Not all "transfers of ownership" are sales. Maybe you're a stingy *******
and have never heard of the concept of "gifts". Do you want gifts taxed
too? Oh yeah, they are already - it's called SALES tax because it occurs
at the point of SALE.


Gifts of money and/or valuable assets over a certain value ARE taxed.
Is there a way around it?

Progressive taxation is an entirely different concept from the death tax.

Progressive taxation is one way of describing a graduated tax. Up to a
certain point, taxes are none or very low. As the amount goes up so do
the taxes.

Obviously you don't know what the term "realized gain" means. If I buy a
share of stock for $10 and next week it's worth $20 I DO NOT have a
"realized gain" unless I SELL it, even though its value has appreciated.

If you were to give the stock as a gift and the value was over a
certain amount, tax would be due on the gift, even though no sale has
taken place. Kinda sucks, but that's how it is.

I wish they didn't. That's the difference between you and me.

Here is a point we can both agree on. I wish they didn't as well.
I would feel MUCH better about the tax burden I bear if it was evenly
divided, but it isn't. In terms of percentage of income the poor don't
pay much, the middle class pays a hell of a lot, and the wealthy hire
tax lawyers weasel their way out of their fair share. The wealthy and
corporations run the government nowadays, so they write the rules to
their benefit. The middle class pays for the tax benefits enjoyed by
the wealthy and the corporations. The "offshore" corporations pay
almost nothing in US taxes. The laws need to be changed.
Unfortunately, the wealthy and the corporations have proven the maxim
that "we have the best government money can buy". It will never happen
until the sheeple wake up and start voting in their own best interests.

No, my values are such that the government didn't do anything to deserve
stealing somebody else's money.

Here is a point we both agree on. Stealing is illegal. Tax laws that
are voted on by our elected representatives and signed into law. The
ethics of tax laws are debatable. The legality is not. Me paying over
50% of my income out in taxes is legal. When the extremely wealthy and
most large corporations pay far less, on a percentage basis in taxes,
it is unethical. Legal, but unethical. We the people deserve better.

All those taxes are bad ideas. Every one of them. Why don't you try
FIGHTING AGAINST a tax rather than FIGHTING FOR one?

Believe it or not, I am considered by most people who know me to be
mostly republican in my views on fiscal policy. Not "republican" as in
the dirtbags that are in control now. Republican in terms of government
accountability for performance, fiscal responsibilty in taxation and
spending, and keeping the government out of people's lives as much as
possible by keeping it small. I am also considered to be quite liberal
in my social views as I believe in personal freedom AND personal
responsibilty. You can't have one without the other. The "nanny"
government that many liberals espouse goes totally against my beliefs.
Sorry to disappoint you.

I figured your argument would devolve into a racist sexist harangue.
Surprised it happened this quickly.

You snipped the key part of the paragraph. You also missed the point I
made. You make the content of your character quite clear by describing
my factual statements as "a racist sexist harangue"

The original unedited statement was -

begin quoted text

The USA is supposed to be of the people, by the people, and for the
people. Not just wealthy white male property owners. We started that
way, but we got better. ;-)

end quoted text

This statement is factually correct and not at all racist. If you knew
anything about the events from ~1760 (the start of the revolution) to
1789 (Constitution), to 1920 (women got the right to vote) and on to
the fifties and sixties (civil rights, voting rights enforced for
minorities) , you would understand what I meant. You didn't get it...
not that I am surprised.

DAGS on "emoticons" and you will find out what ;-) means.

Try opening your mind a bit. Stretch it a little. It is good for the
intellect to try to comprehend arguments that don't agree with yours.