White Wedding, Red Tape

"From the folks who promised to 'get government off our backs,' comes this Republican-sponsored bill that would subject marriage-bound Texas couples to a heavy dose of politicians-know-best. Under the bill, couples eager to marry who attend a state-approved premarital counseling course will have the state's marriage license fee -- which would double from $30 to $60 -- waived. Couples who receive counseling will also dodge the state's 72-hour mandatory marriage waiting period. The measure has already been approved by the legislature, so only Governor Rick Perry [R] stands in the way of a Hobson's choice for love-struck Texans between coughing up twice the old fee for the 'privilege' of getting the state's sanction for their relationship, or else submitting to a nagging session from some finger-wagging social worker.""