mr. speaker , i rise today as a cosponsor of h.r. 8 and in support of this rule . 
i believe , as most americans do , that it is unacceptable for a grieving family who has recently lost a loved one to get a visit from the undertaker and the irs on the very same day . 
it is unconscionable , and it ought to be illegal . 
the death tax is really a tax on the american dream . 
americans work hard all their lives building up farms and ranches and small businesses , hoping that maybe one day they can pass this along to their families . 
but after years of payroll taxes and income taxes and sales taxes and property taxes , many businesses and farms just do not make it . 
and those that do , the government can step in and take over half of what they worked their entire life to build . 
now , mr. speaker , i grew up working on a farm , and i represent a large portion of rural east texas . 
east texas is a great place to live , but sometimes it can be a challenging place to make a good living . 
recently , i spoke to a rancher in my district who has worked hard nearly 30 years building up a cattle ranch operation . 
his greatest dream is one day to leave that ranch to his family . 
but with sadness in his voice he told me , you know what , congressman ? 
by the time the government takes its share , there is just not enough to go around . 
it is not fair to take that family 's ranch . 
it is not fair that americans are being taxed twice on the same income . 
and it is not fair that the federal government can step in and automatically inherit 55 percent of the family farm , a family business or a family nest egg . 
mr. speaker , let us vote for this rule . 
let us support h.r. 8 . 
let us kill the death tax and breathe new life into the american dream . 
