House sets fire to Estate Tax

I just realized that's somewhat of an ironic headline...

Anyway, though this is not unexpected, it's still disappointing. Even Bill Gates (or at least his father, who is more vocal on the issue) thinks it's a horrible idea. Hey guys: preventing an entrenched aristocracy is a fundamental tenet of the United States. The whole point is to redistribute a fraction of the rich's wealth to the general population on their death. If you disagree with that principle, fine, but let's be clear about what we're talking about here. Repealing the estate tax is bolstering the ability of an aristocracy to stay an aristocracy, and it's decreasing social mobility. It's much easier for a wealthy child to grow up to be a wealthy adult than it is for a poor child to grow up to be a wealthy adult. If you want to talk about "fair," let's take that into account. Did a child born into a wealthy family do anything to "deserve" being born into a wealthy family? I didn't think so. So why is it so unfair to try to level the playing field for the poor kid? It's not like the guy who made all the money will care. The fucker is dead.