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Buffett: We're Going to Be Crushed Under Mountain of Debt

Posted Aug 19, 2009 11:51am EDT by Henry Blodget in Investing, Media, Newsmakers, Recession, Banking

A highly influential American has finally hit the panic button about the tremendous mountain of debt the country is piling up.

Last year, Warren Buffett says, we were justified in using any means necessary to stave off another Great Depression.  Now that the economy is beginning to recover, however, we need to curtail our out-of-control spending, or we'll destroy the value of the dollar and many Americans' life savings.

Some not-so-fun facts from Buffett's editorial today in the New York Times:

  • Congress is now spending 185% of what it takes in
  • Our deficit is a post WWII record of 13% of GDP
  • Our debt is growing by 1% a month
  • We are borrowing $1.8 trillion a year

$1.8 trillion is a lot of money.  Even if the Chinese lend us $400 billion a year and Americans save a remarkable $500 billion and lend it to the government, we'll still need another $900 billion.

So, where's it going to come from?  Most likely the printing press.  And, ultimately, Buffett says, that will destroy the value of the dollar.

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770 Comments

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday August 19, 2009 11:58AM EDT

AMEN.....Mr. BUFFET...Finally some Words Of..."WISDOM" Out Of Your MOUTH & BRAIN....!!!!!!!!Amen.

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday August 19, 2009 11:58AM EDT

Something that everyone on main street with common sense already knew.

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:02PM EDT

over spending 85% and borrowing money from China means not only a new deal - but a whole NEW deck of cards.

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:02PM EDT

Why wouldn't you link to the very article you are discussing? Here is Warren's NY Times piece: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/opinion/19buffett.html

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:02PM EDT

If I spend 185% of my income I will go broke, how about you???

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:03PM EDT

I AGREE

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:03PM EDT

since when are stocks hard assets?

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:05PM EDT

crash the dollar and start over again. just like a monopoly game. the game is over. lets start a new one

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:05PM EDT

Suprise, Suprise!!!

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:06PM EDT

Paying the interest on the debt will take money away from consumer spending. Paying down the debt, both public and private, will take even more out of the consumer economy.

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:08PM EDT

Well now he cares after he bought shitloads of new stock. I respect the man and his accomplisments but don't care for his obviuos rhetoric today.

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:08PM EDT

Thanks for this segment. Good stuff.

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:09PM EDT

Well of course we are - this is why this year we are seeing RECORD compensation for executives... everyone is looking to get 'theirs' NOW! It's criminal to see how the government is so willing to stripmine the wealth of our future generations with the stroke of a pen. It's criminal that some of these 'elitists' earn as much in a WEEK as an average family will be able to earn in a lifetime... A LIFE TIME... 45 years of an average working man = 1 week of some of these executives. We had no say in the taking... to 'them' we're simply walking piggy banks. I don't like it.

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:09PM EDT

Solution - Move to one global currency - Our Dollar Bill.

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:11PM EDT

Mr. Buffet himself has said that he less taxes percentage wise than his secretary. We have to rescind the Bush tax cuts, and probably go further on the upper 1%. Gee, $1.5 Trillion deficit and Bush's cuts about the same. Concidence?...

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:11PM EDT

At the end Henry says we are doing ok with inflation after you strip out FOOD and ENERGY. WHAT??????? Why does anyone accept Hedonics? It's a joke.

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:11PM EDT

I thought Buffet approved of Obama. Apparently not his spending policies. Obama is a nice charismatic guy with good intentions. Who unfortunately has no clue how to run a business(govt).

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:11PM EDT

Cut the defense spending by half and we'll be fine. It just cost us too much to play the role of a world police.

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:11PM EDT

so he endorsed the bigest spending democrat ever for for prez? gee, thanx alot WARREN!

- Wednesday August 19, 2009 12:12PM EDT

The democrats are spending 185% of what they are brining in... and we are pushing jobs out of this country as fast as economically possible. We are in for a long 'sawtooth' recovery - likely 10+ years! This culture of "I want it now" won't have the patience to see this through - so they are doing exactly what they know... BORROW IT. They didn't borrow it, they took it - FROM US!

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