Christians For The Estate Tax

SOJOURNERS:

"If Senate leadership has its way, American inequality is about to take a giant step forward with efforts to repeal or gut the estate tax. Never mind it's been in place for nearly 100 years, is a substantial source of government revenue, and has been a major catalyst to charitable giving. And it only affects the wealthiest half of 1 percent of Americans - most family farms and small businesses are exempt.

A repeal of the estate tax will cost an estimated 1 trillion dollars in federal revenue over the next 10 years, substantially increase the deficit, dramatically diminish the resources available to help low-income families escape poverty, and further increase the pressure on the budget from the high cost of war.

Make a call to preserve the common good! Tell your senators to oppose repeal or drastic cuts in the estate tax!"

Perhaps someone can explain the use of "common good" in this political appeal? I would like to define common good to mean that no one is harmed, that all either benefit or at least do not bear a cost because of the government action in question. If you agree with my idea of the common good, then I think you would have to agree that calling to preserve the common good does not fit with continuing the estate (a.k.a. death) tax. Surely there are people who are harmed when government takes some portion of an estate.

Do you agree with my idea about the meaning of "the common good?" Or, would you define this term in some other way?

I posted just below on Galatians 6:1-10 so that I could give some thought to President Clinton's choice of scripture at his first inauguration. That led me to read the rest of Paul's letter, and I think that Galatians 5:16-26 might have some relevance to this appeal by Sojourners. Read the entire passage, but here are the specific words I think might relate to this political appeal:

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh . . . Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication . . . licentiousness, idolatry . . . enmities, strife, jealousy, anger . . . factions, envy . . . and things like these.

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, patience, kindness, generosity . . . If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.

I think I'm put off by appeals such as this by Sojourners regarding the estate tax because it is a position about a public policy that seems to encourage envy, factions, strife, and competing against one another. It seems to me a position about public policy that is inconsistent with the fruit of the Spirit when I consider the people who would have their estate taken by the coercive power of government. Do you think I'm wrong in this?