In part two of Born on Third Base, Chuck Collins talks about his view on the estate tax. The estate tax, also know as the death tax, taxes the wealth of deceased millionaires. The tax is often fought by millionaires as their families can loose nearly half of the accumulated wealth. The fight against the death tax was vigorous and eventually was taken away in the early 2000s. Rather than agree with the familiar position, Collins is outspoken about reasserting the death tax. He believes that the tax allows for people who had government help to repay their debts. He has gone on tour with Bill Gates Sr. after writing a book on the issue to raise awareness for their claim in conservative areas.

The death tax pays for the public schools, federal aide, and other government support that wealthy people receive as they achieve success. Collins believes that this tax is not only fair but should be encouraged. However, I believe that other taxes allow for the repayment of the government assistance. Every time a millionaire or billionaire buys or sells a business, piece of property or investment, they have to pay part of their earnings in taxes. This means that when a person makes a million dollars for selling their house, part of the gain is returned to government. Over the course of a persons life I believe that they repay this debt that has allowed them to become successful.

Overall, the estate tax is debated yet remains unenforced. The American public believes that people are not responsible for the payment and I agree with them. However, Collins writes about the societal benefits that would come from the reinstatement of the tax. And, it is true that the vote to abolish the tax gained support from the diction of death tax used by advocates. If their was a re-vote, I believe that people like Bill Gates Sr. and Collins could use modern platforms to effectively convince people to vote in their favor.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 23, 2019 at 4:40 PM

    This is so interesting. I didn't know this existed. I like that Collins is so outspoken in his argument for this tax. As scary as the name of the tax sounds, it seems like it is necessary for society. The benefits of it outweigh the sadness of rich families.

    -Olivia O

    ReplyDelete
  2. EthSBanMarch 24, 2019 at 11:09 PM

    I never knew about the death tax, but I can see why there are to very clear sides regarding it. I find it impressive that someone the very wealthy Bill Gates Sr. supports the death tax and is even willing to write a book regarding the issue.

    -Ethan

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMarch 25, 2019 at 1:54 AM

    I think it's amazing how wealthy individuals like Bill Gates is in support of the estate tax. He is truly someone that is humble and gives back to society. If more wealthy people were like him, our society would prosper so much more.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kiki's WeeklyMarch 25, 2019 at 11:10 AM

    I'm amazed by this! I had no idea that this tax existed before. The issue does highlight the perceptions of wealthy and the not so wealthy in terms of their compassion and need to feel responsible to help others.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMarch 25, 2019 at 11:45 AM

    I'd only head of the death tax briefly so my understanding of it was lacking. This explanation was nice because it forced me to consider the topic critically as I tried to figure out where I stand on the issue. If it were me having to pay, I'd be worried about the dramatic decrease in the amount of money I'd be allowed to leave for my family after I'm gone. Leaving half of everything behind seems pretty drastic

    ReplyDelete
  6. kuniMarch 25, 2019 at 11:47 AM

    Thank you for explaining the death tax! Bill Gates is the philanthropy king, so reading that he's supporting such a tax that promotes economic equity is fantastic. Thanks for the insight!

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMarch 26, 2019 at 9:30 AM

    Grant,

    Very interesting report of your assigned readings. I didn't know that this was known as the death tax. What's interesting is that my friend and I were talking about this during Spring Break. He personally feels very similarly to Collins. He believes that the death tax enforces the American Dream. He thinks that acquired wealth is cheating the system and isn't in line with what the American Dream asserts. I disagree, I think if you earn it, it should remain in your family. But in all honesty, this issue is very layered so I don't have a clear, clear side.

    -Clifton

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Random Blog Post 2

I began my volunteer work with the special needs community during the Summer of 2013, with Special Camp for Special Kids . During the week-long camp, I was paired with Alvin, a teenager who was paraplegic. While I was nervous about spending a week with a stranger, and helping him with his physical challenges, I soon remembered that he was just another kid, like me. We bonded during that week and still keep in touch.     Since the Summer of 2013, I've deepened my involvement with the program because I know we are challenging peoples' perceptions. As a camp, we train new counselors every summer, and we demonstrate respect wherever our daily adventures take us, from the San Diego Zoo to Knott's Berry Farm.   At Special Camp we look to make and develop friendships. This attitude of going into new, sometimes uncomfortable situations, and smiling making friends has impacted how I approach my life.  I have continued to return to Special Camp for Special Kid...
Read more

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

I have began reading Shoe Dog by Phil Night. The book is an autobiography following the creation of Nike starting back in the early 60's. I am interested in this story as it follows one of the largest company's formations through its failures and successes and has a constant theme of sports. So far, I have read the first chapter -- chapters are broken up by one-year segments -- which sets up the history of Mr. Knight and why he wants to create a running shoe company. His journey begins in Oregon at his family house where he receives a loan from his father to travel the world and pitch an idea to export running shoes from Japan. Mr. Knight uses his world-journey as an extended metaphor to explore the meaning of life, and through his inner-search he finds his passion is to create a company. Prior to Nike's formation, the only competition in the shoe industry was the foreign-based Adidas, which had reluctant acceptance in the United States. As many people are familiar with...
Read more
The sounds of birds often wake me up in the morning. Nature is all around my home, and the ocean is close enough that I sometimes try to convince myself I can hear seals barking. I have been living in San Clemente since I was five years old. I now call the "Spanish Village by the Sea" my home after attending school, playing sports, and doing everything else a young boy does in San Clemente. Although my path to the University of Southern California has me wandering a bit farther up the coast, I hope one day to return to San Clemente and raise my own family in the same environment I experienced. Additionally, I hope to pursue my passion for sports. While at San Clemente High School, I was a two-sport varsity athlete, and I even won the California State Championship in football. I want to give other young adults the ability to pursue their passion for sports by working in athletic administration either at the high school or collegiate level. I am pursuing a ba...
Read more