Pete Stark: “I yield myself enough time to remind the historians here that it was the Republicans in the 1800s who established the…”

“I yield myself enough time to remind the historians here that it was the Republicans in the 1800s who established the original inheritance tax to prevent a nobility class from forming, an idle nobility class, in this country. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott). Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Florida, I wish he would stay, because we are here today because the Republican majority would like to repeal the estate tax, but they have forgotten history. I am sure my colleague was not here, but I would like to remind him that it was a Republican, President Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt, who strongly supported an estate tax in the first place. Here is what he said. There is no argument for this. "The man of great wealth," Teddy said, "owes a particular obligation to the State because he derives special advantages from the mere existence of government." Wow, nicely said, and a Republican, too. That proves two things, that Republicans can sometimes speak eloquently, and sometimes they can even do something that is right. Though Republicans want to undo all the good for the sake of greed, please, America, do not be phonied up by this rhetoric that we hear on this bill.”