Someone pointed out to me the other day that it's remarkably easier to become legally connected to another person than it is to become legally DISconnected from another person. I hadn't thought about it before.
In other posts in here, I've poked a little fun at conspiracy theorists, even while I continue to respect the "fact" that humans have a deep need to fill in blanks, to have explanations for everything even if we have to make them up. This whole "you can just float into a legal relationship with someone, but only a formal legal process can get you out" revelation opens up a whole new conspiracy theory opportunity.
The basic idea is that if you live with someone for I think as little as 6 months, you and the other person automatically, without filling out any papers or making any declarations, develop legal entitlements to each other's assets. It just happens, a function of the rising and setting of the sun, whether you intend it to or not.
When you decide that you wish to not see the sun rise and set any more with that other person, you don't just terminate the relationship by choosing to camp elsewhere forever. There's at least a little and potentially a LOT of formal paperwork, involving at least a notary public and possibly a whole squad of lawyers and judges.
In fairness to all the legislation and litigation focused in the dissolution of relationships, there's lots of good reasons for all the processes around dissolution. There are assets and dependencies and assumptions and imposed lifestyle changes and all kinds of fallout that may well need a referee or at least a note from the principal.
But so then how come the relationship entry fee is basically nothing? I kind of wonder whether we should be at least signing a paper that says we know the waters we're sailing into when make the relationship deal. Maybe just a course in high school about the legal ramifications of love. It's been a few decades now since we could really count on social structure like people's affiliation with churches to cover much of that "do you really know what you're doing?" ground. These days the best you can hope for is that some friend who doesn't like your significant other fills you in in the reefs and shoals ahead...and that they have the slightest idea what they're talking about.
Conspiracy? There's no money in warning people with very few assets and very many hormones about legal consequences, but there is a ton of it in disentangling the older richer people who now want out. In fact, you could argue that educating people going in might put a lot of lawyers out of work. And who consults on new legislation? Who drafts it? There you go, it's a plot.
Sorry about the long silence (vacation), the lack of pictures (pure sloth on my part), and the kind of dry topic....I'll do a travelogue or something fluffy and nice like that next. Thanks Heather for this topic!
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