Warren Buffet’s 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom: Finally, a still-sane man in the U.S.!

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Billionaire Warren Buffet wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Times recently. The letter was published in the August 15th edition. The reason why I am talking to you about that is that it is so rare to hear or read rich people in the U.S., and in the world, to actually say that it might be good to share both wealth and responsibilities with others, that it becomes an event by itself. As a centrist, I am becoming so weary of the useful fools on the Left but also on the Right, that sometimes I feel discouraged by all the crap that I hear or read. Here, with this letter, you have the opinion of a man who, believe it or not, and contrary to the vast majority of his peers, seems to have kept his senses, his intelligence, his judgement, his mental faculties. That’s certainly refreshing. So there is no way in hell that I want to miss that opportunity to underline that exercice. When people in charge, officially or in the shadows, conduct themselves as idiots, bandits and criminals, I think we have to say it and denounce it. But when they show opposite behavior, good and decent qualities, in all fairness, we have to pay tribute. It’s been a long time since I have not see anything coming out of the U.S., besides the work of my friends that I like to reference as often as I can, that seems moderate, thoughful and wise. That’s why I invite you to read this. The solution of our problems is not on the Right. The rich have to pay their taxes like any other citizens, in all fairness. And the solution is not on the Left. Seizing the wealth of the rich to give it to the poor makes no sense. When there are no rich anymore, who is going to invest huge chunks of capital when it is needed? The real solution is in the Center. Everybody is taxed by the governement at the same rate. Period. Thus, nobody can whine they are not treated with fairness. I also join a short clip of Buffet following the news that he had been chosen Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient for 2010.

Warren Buffet on taxation

Ray McGovern’s performance during Clinton’s speech on freedom on the Internet: childishness or more smearing?

I hesitated a lot before covering this story, and then suddenly I decided to go ahead with it. I wasn’t sure exactly what to think, I had certain doubts and questions but now I see more clearly. In fact, what I actually thought on first impression has imposed itself as the valid explanation. I also have to mention that the story was covered as well by people I respect in the progressive sector and because they covered it in a way that I feel is not correct, I feel obligated to retort and set the record strait. I became aware of this story through the Boiling Frogs show and the Peter B. Collins show. As you may know, the websites for these two shows are listed on your right in the category Politics and Policy, and I also took the time to write a description of them in the section Resistance that you can read here. So I was more than perplex about the incident and the coverage they made of it.

First of all, let me set the scene to help you understand the context. Hillary Clinton is giving a speech about freedom of speech on the internet and let me precise as well that he video available on Youtube for this incident could be better. The framing, at the beginning of the scene, doesn’t allow us to see the whole room, with McGovern it it. We only see Clinton and we have to make do with it. This room, as the camera frames back, reveals itself to be of a relatively small dimension, and filled with people who are relax and seemingly willing to listen to a speech. And then we witness McGovern being seized by security guards, and after a few seconds we can hear him shout « So this is America? », and the video ends. I wish we could have a better document on which to base our analysis but all we can do is rely on this one. Continuer la lecture