Byron Dorgan: “I sat here in wonder at the description just offered by a couple of Senators about this proposal to repeal the estate…”

“I sat here in wonder at the description just offered by a couple of Senators about this proposal to repeal the estate tax. It is a proposal that is dressed with language saying that this is to help family farmers and small businesses. Yet when you remove the disguise, what you have are people pulling uphill a bag of goodies for the largest estates and the wealthiest people in this country. Clarence Darrow, at the end of his life and long career in law, once said, ``I have long suffered from being misunderstood.'' Then he said, ``I may have suffered more had I been understood.'' This proposal by the Republicans is going to suffer by being understood in this debate and by the American people. Let's understand what it is. First of all, we all agree that we ought to essentially repeal the estate tax for small businesses and family farms. We all agree on that. In fact, as the Senator from New York said, the New York Times article today says: Two prominent experts in estate taxes said yesterday that the Democrats were offering a much better deal to small business owners and farmers, because the relief under their bill would be immediate and the estate tax would be eliminated for nearly all of them. ``The fact is that the Democrats are making the better offer''--and I am a Republican saying that--``said Sanford Schlesinger of the law firm of Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays, and Handler of New York.'' What the Democrats offer is a much better deal.…”