Warren Buffett is right again...

I strongly believe, that the content of the interview with Warren Buffett (quoted below) should be known by every American.
PLEASE, PASS IT ON TO AS MANY AMERICANS YOU CAN.  When we all talk about it, we may make a change.

The presidential elections are just round the corner.  In less, than 2 weeks we will have the second term of HOPE-GENERATING PRESIDENT (Pres. Obama), or turn back to the DARK AGES, where all minorities including women have no rights, the sick simply die without the health coverage on pre-existing conditions, and where the Super-Rich are carried on the shoulders of the middle class.
Although, the Warren Buffet interview doesn't have a direct bearing on the result of the elections - it may have a long lasting impact on who is elected in the nearest congressional elections, and who is creating the laws of this country.

******************** QUOTED AFTER LIVELEAK (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=712_1319407857) ****************

Warren Buffett in Recent interview with CNBC, offered one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling "I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000031948
http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000033852

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18-year-old's) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971 - before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year or less to become the law of the land - all because of public pressure.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 01/01/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women.

Congressmen/women made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

Warren Edward Buffett: (born August 30, 1930) is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors in the world. Often introduced as "legendary investor, Warren Buffett", he is the primary shareholder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is consistently ranked among the world's wealthiest people. He was ranked as the world's wealthiest person in 2008 and is the third wealthiest person in the world as of 2011.

Buffett is called the "Wizard of Omaha", "Oracle of Omaha" or the "Sage of Omaha" and is noted for his adherence to the value investing philosophy and for his personal frugality despite his immense wealth. Buffett is also a notable philanthropist, having pledged to give away 99 percent of his fortune to philanthropic causes, primarily via the Gates Foundation. He also serves as a member of the board of trustees at Grinnell College.


******************** QUOTED AFTER LIVELEAK (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=712_1319407857) ****************

I am back! - a personal note in the troublesome political climate.

I took a 'sabbatical' for a year.   Even though my blogging endeavor was only one year old, I had to put it aside, to commit myself to other, quite absorbing issues.  Blogging went on a 'back burner'…

The presidential campaign already started to be the most idiotic political background one could imagine.  Republicans started proving to the America and the World that the truth was important only to the 'weaklings' and they - 'alpha males' didn't care about it at all, and bent it the way they felt fit.

Many things got into play at that time, but one of the most unsettling was - cancer.  In May, last year I was diagnosed with an early stage of prostate cancer.  I lived with this 'Sword of Damocles' for years, since my father fell victim to this condition, not-diagnosed on time.

To my surprise, and more to the surprise of others, I didn't react to this news with the typical panic followed by psychological triad: denial, anger, depression.  

I was constantly waiting for it - this natural, human reaction to the news of a terminal disease…  But, no.  It didn't come (although any American might have gone into panic just thinking about the direction the Country might be going if the Republicans were at the helm).
Instead, it proved to be a 'Reset Button'.  It brought the clarity, absolute clarity about my life, with it's achievements and it's failures.

Clarity, which reorganizes the life in a very positive way, beginning with the new look at some relationships, friendships, business ties, which were taken for granted till that point.  Some didn't stand a chance under this review…, some grew stronger.  

Many, facing a possible demise, dive into the awaiting arms of religion, becoming born again, devotees, religious freaks… 

In my case, instead, my growing clarity reinforced my pragmatic, atheist outlook.  No BS in life, no BS in business, no BS in politics, no BS, period.

It took a few months of 'second opinions', and additional tests to make sure that the condition is as it was diagnosed, treatable in it's early stage.  It took months of rapid educational course on a subject, including reading the CT and MRI scans, various methods of treatment and various approaches to living with it.

And then - preparation, surgery, a very brief hospital stay, a few months of recovery…  normal life again - slimming down, and more energetic than ever...

The news about Republican, medieval approach to women rights, medieval approach to minorities, both ethnic and sexual, were overwhelmingly flooding the media.  Inquisition like approach to the role of the religion in the private lives and in the functioning of the State was spewing from the lips of the Bible Belt born and raised Presidential Candidates (all in spite of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the USA).  There was nothing else on any news channel, beginning from MSNBC, NBC, CNN to Al Jazeera (sorry, I do not even acknowledge the existence of FOX News - since FOX NEWS is an oxymoron).  

And yet, all that time, my clarity grew stronger.  I realized, that life itself doesn't have a value.  What really matters is what one does with it, what one experiences in one's life and how trustworthy one becomes.  Life can end any time for one of the countless reasons - completely independently from how one leads the life and what it matters in one's mind.  

Religious teachings (in many religions) put emphasis on living one's life, like there is no tomorrow (although this term is generally misinterpreted).  The judgment day may come tomorrow and one will face the maker and weigh their souls against a feather… and so on...  

A near brush with death (or it's emissary - cancer) made me realize, that, although there are countless things I would like to achieve in the remaining part of my life, I have already had a life which provided me with what is important.  My life has already given me - knowing places and working on 4 continents, participating in preserving the World's Cultural Heritage, learning languages and things which changed me, having interesting and stimulating job, trying things others would be afraid to, knowing deep feelings like real love, having good and interesting people around me, and being with right life-companion (my wife of 21 years).

I never cared about the material gains (sometimes it would be nice to have more of it).  It was always more important to do interesting things, to be involved in interesting development, to do something better for bettering oneself.

This is the main reason why I evolved to be a liberal, who I am at this point.  This is the reason why I can't agree with the Republicans when they say (OK, Mitt Romney said that on one of fundraisers in Florida) that 47% of US population doesn't pay income taxes - and he doesn't care about them (since they would vote for Obama anyway).  Republicans believe (on record) that only the way it was delivered is wrong, but the message was right (!!!!!!!!!). 

This is outrageous.

I do not believe in redistribution of wealth (as they accuse President Obama of having this as a desired goal).  But I strongly believe (as our President believes) that those who do not worry about their economical status - because they have an accumulated wealth - have to make their contribution high enough, to allow the poor and the meek to live their lives without the constant appearance of their 'Sword of Damocles' - hunger, or homelessness.  

I do believe that the Republicans' efforts to shift the burden of maintaining the Country (with it's military might) even more to the shoulders of the Middle Class is UNPATRIOTIC.  Yes, I dare calling the most socially detached Presidential Candidate - Mitt Romney and his cronies UNPATRIOTIC.

There is nothing patriotic also in treating the 'unsuccessful' economically people who fell under the poverty level, like trash - because Mitt Romney and his likes closed their factories and sent the jobs oversees.  We still talk about the American Dream, but it's only a talk… Soon we will read about it in Wikipedia:  "Once upon the time…" - no one alive will actually experience it (thanks to Republicans' economical plans).

I have spent 50% (exactly this year) of my life outside of my 'country of origin'.  What means, that most of my adult life has been spent in the United States, and traveling through, or briefly living in other countries.  

2012 - being the "YEAR OF CLARITY" for me, is also a year of my 20th Anniversary of my US Citizenship.  I care about the USA and it's population.  It goes without saying.  This is my HOME.

At no point in my life I experienced so much anxiety about the future of the USA.  I still believe, that the USA is (still IS!) the best real system, so far created - with the freedoms never experienced anywhere else - including the most advanced societies of the Western Europe.  It's a fragile system, which requires as much giving to it and caring for it, as taking out, and benefiting from it.  

But Mitt Romney and others (all his competitors before his nomination) have proven that what they are interesting in, is just SUCKING IT DRY - like leaches.

I dream about the situation when one would look at the 2 (or more) candidates for President, compare their agenda, and had difficulties choosing because in all agendas would be something good for the country and good for it's people.

I believe, that even when President Reagan (so readily called as an idol or demigod of the Republican agenda) was reelected there was still something in both parties agendas which was worth considering.

But it was the last such moment in history so far.  

We all know the METROPOLIS - a famous psychological sci-fi picture directed in 1927 by Fritz Lang - showing the soulless industrial Moloch 'devouring' it's living underground, working class…

It seems like today's Republicans (at least those who are loudly heard) lead the country to a metaphorically similar predicament.

I only wish, that American people recover their eyesight in time, and in about 50 days will be wise enough to cast their votes for the only candidate who has the Nation's benefit in mind - incumbent President - Barack Obama.