[extropy-chat] Inheritance

[The Avantguardian]

--- Mike Lorrey <mlorrey at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Who decides what is rational?
If it IS truly rational it shouldn't matter, just like
2+2 should equal 4 no matter who does the math.

> Who decides what to do
> with the excess?

Well if people wrote their wills correctly, there
would be no excess. I never mentioned taxes or the
government. If you have 20 million dollars and only
one kid, and you can't think of 19 other deserving
people or organizations to give your money to, you
might as well be a monkey.  

> You want that money wasted by GOVERNMENT on stupid,
> wasteful, and
> unproductive luxuries for bureacrats, instead of the
> kids for whom
> their parents slaved to earn their fortunes? 

Once again, the government SHOULD have nothing to do
with it, except to enforce the inheritance caps on any
individual heirs. There will have to be a way of
working trust funds into the equation as well, as they
seem to be no more than tax-shelters to allow the
effective inheriting of wealth without technically
inheriting it. If there is excess, then that is the
fine imposed by society for being a selfish greedy
bastard. Hell if letting the government get a hold of
the excess bothers you so much, then you are free to
require that they bury the wealth with you or erect a
monument to the libertarian party or something.
Sheesh, use your mind come up with a bunch of creative
ideas, just don't give it ALL to one kid. 

> If I
> ever manage to pile
> up massive wealth, once I figure out what to do with
> most of it for
> posterity, and assuming I don't achieve immortality
> myself, I sure as
> hell would rather that it be wasted by my
> hypothetical kids and
> grandkids than some bastard bureaucrats or friggin
> Senator.

Why have it wasted at all when you can, with a little
extra work, truly help shape the world that you leave
behind for the betterment of all? Or are you just a
slave of your selfish genes?

The Avantguardian 
is 
Stuart LaForge
alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu

"The surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't attempted to contact us." 
-Bill Watterson

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