mr. speaker , i thank my friend from washington for yielding this time . 
mr. speaker , in the last 2 years , the economy has created over 3 million new jobs . 
the unemployment rate is down . 
our nation 's total output , or gross domestic product , is up . 
home ownership is at a record high , and personal income has increased . 
our economy is strong . 
to ensure that we continue to enjoy prosperity , congress should support a pro-economic growth agenda that creates jobs and helps small businesses grow . 
this includes reducing taxes . 
our families and our country are better off when they keep more of what they earn . 
one way to enable them to do that is to pass h.r. 8 , which permanently repeals the punitive death tax . 
this tax often prevents parents from passing along their life 's work and savings to their children . 
family farms , ranches and small businesses are forced to be sold to satisfy the death tax rates which can reach 55 percent . 
no one should be taxed throughout their lifetime and then have their property retaxed at the time of their death . 
it is the wrong tax at the wrong time on the wrong people . 
