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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (702490)	9/20/2005 12:09:05 AM
From: Peter Dierks	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

"In my opinion, the demonstrable good of preventing the emergence of an ever more plutocratic society (often near-synonymous in history with degeneracy, and with lower levels of national strength and lower levels of innovation, and national freedoms) are far better arguments for maintaining a reasonable level of taxation on the inheritance of very LARGE levels of accumulated wealth... as opposed to the greater harm and the lesser good that would be visited upon society by higher levels of taxation upon income or upon consumption... or upon the working, productive, middle classes of America... which has long been one of the shining lights of our society. and the backbone of our Democracy." Perhaps the fact that when one realizes they cannot leave their money to their heirs they just spend it, thus promoting economic stimulus is a public good. I would not say so. Proponents of the Death Tax must believe something like this. Disincenting people to produce is a greater harm. Causing the unnecessary sale of family farms and family businesses to pay the tax man is a greater harm. A few cents in the tax coffer is a lesser "good". The middle class is not the engine of our economic growth. It never has been and if it ever is, we are in deep trouble. The engine of economic growth is always the entrepreneurial class. They are incented by the rewards they can achieve in one or more generations. The death tax limits that to one generation. The death tax is a very short sighted policy causing the country greater harm than any benefit it could ever derive.