Monday, June 29, 2020

In memory of Ed Kleinbard

I wanted to express my very great grief, both personally and professionally, regarding the death of Ed Kleinbard, who succumbed last night to a vicious cancer that he had been fiercely, bravely, and creatively battling for many years.

 

I'll start by repeating some words written by Joe Bankman. Then I'll switch to a personal note.

 ; 

From Joe: “Ed spent the first 25 years of his career in practice, where he helped shape the tax treatment of derivatives and wrote academic and practical articles on tax reform.  He served as Chief of Staff to the Joint Committee on Taxation from 2007-2009, and then accepted a full-time appointment at USC in 2009.

 

“In the next ten years, Ed wrote over a hundred pieces, ranging from books, to book chapters, long law review articles, and op-eds.    He was one of the two or three most widely-read, and influential, tax scholars in the country.

 

“He is perhaps best known for his work on corporate tax avoidance.  He coined the phrase ‘stateless income’ to describe the ability of multinationals to site their worldwide income to tax-haven countries with zero rates of tax.  Most of his writing is on distributive justice.

 

“Ed was a friend and co-author.  He was funny, loyal, passionate, and acerbic.”

 

On my own personal note: I heard about Ed long before I first met him. He was a legend in the NYC and national tax bars – among people who don’t take easily to viewing others as legends. But in his case one had no choice - he stood out like a star among planets.

 

The first time I ever met him was at an NYU Tax Policy Colloquium. He arrived 5 minutes late, hence didn’t introduce himself at the start. As it happened, at that session, I kept praising what I called important work by a man named Ed Kleinbard. (It concerned a piece he had written on “tax cubbyholes” that did an extraordinary job of explaining how tax law converts the multidimensional continua of real world financial instruments into discrete, manipulable, discontinuously treated categories. This was a novel point when Ed first made it.)


Meanwhile, Ed had a lot to say at the session, and a couple of other NYC tax practitioners in the room kept calling him “Eddie” (a form of address that I don’t think he preferred). Finally I asked him who he was, he said “Ed Kleinbard,” and everyone laughed because of how I had been praising his work. Someone told me afterwards that, if I had known who he was all along & been playing dumb in this way, it would have proved I was a natural Dean candidate. (But of course no such bad luck.)

 

I soon became good friends with Ed, who by this point was close to his career change (Joint Committee of Taxation chief of staff, then law teaching & scholarship). Indeed, I wanted to recruit him to the NYU law faculty, although this did not end up happening. I always learned from him, and always found him delightful. A true polymath, among other things.

 

Because the academic world, like so many other realms, is at times a social club, some of his work did not receive as much respectful attention as it deserved. I have here particularly in mind his work on reforming the corporate tax (and capital income taxation more generally), such as through the business enterprise income tax (BEIT) and dual income taxation. Far worse ideas than his - which is a very good one - have gotten far more attention than the BEIT ever did.

 

Ed is the second great friend of mine in academics to die tragically before his time. The first was David Bradford. (I’d also count Walter Blum, but at least he got to live into his 70s before succumbing, also prematurely, to cancer.) Each one’s death leaves me feeling bereft – not that it is about me. I would so like have dinner with each of them again, and discuss things of mutual interest, both personal and professional.

 

The last time I saw Ed was at USC last December, where I flew out to give a talk. As it happened, the day before I flew out there, I had a terrifying health scare, which turned out NOT to materialize. (I.e., a preliminary test raised the possibility of something very bad, but a follow-up test that I had the next week showed that I was actually okay.)

 

With that potential bad news haunting me, I stepped into a restaurant in downtown LA to meet Ed for dinner, the night before my USC talk. Almost his first words upon seeing me were that I didn’t look so good. We talked it out, and he was incredibly encouraging, as well as empathetic and enlightening given his own  health issues. He also offered great advice in the event that things should turn out badly, in the follow-up test, rather than well. I almost felt as if I had let him down by turning out to be okay.

 

I remember thinking afterwards that there wasn’t anyone in the world, leaving aside immediate family, who could have been so supportive and encouraging, as well as concretely helpful, as Ed was in that conversation. (Knock on wood re. my escape: and, for ALL of us, any such reprieves are only temporary.)

 

I am sure I am not the only one who wants to think about how best to honor Ed. One or more public events honoring both him and his work should certainly be a part of this, even if it has to be held via Zoom. Something ought also to be published as a part of this, with many people’s contributions. I hope to be able to hear &/or say more about this in the days to come.

13 comments:

eja said...

Thanks for posting this Dan. Ed was truly one of the most creative and insightful people I've ever had the opportunity to deal with. He was always incredibly generous with his time, offering insightful and thorough comments on anything I ever sent him. Even if the topic wasn't in his area of (considerable) expertise. He will truly be missed.

DM Hasen said...

The contributions were many and important. "Stateless Income" sharpened the stakes in international taxation in ways that no previous scholarship had. It was just one of Ed's contributions and is particularly illustrative of what he brought to the table in thinking about many, many topics. Ed's passing is a huge loss.

Wei Cui said...

Dan: I remember Ed's NYU session in 2004 presenting Competitive Convergence in the Financial Service Markets. David Bradford was a co-host. Two tragically early deaths. A huge loss for all of us again. -Wei

William Ava said...

Fox Nation app on my Roku!

Fox Nation is one subscription service offered to you by Fox News, and it does not ask you for any cable TV provider to start with the activation process. Firstly, go to the Roku channel store and input the app’s name into the Find bar. Get the results and choose to add the channel. Once after the installation, open the app and get the channel link code. Note this code and reach foxnation.com/activate. In there, enter the link code to start with activating fox nation roku. And then get all your shows on a big screen.

You can contact +1-805-436-1200 our professional expert squad by dialing the toll-free number to know more about fox nation roku and its activation via foxnation.com/activate.

Riajengenelen said...

Hello everyone, Are you into trading or just wish to give it a try, please becareful on the platform you choose to invest on and the manager you choose to manage your account because that’s where failure starts from be wise. After reading so much comment i had to give trading tips a try, I have to come to the conclusion that binary options pays massively but the masses has refused to show us the right way to earn That’s why I have to give trading tips the accolades because they have been so helpful to traders . For a free masterclass strategy kindly contact (paytondyian699@gmail.com) for a free masterclass strategy. He'll give you a free tutors on how you can earn and recover your losses in trading for free..

Unknown said...

Ed Kleinbard was not only an intellectual giant, he was also incredibly kind between bursts of razor wit. -Ruth

Unknown said...

I went to junior high and high school with Ed at Rye Country Day School, where we called him "Eddie." I had to discipline myself to call him Ed later in life. I have pitched his book "We Are Better Than This: How Government Should Spend Our Money" to a number of politicians over the years, and even though tax law was my least favorite class in law school, his socially and philosophically sound tax policy arguments were brilliant. I always tried to get him to come back to our renuions after he moved to California, only a little farther away from NY than Arizona, where I lived, and was so please that we all got to see him last October at our 50th reunion. A great loss for all of us. --Ann Haralambie

mansi said...

Activation of Roku Device
Firstly switch on the Roku TV and the streaming device.
Connect the device to your internet connection.
Launch the TV screen
Roku
com link Activation Code, once it appears on the screen after launching must be noted down.
The code consists of a URL. It is often known as Roku my account link.
Open the link in the browser to activate the Roku device.
Enter the com link activation code and login.
After login, enter the com link activation code to finally activate the Roku device.
You can also add or remove channels online using your Roku account. Roku users have to pay one time for any channel purchase. You can pay online using a credit or debit card.
Problems while using Roku
Some common problems that you might face while using Roku can be as follows:
The Internet connection can be one hurdle while using a Roku device.
In case your TV is not upgraded it will be difficult to use the Roku device. You must upgrade your TV to use the device properly.
Internet server issues can disrupt the network.
In case your network is not secure that can lead to virus attacks or system failure.

Anonymous said...

🔥 ☑️MEET THE REAL HACKERS☑️ 🔥

It Tears me Up Whenever we receive complaints from People About Their Experience With the Hackers They Met Before They Heard about us.
These Days There Are alot of Hackers Online, You Just Have to Be Careful about who you meet for help, because many people now don't really know who to ask for help anymore but there is an actual solution to that which I am giving you for free, Trust Me You Don't Wanna go out there seeking for Hackers Yourself, Because the probability of getting a Real Hacker Out there Is Very Slim . ❌❌ ❌ Most Of Them are actually not who they say they're, they are just out there to Rip people Off, Trust Me You Don’t Wanna Risk It. You Can Always Identify Them With Their False Advertisements and False Testimonies Trying To Lure you Into their Arms, And most of them use yahoomails, gmails and other cheap email providers which could easily expose their vulnerabilities, Please Don’t Fall For Them🚷 Come To Think Of It, Why would a Legit Hacker Be using a gmail or a cheap email provider that exposes his vulnerabilities????⚠️⚠️⚠️
Well, Our Purpose Here Is To Link You Up With Top Notched Legit Hackers With Great Online Reputations and Impressive LinkedIn Profiles That’ll Blow Your Mind. Trust Me, You Don’t Wanna Miss This Great Opportunity.

🔥 ☑️ COMPOSITE CYBER SECURITY SPECIALISTS are the Answers to your PRAYERS . We are here to Provide you with The BEST and FASTEST Hackers that would get your Job Done as Fast as possible. 🔥 🔥


☑️All our Specialists are well experienced in their various niches with Great Skills, Technical Hacking Strategies And Positive Online Reputations And Recommendations🔘
They hail from a proven track record and have cracked even the toughest of barriers to intrude and capture all relevant data needed by our Clients. 🔥 🔥

We have Digital Forensic Specialists⚡️, Certified Ethical Hackers⚡️, Software Engineers⚡️, Cyber Security Experts⚡️, Private investigators and more⚡️⚡️. Our Goal is to make your digital life secure, safe and hassle free by Linking you Up With these great Professionals such as JACK CABLE, ARNE SWINNEN, SEAN MELIA, DAWID CZAGAN, BEN SADEGHIPOUR And More. These Professionals are Well Reserved Professionals who are always ready to Handle your job with great energy and swift response so that your problems can be solved very quickly.
All You Need to Do is to send us a mail and we’ll Assign any of these specialists to Handle your Job immediately. ⚡️⚡️⚡️

☑️ Below Is A List Of Our Major Services:
▪️ FUNDS RECOVERY ON BITCOIN SCAM, INVESTMENTS, BINARY OPTIONS TRADING and ALL TYPES OF SCAMS.
▪️ WEBSITE AND DATABASE HACKING 💻
▪️ CREDIT REPAIR. 💳
▪️ PHONE HACKING & CLONING (giving you 📱 Unnoticeable access to everything Happening on the Target’s Phone)
▪️ CLEARING OF CRIMINAL RECORDS ❌
▪️ SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS HACKING 📱
▪️RECOVERY OF DELETED FILES 📤
▪️LOCATION TRACKING 📌
▪️BITCOIN MINING ⛏ And lot More.

✅ COMPOSITE CYBER SECURITY SPECIALISTS are Basically the ANSWERS to your PRAYERS. Trust Me, You Don’t Wanna Miss Out This Great Experience.

📩CONTACT US TODAY:
Email:
composite.cybersecurity@protonmail.com

🔘2020 © composite cybersecurity specialists
🔘Want faster service? Contact us!
🔘All Rights Reserved ®️










































Lawson Williams said...

The simple truth about binary options which many of us do not know is the fact that it is mainly based on predictions. Without proper knowledge of what next can happen to the stock market, you are sure to lose your funds. That is why it is important to be tutored or mentored by a professional trader in binary options. During few days of being mentored by Sir Robert  I've learnt much and also succeeding in trades and has been doing successful withdrawals and was able to recover all my lost funds. Feel free to contact him on: Robertseaman939@gmail.com 

DEBY FINANCING LOANS COMPANY said...


I am a private money lender and Investor, Do you need a legit, honest, reputable and quick loan? I can help you with 100% guarantee loan, I am offering business and individual loan, More also we finance all kind of projects. Waiting to hear from you to enable us send you the loan application form or for more details contact


CONTACT LENDER COMPANY:

C.E.O. Deby Johnson.
debyfinancingloans@gmail.com
Whatsapp Number: +447459797459
Whatsapp Number: +918375004762
DEBY FINANCING LOANS COMPANY

Unknown said...

HELLO
Do you find yourself in a bit of trouble with unpaid bills and don’t know which way to go or where to turn? What about finding a reputable Debt Consolidation firm that can assist you in reducing monthly installment so that you will have affordable repayment options as well as room to breathe when it comes to the end of the month and bills need to get paid? ®Capital Managements Inc™ is the solution to your financial misfortune. We offer all types of loan ranging from $5,000.00 to $533,000,000.00USD with a low interest rate of 2% and loan duration of 1 to 35 years to pay back the loan secure and unsecured. Our loans are well insured for maximum security is our priority, Our leading goal is to help you get the services you deserve, Our program is the quickest way to get what you need in a snap. Kindly reduce your payments to ease the strain on your monthly expenses by Contacting us on the following WhatsApp:+19292227023 Email drbenjaminfinance@gmail.com

Loan Offer Alert For Everyone! Are you financially down and you need an urgent credit/financial assistance? Or are you in need of a loan to start-up/increase your business or buy your dream house. GET YOUR INSTANT LOAN APPROVAL 100% GUARANTEED TODAY NO MATTER YOUR CREDIT SCORE. drbenjaminfinance@gmail.com
Capital Managements Inc Website: https://capitalmanage-inc.com/

Ric Clayton said...

I really want to thank Dr Emu for saving my marriage. My wife really treated me badly and left home for almost 3 month this got me sick and confused. Then I told my friend about how my wife has changed towards me. Then she told me to contact Dr Emu that he will help me bring back my wife and change her back to a good woman. I never believed in all this but I gave it a try. Dr Emu casted a spell of return of love on her, and my wife came back home for forgiveness and today we are happy again. If you are going through any relationship stress or you want back your Ex or Divorce husband you can contact his whatsapp +2347012841542 or email emutemple@gmail.com website: Https://emutemple.wordpress.com/ Https://web.facebook.com/Emu-Temple-104891335203341