Debbie Bosanek, Warren Buffett's Secretary, Won't Talk Tax Reform, Obama Deficit Reduction Plan

Slate Magazine:

For nearly two decades, Debbie Bosanek has fielded press calls, investor queries, and sundry other requests for her boss, billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Now, she herself is in the middle of a very bright spotlight.

Read the whole story: Slate Magazine

Comments

[IllinoisResident]

08:39 AM on 09/21/2011

When Warren Buffet says he pays 'less' than his secretary, he is playing with words in a dishonest way. He should say the dollar amount he is paying compared to his secretary. Furthermore, he is getting many tax breaks which he does not have to take! If he wants to pay more taxes, then why doesn't he do it?

The average person does not have a good understanding of how percentages work when speaking about the tax code. Also, what is a millionaire?? If you check wikipedia, a millionaire is someone who has a million dollars or more in assets (including one's home and possessions). Someone with a family income of $200,000 or less could be considered a millionaire. In fact, in todays economy, someone living on a salary at poverty level could be considered a millionaire. I'm sure there are many unemployed people today who are living off their savings which could be a million or more. Perhaps this was their retirement savings or their kid's college funds.

Don't be surprised when middle class Americans are considered 'millionaires'.

[parlimentMike]

03:18 AM on 09/21/2011

I think the inquiry is inappropriate. She's a private citizen.

[terry63]

12:19 AM on 09/21/2011

What if we find out that Buffet's secretary is in the 250,000 a year crowd? What if we find that she has stock worth Millions?We will know soon. The main stream media wont tell you of course but the word will get out. I want to know how much money Buffets secretaery make's There's a scoop for you Huff post.

[parmador]

11:14 PM on 09/20/2011

One fact that most people do not know is that most of the money people invest, especially at first when they start investing is taxed at a higher rate than 15% because it is income and for the wealthier that is 28% or 35%, which means the money they invest has already been taxed once before. However you look at it the rich pay a lot more in taxes than the 47% who do not pay ANY income tax and not only that but a lot of them receive generous stipends (welfare) from the federal and state gvernments. Also a lot of those lower end non-taxpayers do work for cash. Most of the Mexican lawn maintence people I had over the years asked me if I could pay them in "cash" and I did. HHHHmmmmm, I wonder why the want to be paid in cash? Well I can tell you this, in more than one case they were receiving welfare benefits, e.g., food stamps, Medicaid, Section 8 housing, and other welfare programs. And those are the facts as I know them. But I suspect HuffPost will not even post my comments now.

[IllinoisResident]

08:31 AM on 09/21/2011

All those people working for cash would have to pay tax if there was a national sales tax instead of income tax.

[parmador]

02:15 PM on 09/21/2011

That could be or possibly a VAT tax, though I am not sure how well it actually works. The real problem is the federal government is involved in too many areas where they do not belong. There should not even be a Department of Education and Medicare and Medicaid are suspect as legitimate functions of the federal government. Once the federal gov starts paying for anything the prices go up and of course another federal bureaucracy is created and those jobs pay great wages and have the best of benefits, better than the rest of us have for the most part. On all levels of governement there are too many workers performing too many services at too high a cost. I personally know a half a dozen people on SSA disability that are not disabled, they do other part-time work and I know people who had "losers" for children and they fought for years to get their kids on disability and eventually succeeded. Have to stop, getting close to the limit.Their kids were disfunctional because of the way they were raised by their mothers. They started smoking marijuana when they were teenagers and became slugs or zombies and they are supported by the taxpayers. End of story. Maybe a sales tax is worth trying.

[lipps]

09:59 PM on 09/20/2011

If he is so worried about her tax rate he should give her a raise and he should contribute up to and including any percetage of taxes he doesnt pay to the IRS just to make it fair. Oh wait; he must have forgotten he was already taxed 35% when he first earned the invested money.....Or he is just LYING.

[idisVA]

04:13 PM on 09/20/2011

Debbie is the most famous secretary in the world.