Warren Buffett was born and still lives in Omaha, Nebraska.
Buffett has quickly and efficiently handled inquiries into his religious beliefs, simply stating that he's agnostic, even though he was raised Presbyterian. He has said:
The nice thing about an agnostic is you don't think anybody is wrong.[1]
As one of the world's most successful investors and financiers, this isn't a surprising take on religion. Good investors must understand very clearly if they don't know something and face up to that. Leaps of faith and speculation often results in disaster.
Buffet's politics
Buffett has stated that his concerns, rather than spiritual, are secular. There is much evidence for this in his financial prowess and political influence. Buffett is a registered Democrat and has backed the Obama administration, even offering economic advice directly to the president.
He took a hard line against John McCain during the 2008 elections, saying:
Unless he has a, I wouldn't say a sex change, but a lobotomy or something, I don't think McCain is going to change his views to be in accord with mine.[2]
Obama recently introduced legislation inspired by and named after Warren Buffet, called the "Buffett Rule." This bill sought to raise taxes on the rich and came to be after Buffett pointed out that he paid only 19% of his income in taxes while most of his much-less wealthy employees paid 33%.[3]
While a staunch supporter of the president, Buffett has been critical of some of Obama's policies, including his health care plan. Buffett supported the idea but claimed that it simply wasn't large enough to really help the American people.[4]
He was also critical of the continuously rising national debt, expressing serious concerns about inflation and America's debt to foreign countries. Buffett worries that the American people could become slaves to foreign creditors, saying:
This annual royalty paid [to] the world would undoubtedly produce significant political unrest in the US. Americans … would chafe at the idea of perpetually paying tribute to their creditors and owners abroad. A country that is now aspiring to an 'ownership society' will not find happiness in – and I'll use hyperbole here for emphasis – a 'sharecropper's society'.[5]
Buffet, who is in the top 5 richest men in the world, puts his money where his mouth is. He has pledged to give away 99% of his fortune to charity upon his death, most of which would go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.[6]
Also, Buffett has given–and pledged to give more–to women's reproductive health causes, proving that he's a liberal and supporting the pro-choice initiative.[7]
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