I Go Back and Forth On This

The death or estate tax. 

"The idea behind the estate tax is to prevent the very wealthy among us from accumulating vast fortunes that they can pass along to the next generation," said Patrick Lester, director of Federal Fiscal Policy with the progressive think tank -- OMB Watch. "The poster child for the estate tax is Paris Hilton -- the celebrity and hotel heiress. That's who this is targeted at, not ordinary Americans."

Is it the job of the government to prevent fortunes from being spread?  And wasn't the money taxed already when the person first earned it?