Social Engineering via the tax code

U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis says some of her Wyoming constituents are so worried about the reinstatement of federal estate taxes that they plan to discontinue dialysis and other life-extending medical treatments so they can die before Dec. 31.

Lummis, a Republican who holds her state's lone seat in the House, declined to name any of the people who have made the comments.

But she said many ranchers and farmers in the state would rather pass along their businesses -- "their life's work" -- to their children and grandchildren than see the federal government take a large chunk.

"If you have spent your whole life building a ranch, and you wanted to pass your estate on to your children, and you were 88 years old and on dialysis, and the only thing that was keeping you alive was that dialysis, you might make that same decision," Lummis told reporters.

Alternate headline: "Save the Ranch - Vote Republican"

The perverse death tax will go from 0 to 55% starting Jan. 1 of next year and depending upon the full extent of what happens tomorrow, the President may be faced with a rather unenviable task of vetoing a bill eliminating the death tax.

Actually, it would be very smart politically to sign it and tone-deaf to veto it. No one, save Congressional libs and the ultra-rich like Warren Buffet, likes it.

And if you think that is just a bunch of noise coming out of Wyoming, we've had the opportunity to meet some of these people on our snow-mobile trips over the years. They are not trifling people given to cheap rhetoric. We'd take them at their word.