Posted on 05/03/2025 11:58:54 AM PDT by ChicagoConservative27
Buffett had largely avoided commenting on politics during the afternoon part of the annual meetings Q&A and seemed reluctant to directly address a question on what he thought about Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s efforts to cut government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
What Buffett did say was Congress isn’t doing its job to reduce the fiscal deficit.
“We are doing something that is unsustainable,” he said.
Buffett said the gap between revenue and spending was about twice as large as what can be maintained and that the more the gap widens, the more risk of it becoming “uncontrollable.”
(Excerpt) Read more at barrons.com ...
That Buffet guy shore is smart!
Tell that to the idiots that we live with, AKA Democrats.
Buffett just announced he is stepping down from berkshire at the end of the year
Tell your buddies in DC to STOP STEALING FROM US!!!
He’s one of them.
Congress is powerless to do anything about the deficit in a meaningful way. The margins are too thin.
It won’t stop till the bribes do.
Well Biden did the best to correct this! (/S)
Congress is powerless to do anything about the deficit in a meaningful way. The margins are too thin.
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Pretty much. Human nature is such that your first phrase is ignored and then the second sentence can be denied.
Nobody can tolerate an unsolvable problem. And in the end the problem doesn’t care about anyone’s tolerance.
The deficit has been unsustainable for a long time. Buffett is only saying this now because it’s Trump, not Biden or Obama, in the White House, and because Republicans have nominal control of Congress. NOW he is willing to break omerta.
Yes, Buffett is the democrats’ favorite oligarch. But what he said here is still the truth, despite the source.
Which country is he investing in?
On any topic at all.
I think that they could spend less. But, if anyone wants to make the case that entitlement programs are too big and too untouchable and that Congress has no real control, then: fine. How about controlling the judges? How about election reform? How about codifying some Executive Orders? The GOP controls both houses of Congress and yet it does nothing to support President Trump. Congress isn’t doing its job.
In 1980, the unsustainable debt (more so than the deficit) was a key issue in the election. Reagan pledged to reign in spending and reduce the debt. He failed.
Reagan wanted to increase military spending (to win the Cold War) and decrease domestic spending. He compromised, getting his increased military spending in exchange for Tip O'Neill's increased domestic spending.
In 1992, the deficit/debt was one of Perot's main talking points.
In 1994, Gingrich promised to reign in the deficit/debt in his Contract With America.
In 1996, Clinton pledged, "The era of big government is over."
The unsustainable deficit (and even more so, the debt) has been an issue all of my adult life. It's been much discussed and worried over. But always, nothing much done about it.
Some solutions to the government spending crisis.
Cut back Congress paychecks - force all Congress members to take a 50 percent pay cut, and to reduce their staff expenses by 50 percent.
Cut welfare. The pain will be great, but the country is broke.
Stop government grants to colleges and the arts. We can’t afford it.
Stop government giveaways to foreign countries. We can’t afford it.
If none of this works, invade belligerent countries and take resources as spoils of war. I hear that China has lots of gold.
Is this crazy? Well, the way government has been run for the last 75 years is crazy too.
That Buffet guy didn’t have a bunch to say when FJB and Commiela were running up the debt...
Now its heep big problem...
Go back to singing about Margaritaville...[ of course /s]
I have the opposite view. We give them 10% of the reduction in spending from year to year and stop their current salaries.
Buffett on Government Spending: The Deficit Is ‘Unsustainable’
And here we are.
The DoD doesn’t need $1 trillion a year.
However, most of the deficit cannot be directly addressed.
Hospital costs can be reduced by splitting most hospitals 50/50 between two companies.
Medicaid costs can be reduced by gently nudging people away from the program, discouraging ER use and making nursing home care cheaper. Start with $2/month Medicaid premiums and raise them by $2 for each month and each ER use. Premiums to be lowered by $2 for each month you had private coverage after enactment. Nursing homes could be two side-by-side eight-bed units primarily staffed by four people, with one night staffer for each unit. Medicaid reform could be tied to State And Local Tax (SALT) relief.
Drugs costs could be reduced by multi-government buying and payment voucher issue to patients at 80% of average drug class (biologic large volume, biologic small volume, etc.) negotiated price in lieu of purchase. Let the patients wave the voucher at the drug companies. The money to be had plus the bad publicity will make the drug companies play ball.
Notice how he just happened to neglect making this statement during the Biden/Yellen term. Huh. Gee, that’s funny how 100 days into a Trump administration he speaks up.
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