TRUMP JUST PULLED THE CARD ON THE ESTATE TAX!

My father died penniless, so it does not affect me - but so glad this wealth-transfer and power grab is now over:



I have a policy to not pass on wealth to individual children.  All I have seen with the transfer of wealth, is a destruction of family relationships by typically greedy people.

I have a story here that is worth relating for posterity. 

Back in 2000 or 2001 or so, my parents (having seen both sets of their siblings implode over fights over the ranch, etc), decided to divide up the assets while they were alive.  All 8 of my parents' folks showed up for the melee....  My mother had many nice antiques and some really cool heirlooms and art from her own hand and from her travels.  That was a smart move by my mother to instigate this.  To this day, one sibling that inherited her father's ranch, still does not have open communication with the remaining two living siblings in their 70's and 80's.  Sad.  Truly sad.  Bloody mammon!

My folks had worked hard to build 11 acres with three homes in the Seattle area.  It was thru pure grit and determination that my folks did it on my father's meager and sometimes spotty income.  I learned so much about sacrifice and frugality from the both of them.   At one point, I determined that I really liked the back 5 acres which were across a deep ravine and no way to easily access it.  The fir trees on that piece were in the 4-6' diameter range.  Beautiful things that made for a setting with views to the mountains that was one of the best I knew of.

My mom offered that piece to me if I agreed to pay the taxes on it and developed it.  As a freshman in college, I hatched a plan to move an 80' flat car onto concrete abutments and get power/gas onto the piece as well as access that could handle a cement truck, etc.  Around the time of the family meeting to split the assets, I mentioned the back five plan to my eldest brother and he cut me down at the knees and announced that, as the eldest, he had rights to the whole thing and all three houses on the front piece.  I was not going to have any part of it.

I was pretty hurt at his reaction - it was harsh and cutting.  There was no question in his mind.  Most of my siblings love the things of the world.  They are good people - but many family get-togethers in the past would be solely focused on who had what and how much - instead of relationships and more important things like gospel topics.  I would leave them feeling pretty empty.  I like things that are a little more substantive.  I think it has changed in recent years as wisdom has been acquired - but the old days were not fun.  Anyway, as my eldest brother said this, the Spirit whispered that "no one will have anything". 

I was not sure what that actually meant at the time.  A few years later, my mother passed on and left my dad in a state where he was not thinking straight.  A business partner (former Stake President) convinced him to invest in some scam.  Some bankster took the title to the place from my dad (was totally paid off on the 11 acres) for a SECURED loan for 1/3 the value of the property at a whopping 24% interest with monthly payments of $5,000.  My dad, on retirement income, of course could not make the payments and was too embarrassed that he had been swindled out of the family "farm" and he lost it all over three missed payments.  I came away from that with three life lessons:

1.  People will stab their own mothers over money.  It cankers the soul.  Never covet anything.  It will only lead to a bad end.  Whether money, other peoples' wives, or talents of others.....
2.  Banksters are just evil money-grubbers like lawyers and most other parasites who rely by deception and subterfuge, on their income.  The more they can deceive, the more they make.  There is a point where making an absurd profit at the expense of someone else who is desperate (or not thinking straight - as in the case of my father) is simply wrong.  There is a cosmic state of "fair" that needs to be adhered to.  In the Millennial world, interest will no longer exist.
3.  Do not mess with people who keep good principle because the Law of the Harvest is in effect.  When you bless the lives of those who do keep good principle, you will reap dividends.  I am quite interested to know what happened to the Stake President from Florida who ended up with my dad's $230,000.  White collar crime in the Church is at an all time, raging epidemic.

Anyway - the Trump card is in effect.  Great news for those who like to allocate that which they work for, where they want to allocate it.  Instead of supporting more inner city crack-babies and terrorist states.