Strong estate tax benefits no one

A strong estate tax benefits whom? Brian Miller of United for a Fair Economy (UFE), in the July 25 Gazette opinion page, laid out his organization's case for the progressive estate tax. His organization believes it is only the lack of other people's funds that keeps Americans from social-economic bliss.

The UFE vision statement in part states: “We envision an economy where everyone contributes to society with their labor and everyone benefits from society's financial growth.”

And yet he laments the absence of a tax that targets 2 percent of the U.S. population. Brian goes on to say even today, African-Americans have only 10 cents of net wealth for every $1 of net wealth that whites have. Latinos have 12 cents. If this is the first year since 1916 that the estate tax has not been in effect here, who have all the billions upon billions collected since 1916 really helped, Brian?

Brian even complains of the billions changing hands this year tax-free as the national deficit grows, as if Washington would have a problem finding a way to waste the hard-earned wealth of another.

I am not part of the 2 percent of Americans who would be personally affected by a 55 percent increase in the estate tax Jan 1. I am however, part of the 100 percent of Americans who are affected by the perpetuation of the thought that any person in this country has a human right to the labor of another.

Joseph DeView

Cedar Rapids