Gingrich: I will abolish the death tax
In an energetic appeal for support, Newt Gingrich stood before 4000 onlookers at the Oral Roberts University Mabee Center and proclaimed a message reminiscent of his 1994 “Contract with America” campaign. He progressed through issues including energy, healthcare, the economy, foreign policy, and declared Obama the “most dangerous president in modern American history.”
While explaining his plan to rebuild the shattered economy, he announced that, if elected, he would abolish the “death tax.” Meaning, he would offer legislation repealing the estate tax. The logic is that heavily taxing estates, eviscerates family wealth and forces more people into the public welfare system.
In 2013, an estate will be subject to a 50% tax on any property in excess of one million dollars. Take, for example, a family that has fifty-thousand dollars in savings and owns a small electrical business valued at 1.7 million dollars. If the business is owned in the father’s name, upon his death, the family will owe three-hundred and fifty thousand dollars in estate taxes. Only having fifty-thousand dollars in savings, the family will be forced to liquidate their business.
This removes their income and forces both the family and the employees into unemployment. The government is no longer receiving tax revenue from their business and paying more people unemployment checks. In short, everyone loses.
In an interview with the speaker following the event, Gingrich was asked if he feels a sense of awe about where he has arrived in life. Gingrich responded with unusual candor and personal reflection when he told a descriptive tale of himself standing on the balcony of the Capitol Building on the morning of his swearing-in as Speaker of the US House of Representatives. Click here to see the video on YouTube.
Citing the influence of his father, “a career soldier,” he explained his feelings towards his journey from meager beginnings to his current position. He described how he doesn’t lose heart because “America has been so good to” him and how he felt “privileged to live as an American.”
In his speech, Gingrich described his campaign experience as a "roller coaster." He has held the lead in the national polls on two separate occasions, and he is currently trailing behind Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. He emphasized that the most important part of this race is to prevent Obama from being reelected.
About the author: Kai Vincent Turley Good, a student at Oral Roberts University, moved from Maine to Oklahoma in 2009. Good has authored two books, Excellence Body, Mind, and Spirit and A Jewel of the Realm, and currently sits on the board of directors for the Foundation for the Preservation of American Values. As a member of the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame, Good has taught self-defense at New Mission Self Defense, a studio he co-founded with his father in 2005. He hosts At Issue, a political television talk show for ORU, and when returning to Maine for visits, he frequently appears on radio programs for Fox News WLOB. Good writes freelance articles for a brpolitics.com and Tulsa Today.
Credit: Photo #1 and #3: By Greg Duke, Photo #2: By Kevin Niedenfuer, ORU Student
Video Interview: Kai Vincent Turley Good with Cameraman: Kevin Niedenfuer