mr. speaker , we have heard a lot of rhetoric here today , and some of it a bit disingenuous . 
i think it is a bit disingenuous to say in a loud tone , demanding an answer to some rhetorical question , and then demand , well , i hear none , when all of us here are observing the rules and not interrupting . 
it is a bit interesting to hear people talk about red herrings , and i like hearing from people across the aisle that they want to talk about real facts . 
so let me talk about real facts . 
this , my friends , is a music box . 
it plays amazing grace . 
i would wind it up and play it now if the rules allowed that . 
it belonged to my great aunt lillie . 
she was land rich . 
over a hundred years their family accumulated land , farm and ranch . 
i bought this music box at an irs auction where the irs forced the sale of everything she owned . 
they accumulated about 2 , 500 acres of farm and ranch land . 
she died in july of 1986 , and shortly thereafter land was dumped on the market . 
times were rough , and the value of the land that was around $ 2 , 000 an acre when she died went to $ 600 or $ 700 an acre . 
the irs was actually very gracious . 
they gave a couple of extensions or so . 
they allowed another appraisal , but it was around $ 2 , 000 an acre when she died . 
the irs required the sale of every acre of land that they owned . 
they sold every item out of her home . 
if anybody in the family wanted anything , we had to show up at the auction and buy it . 
i bought this keepsake to remember my great aunt lillie , who had been so gracious and kind and a great farm woman and a great gentlewoman . 
so if you want to talk about the death tax in real facts , here it is . 
the death tax provides no grace , amazing or otherwise . 
it is a socialist notion , and it needs to go away . 
