Death tax and income tax, are meant to force those who ought be focusing on political leadership and investing in the nation with multi-generation time horizons to instead chase an income
Those who could be leaders are instead bankers and consultants, much to our detriment
Both Britain and America were long governed so well, particularly at the local level, because those who did the leading had been there for generations, lived off their investments in the community, and had a reason to care about leading it
But death and income taxes destroyed those illiquid investments, forcing selling and asset transfers into very liquid assets that severed the connection between wealth and community, and pushed those who could and should be leading well to instead try to find high-income jobs, namely banking, law, and consulting, that suck up their time but provide the lifestyle they want
That didn't used to be the case, and the shift has been an utter disaster, as now we are ruled by [ demons ] instead of gentlemen like the Washingtons and Lees
