"Fight the power that be!"
(Des Moines, Iowa) An exclusive Fish and Cheese interview with Howard Buffett, son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, on why he supports the “Occupy Wall Street” movement.
Fish and Cheese: It’s hard to believe that a wealthy, conservative-looking man such as yourself could support a radical movement like “Occupy Wall Street.”
Howard Buffett: Well, like my daddy’s said before, it’s class warfare right now, and frankly, our side is kicking butt.
I mean, being rich is great when the poor have a chance, but it’s getting really unfair. It’s like the Detroit Tigers playing the bottom team in the Omaha girl’s T-ball league.
 "Eat 90-mile-an-hour lead, poor girl! |
 "please don't kill me symbol of capitalism! I'm just trying to stay alive here!" |
There’s never been such a wide gap between rich and poor. In technical terms, it’s like in the cartoons when an earthquake causes a gap to open up beneath Goofy and he’s forced to do the splits. That’s got to hurt.
F&C: Is it true that your dad’s secretary pays more proportionally in taxes than he does?
HB: Yup. Ridiculous, huh? And my dad really pays the taxes he owes.
By the way, he doesn’t even hire fancy accountants. Every year on April 14th I see him in his study, in his underwear, typing stuff into TurboTax!
But seriously, some rich guys stash their loot in the Caymans or the Bahamas or something and barely pay anything. I can’t mention any of these guys by name or I wouldn’t get invited to the monthly Rich Guy’s Poker Party.
Talking out of both sides of their mouths.
F&C: Do any of these tax dodgers have names that rhyme with Smichael Smoomberg?
HB: No comment.
F&C: And you support what these young people are doing by squatting in a private plaza in New York City? And would you go there yourself?
HB: Oh yes. But look, I’m a busy man. I work for my dad’s company, I’m on several corporate boards. I fill out all those online petitions and I sent 200 pizzas down there.
Also, I wouldn’t fit in with the protestors down in Zucotti Park.
"Ohm. Ohm. I don't want the bank to take anyone's Ohm."
Actually, I wouldn’t even fit in Zucotti Park.
(laughs)
You think Chris Christie is the only guy that can make fat jokes?
That is the largest picture we have ever run. Why didn’t you do that with the drunken Lindsay Lohan underwear photo?