RE: There is absolutely nothing stopping these ultrarich self indulgent and preachy gazillionaires from sending in an extra check to the government if they feel they are not paying enough.
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You have to understand what Buffer really wants.
A brillant man like him does not need people to tell him that he can send a check anytime he wants. But that is not what he wants to do.
We must Understand Warren Buffet’s “Tax-me-more” mentality...
First, let’s talk about the issue of -— “He can always write a check to Uncle Sam”.
I don’t think the man got to be Billionaire because he is stupid and doesn’t know that he can donate his money to Uncle Sam anytime he likes. HE KNOWS THAT, sohe does not need anyone’s advise.
Anyone calling for him to write a blank check to the government can’t see the forest through the trees.
Buffet knows that a “donation” to the US government (which is effectively what most FReepers are asking him to do) won’t even make a ripple in the government revenue stream.
But I think that he’s thinking -— If he asks everyone of the “super-rich” to do it with me (which is exactly the point of his article), then it makes more sense because of the COLLECTIVE amount.
So, if his Collective Amount is viewed from his own lenses, then, Buffet’s “I’m only going to do it if you make me” argument would make perfect sense.
He’s waiting to donate his money to the Gates Foundation because he knows that the best way to make an impact is for compounding to continue to work until he no longer has any control over it (aka death). The Gates Foundation is well funded until then, and probably has no immediate use of the money.
Anybody who has followed the career of the man will begin to understand his thinking -— Spending is an issue, but so is income inequality and THAT is what Buffet thinks he is trying to address... FAIRNESS ( misguided as he is ).
Buffet believes that sooner or later the income gap will shrink - either by choice or by force. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want the latter (not that he would be around to see it.).
Just trying to go into the mind of the man folks, to find out why he’s asking to be taxed more.
See my post #16
He's not really asking to be taxed more. He knows how to shield his money from taxation. He is really asking to tax the hell out of the upper middle class. He and his ilk are trying to use the progressive tax code to further insulate themselves from those lower income people who keep trying to move up the ladder.