James Whittier Parker: “I think my colleagues are carrying on a very interesting debate, and I would like to add a little bit of a personal…”

“I think my colleagues are carrying on a very interesting debate, and I would like to add a little bit of a personal story that came out of my life that adds to why I think we ought to change our tax structure here in America. I know we are talking about death taxes. But you know, we are taxed on the very first cup of coffee we drink in the morning. We are taxed on every gallon of gas we use to drive to work. We are taxed on the telephone when we use it to earn some money. We are taxed on the income we earn. We pay sales tax on the way home if we stop to buy something, pay property tax on our home. And then when we die, we have to pay death taxes. And I think it is wrong, and it is wrong for a couple reasons. My colleagues talked earlier about the redistribution of wealth. I think we ought to reward success in America. We want more success, and more success means that we will have people that will have money available that will invest and create more jobs. And this is a good thing. We want more jobs and more opportunity. But also, death taxes prevent parents from passing on their success to the next generation.”