No one who knows my personal situation would think I am not sympathetic to the needs of the active forces.

The death tax punishes the American dream - making it virtually impossible for the average American family to build wealth across generations.

Misdirected focus on paperwork, on procedures, and on bureaucracy frustrates teachers and fails to give children the education they need.

According to the Small Business Administration, more than 70 percent of all family businesses do not survive through the second generation, and 8 percent do not make it to a third.

The death tax is one of the leading causes of the dissolution of small businesses.

As we have heard, the end of al-Zarqawi is a significant blow to al-Qaida operations in Iraq. It is another clear indication of the progress we are making.

We need to end permanently the tax that punishes American values of savings and investment and of building small businesses and family farms and ranches.