“The estate tax has been historically part of our very fundamental belief that we should have a meritocracy, that we do not want a system  where we expect people to make it on their own  to be, over time, dominated by inherited wealth. That we do believe that people should have to get out there and make their way, to a great extent.”
She should have added:…..and therefore, having encourages you to “make it on your own” busting your hump for the better part of your life, finding yourself fiscally sound, and financially stable and well-off, the government, always the silent partner, will step in and help itself to your hardwon gain. It’s only right and fair.
Let’s see…where have we heard this before??
Ah yes!!
“From each according to his ability, to each according to his need!”