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Stop fabricating numbers. The US National debt is about $14.5 trillion, not anywhere close to 54 trillion.

Btw, the Bush tax cuts — costing $1.8 trillion from 2002 to 2009 — are a big reason we got into this deep hole.

Buffet: I would note that a net of nearly 40 million jobs were added between 1980 and 2000. You know what’s happened since then: lower tax rates and far lower job creation.



It's not a made-up number.

US debt to bondholders is around $14.5 trillion.

The US also promised Medicare and Social Security payments to retirees that are underfunded by $59 trillion:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-05-28-federal-b...

The numbers will vary here according to longevity and interest rates, but the bill is huge, and it will have to be paid with tax money.


You know what’s happened since then: lower tax rates and far lower job creation.

By this logic, we should undo the large increases in government spending since 2000 as well. Works for me.


Had you checked the first google result for United States debt, you would have found where the confusion is coming from: the national debt is 14.5 trillion, and the total debt is 54 trillion (Source: http://www.usdebtclock.org/). I'm guessing "total debt" according to the debt clock includes things like state governments and private citizens, although Wikipedia claims that the 14.5 trillion figure is total debt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt).


Buffet who should know better: correlation doesn't imply causation




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