[A CA Guy]

I probably did say if someone wanted to maintain the family farm or business that they should work with estate attorneys to delay the tax.

You can probably put the businesses in a family trust and the value of the business won't be taxed until enough greedy heirs decide to sell it.

At some point everything gets taxed, unless you go to Australia and become a citizen there where last I heard there is no estate tax.

Here in America we have national debt that a bill is overdue on and the dead should have IMO the estate tax income directed there.
Pay it down of off, don't pass it on.

[Beagle8U]

I pay my debts, I don't however, feel obligated to pay your's or anyone Else's.

If the Government wishes to pay off the debt they have run up, they will just have to take a meat ax to the budget until they get out of debt.

The only way to thin down a glutton is to starve them, the Government is a glutton, and feeding it more tax money wont help anything.

If they get hungry enough, they will cut out the things they don't need, just like every responsible person does.

I just don't buy your theories.

[goodnesswins]

Just curious......is your house paid off? I don't believe in paying off ALL Debts.....I believe our debt is higher now because of war time costs, and it's been declining...your ranting about debt is a bunch of BS.....go pee on someone elses parade. The DEATH TAX is SOCIALISM, but you're ALL FOR THAT!

This from Fortune Magazine.....March 2006

What's an appropriate debt/GDP ratio? The best-known benchmark has been the 60 percent Maastricht upper limit for countries hoping to adopt the Euro. But John Chambers, chairman of the sovereign rating committee at Standard & Poor's, says that economic stability and good government policies count for as much or more in credit ratings as the debt/GDP number. .....The U.S. scores high in both those categories, and is one of two-dozen countries whose government debt gets S&P's highest rating, AAA -- despite a debt/GDP ratio slightly above the AAA average. So yes, the nation's fiscal position has worsened significantly during the Bush presidency, and for that the president and Congress deserve to catch flak. But those who yelp about "record" deficits and "record" debt and imminent bankruptcy are blowing smoke. "The fiscal debt of the U.S. is not at an alarming level," S&P's Chambers says.

[pigdog]

It would be far, far better (and less expensive) to pass the FairTax and dispense with all the extraneous nonsense by not taxing estates AT ALL.

It can be done very easily and will help boost the economy overall as well.