Are you intentionally not getting it? Only a fool would want to pay more taxes than he has to when he would be the only one doing so. He plays by the rules, such as they are, but he gives enough of a shit to want to change them for the benefit of the country you live in. As for those "poor slobs that make 100k a year," perhaps I am mistaken, but I don't think that Obama is looking to increase that guy's tax burden. He is looking to give relief to the middle class, which has been getting systematically squeezed out by the Bush Administration. Unless you are among the financial elite, you would likely benefit with Obama in office.
He has owned a big slug of Wash Post stock for a long time. Of course he gets good press. He didn't exactly "give away" all his money either. He transferred it to Bill Gates' private foundation, a favorite tax dodge of the super wealthy.
Oh, the audacity of it all, eh? If it's not such a selfless thing to do, then feel free to do the equivalent at your pay grade level.
Huh? The lowest 40% of U.S. wage earners already pay no tax. Since Bush lowered EVERYONE'S taxes how did they get "squeezed"? And since Obama is NOT going to be lowering ANYONE'S taxes how are the non "elite" going to "benefit" by Obama?
Buffett in the past had endorsed Republicans as well. He supported Bob Dole's presidential bid and Schwarzenegger's run for CA governor.
Are you for real? A tax dodge would be setting up a family LLC, giving each of his kids a title, and dispensing as much income through that LLC as possible before and after his death. Or, he could just pay the maximum estate (or 'death') tax of 55% (that I am in favor of abolishing or modifying heavily, by the way - an area where I disagree with Buffet), which would still leave his kids with approximately 23 billion dollars, even after that tax. But, he is leaving each child around 10 million, and giving ALL of the rest to the Gates Foundation, which is a qualifying charity, doing such things as providing vaccinations, medical treatment, food, clean water, educations, etc. to some of the poorest children on the planet. How, exactly, is this a tax 'dodge?'
If true then he is a tad hypocritical, given his repeated critiques of the "lucky sperm" factor. A truly consistent equal opportunity believer should give nothing to their kids.
Bush increased taxes. He just transferred the burden from present to future taxpayers, by doubling the US national debt.