[Doku]

Originally Posted by Karma Police

I don't get your last comment. How is applying the estate tax to everyone going full circle to eliminate it? I'm a fairly smart guy, but I'm not following you.

Let's quote a smaller portion, and see if you understand it then.

Originally Posted by Karma Police

But there would still be some discrimination. Those who don't inherit any money wouldn't have to pay the tax.

Your initial question was wether there should be an estate tax on the ultra-wealthy. I said no. With this statement, you agreed that the current estate tax is discrimination, and should not exist as-is. Therefore, you started out on one side of the fence in the argument. The discussion has taken its course, and come to the point where we now agree that it needs to go. And now that I think about it, "gone full circle" is not the statement that I was looking for because you have not yet hopped back over the fence to disagreement... It is late, and my brain isn't at 100%, and I can't recall the proper expression/idiom for "reached a final and natural conclusion." which is what I was looking for.

Originally Posted by Karma Police

I've been talking about the estate tax, which doesn't tax the "wealthy people" who did something right, it taxes the wealthy people's children who did nothing "right" to generate the wealth that's being passed to them.

Again, semantics. Technically, it IS a death tax. "The estate tax in the United States is a tax assessed against the estate of a deceased person, before property (real estate, stocks and bonds, business interests, etc.) is transferred to heirs" You died. Uncle Sam reaches out and touches you from beyond the grave one last time... just so that you know who's boss. Furthermore, the gov has given themselves the right to tax the previous three years worth of stuff that you personally gave away before you kicked the bucket.

Originally Posted by Karma Police

Are you suggesting that the children of wealthy people are somehow more inherently deserving of having wealth than the children of poor people?

So, when I buy my kid a Bentley, I am morally obligated to buy one for the kid down the street? (example... I wouldn't buy my kid a 300k car... unless normal used cars cost that much in the future)

Originally Posted by Karma Police

From personal observation, I believe it's much easier for someone of average intelligence to be a "success" if the person is born into an upper middle class family instead of a lower income family. I'm not making excuses for anyone, but I don't think it's fair to "blame" someone for conditions they didn't create.

Yes, I agree. The upper class family did what a family does, and made sure that their young had the best advantages that they could provide... just as my lower/working class parents did.

Originally Posted by Karma Police

Also, I think it's far too simplistic to say that poor people are poor because they are doing something wrong and deserve to be poor.

I never said that poor people deserve to be poor. Poor people who don't TRY deserve what they get. Same with people who start off rich, and lose it all via stupidity.

I still fail to see how the "I'm po, and y'all should be po as well. Jus cuz yer daddy is rich don make you no better 'n me" argument makes any sense.