, I have to remind people that this shouldn’t even be a debate.  It should be settled between private parties.  This may or may not include a church, but it shouldn’t involve the state.

I wish gay couples would just get married without the government-approved license.  Just avoid the gatekeepers.

I am sympathetic to the fact that gay couples are not treated equally in terms of filing taxes and health benefits.  As usual, this is all a problem created by the state.  There should be no income tax, so that would solve that problem.

In terms of health benefits, it is only tied to employers because of government taxes and regulations that originally put us on that path. This would also become a non-issue if the income tax were eliminated and health regulations repealed.

In terms of marriage, if there is to be any involvement, it should just be the state recognizing what is basically a contract.  This would be useful in cases of divorce and a few other circumstances such as granting access to records.

Regardless though, this should be decentralized to at least the state level.  Washington DC should have nothing to do with this issue.  After all of the ignorant fools get done reading what the 1st Amendment actually says, maybe they can move on to the 10th Amendment.

I hope this latest case of Kim Davis being sent to jail at least illustrates for some Americans the brutality of the state and how it handles situations.  We must always push for voluntary solutions that do not involve the use of force.