Should every generation have to "start over"?

[Valmy]

Piss on young people.

I can see your will now:

'Upon my death I, CDM, bequeath a bucket of piss to be poured on my Niece.'

[Valmy]

Now, it's easy for me to say with moral conviction that that's evil, considering the hand I was dealt, even though I can understand why one would want to do it. Just as it's probably easy for somebody who got a nice inheritance from their parents to say it's better for everyone to start fresh each generation. They, after all, will never have to actually worry about it.

Well the average person in the modern world will not get access to inheritance from their parents until they are well into middle age.  It is not like they are starting with it.

[Phillip V]

Piss on young people.

I can see your will now:

'Upon my death I, CDM, bequeath a bucket of piss to be poured on my Niece.'

'And Phillip V will be the executor of this will.'

[The Brain]

I don't see what the advantage would be with people having to start over.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I intend to carry on increasing the value of my estate until the day I die.

I've found that having money makes it so much easier to make more; and it seems to scale, the more money you have the easier it gets to make even more. This is no doubt pretty bad for society, but I'm not going to put my family at a disadvantage in futile opposition to a long term economic change.

[Sheilbh]

I'll be all about building a patrimony.

[Eddie Teach]

Piss on young people.

I can see your will now:

'Upon my death I, CDM, bequeath a bucket of piss to be poured on my Niece.'

'And Phillip V will be the executor of this will.'

I think you're still young enough he'll give you your own bucket of piss. 

[grumbler]

I think that the estate tax should take everything but, say, $500,000 per kid.  I've seen enough kids growing up knowing that they will inherit enough to live well so there is no need to try very hard, and it isn't pretty.  Which isn't to say that there are not lots of children of wealthy parents that get taught the same mindset that made their parents rich, but I think that, generally, people should succeed or fail based on the effort undertaken and choices made in life, not based on which parents they chose.

The estate tax is the most logical and least-distorting tax that exists.  Dead people don't resent paying it.  It only makes sense to maximize it (within reason).  Luckily, maximizing it serves a social as well as a revenue-generation purpose.

[The Brain]

Estate tax sounds like Socialism gone mad. Even Sweden doesn't have it.

[grumbler]

Estate tax sounds like Socialism gone mad. Even Sweden doesn't have it.

If Sweden doesn't have it, that's another argument in favor.

[The Brain]

Estate tax sounds like Socialism gone mad. Even Sweden doesn't have it.

If Sweden doesn't have it, that's another argument in favor.

The death penalty comes to mind.

[Admiral Yi]

In my case, if I leave the next generation nothing and no debts I will technically succeed, but I'm hoping for something a little better than that.

See Ide, organizing principle. 

[Iormlund]

I find the poll confusing.

Well the average person in the modern world will not get access to inheritance from their parents until they are well into middle age.  It is not like they are starting with it.

Because of this.

Judging by average life expectancy by the time my parents are gone I will be in my late fifties.

[Admiral Yi]

I get the feeling Mimsy is talking about a family patrimony that grows (or at least maintains) with each generation, rather than a pot of money you can put up your nose at age 18.

[mongers]

Piss on young people.

Especially 18-24 year olds.

You get the revolution you deserve.