C'mon.

The State appraises the apartments at $12 million, far more than you would have ever expected. Then you are informed you owe $3.8 million in tax, difference between mortgage and appraised value subject to the tax.

You don't have the money, and the only way to get the money is to sell property, you start selling, but you're not getting nearly the appraised value, in fact, you sell everything and get all of 5 million. You think, tax covered at least. But no, because you sold property, that's income, subject to it's own tax. Now on the 5 million you just got, you owe $2 million in income tax. So now you have 3 million, have sold all your assets, and owe $3.8 million in estate taxes.The State appraises the apartments at $12 million, far more than you would have ever expected. Then you are informed you owe $3.8 million in tax, difference between mortgage and appraised value subject to the tax.

You don't have the money, and the only way to get the money is to sell property, you start selling, but you're not getting nearly the appraised value, in fact, you sell everything and get all of 5 million. You think, tax covered at least. But no, because you sold property, that's income, subject to it's own tax. Now on the 5 million you just got, you owe $2 million in income tax. So now you have 3 million, have sold all your assets, and owe $3.8 million in estate taxes.

1) You hire a lawyer.

2) The lawyer fights the appraisal.

3) Taxes are figured not on "income" from the sale, but from capital gains; if the estate is appraised at 12 million, but you only get 5 for the sale, you've experienced a capital loss. Taxes are adjusted accordingly.

4) A good lawyer and an accountant will take care of all of this. You either hire one, or your dad did.

If you don't have the smarts, even at 18, to hire a good lawyer, then you'll probably just piss the money away before 21 anyway.

And, after all, aside from the luck of the genetic draw, what have you done to deserve this money? Nothing.

What you failed to mention, X, even though you zeroed in nicely on the sarcasm, was that you tried to depict the property as simple income; you mentioned nothing of basis determination, nothing of fair market value, nothing of the way the tax would truly be figured.

It is not, unfortunately, me who determined that the poor would be screwed. Blame the universe; I didn't set that particular rule up.

Poor=stupid in the last post, although conservatives would have you believe that the two are actually equivalent.

The cost of the economic meltdown caused by the GOP and deregulation: trillions.

Rush's tax in New York: 600,000

The feeling of relief in New York City as a vast dark weight lifts from the city: Priceless

It's fascinating to me that the first column to come out of this self-designated conservative has nothing whatsoever to do with conservative ideas and everything to do with a culture of victimhood.

As far as the MSM is concerned, as other writers have noted, what drives the media is a corporate, profit-oriented mentality. It has nothing to do with either liberal or conservative ideas per se. Salon itself, for all its vaunted progressive leaning, demonstrates that simply by having this column, as well as Paglia's, on its website. Both columns repudiate the notion of a progressive webzine, but they serve the purpose of generating eyeballs on web pages.

There are serious issues to talk about--the role of government in public life, the separation of church and state, how things should progress as we move into Economy, 2.0. Instead, we get an extended complaint that conservatives haven't been treated "fairly."

Regardless of the truth of that assertion, life isn't fair. I thought conservatives not only knew that, but celebrated the fact.

Barry boy may be a wimp as a world leader but he's still our wimp. We would never disrespect the position of president even after he disrespected our positions as americans in Europe just a few days ago . That's how we roll. I know you can't understand that concept. It's character, integrity,loyalty and honor.

We have a winner in the "Disconnect of the Day" contest!

Extra points were awarded to this contestant for calling a black man "boy"!

I want my freedom to discriminate against people who offend me.

I want my freedom to hate.

I want my freedom to make sure other people don't have their freedom to do what they want, even though it doesn't hurt or affect me.

These are the freedoms that anti-human rights (there are no gay rights; there are only human rights) want. The right to destroy others.

Would they agree to a church that discriminates against Christians in adoption policies? That sought to implement Sharia as state law? I doubt it. It all depends on whose golden calf is being gored.....

I don't want freedom of religion. I want freedom from religion.

The primary thing we know about Rove is that he's a liar. Let the man open his mouth and a lie pops out. To paraphrase, every word he says is a lie, including "and" and "the."

For him to call Obama more partisan than Bush is, simply, a lie. It's not a mistake, it's not misspeaking. Like much of what was said during the Bush administration by his people, and like much of what is said by the GOP and their puppets today, it's a lie--deliberate, intentional, and often reflective of the truth about the GOP (i.e., they say about others what is the truth about them).

The problem is that no one who has standing--no reporter, no commentator, no columnist--will simply come out and call these stinking pieces of horseshit what they are, i.e., lies. They won't even call the GOP out to prove what they say; instead, they give them the weight of truth and treat them with respect.

The GOP are liars.