We've discussed the death tax a fair amount around here, and for better or for worse it usually breaks down to two arguments. Defenders of the tax say there's no reason the children of rich people should feel entitled to get all their parents' money, since they themselves did nothing to earn it. Critics of the tax respond by saying that if the parent earned the money, then it should be the parents' decision who gets it, and at any rate there's no particular reason the government should have a claim on it.
Did the government earn any of it?