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estate taxes took peoples' homes and farms. it caused tragedy for people who were not "rich Americans". re-instating it will be done blind to the facts of past experience.

Re: Mr. Sinclair's final comment - politicians dragged into the issue by the American public: I believe it cuts both ways. Sometimes the politicians themselves, by their communications skills,by "accident", or, indeed, by their own bad behavior (and by backlash), fuel the public's desire for change.

It looks like the "poverty pimps" are bounding for a comeback. The best thing that happened for black people in particular, and the economy in general, was the welfare reform act during the Clinton administration.
The worst thing that happened to the economy was giving further tax breaks to the wealthy, who did create jobs with that money - in China, India, Mexico and for illegal immigrants.
I hope Obama will find and traverse the common sense road between the rapacious Right and the lunatic Left.

Are the rich able to stay rich and richer to a greater degree more today due to relaxed inheritance tax rules?

Hasn't this provided less resources to the government to address the 'poor' problem.

"If you can't find a job, create one."

--A former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

I agree with your guest that there is a dearth of attention to issues of poverty, homelessness and people living on welfare. I used to work with a group called the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, based in Philadelphia, and I was wondering if your guest accounts for this radically vital group organized by mostly women that were either homeless or on welfare. I'm also wondering what your guest thinks of Clinton's Personal Responsibility Act (so called "welfare reform), and what President-elect Obama might (hopefully) do differently from Clinton?

... somewhat off the guest's pointing the finger at our national political life, are our veterans from current military conflicts homeless, because PTSD is preventing them from contacting their families? I can't imagine your soldier boy coming home and your letting him sleep on the urban sidewalk.