I am not interested in, and the presidency is one of the first places on this list. I think it's a very difficult job because I've seen some stuff and have some experience. Managing a huge organization is very difficult.

Думаю, доктор WITHпэнир со мной согласится. Imagine you are in charge of a highly organized company with people whose job it is to make decisions and align them with the budget. It is extremely difficult to manage. Кроме того, имейте в виду, что на все про все у вас в лучшем случае есть восемь years. It is very difficult to change old habits. I have little experience in such matters. The main thing in business is that it fits the existing culture. We were lucky. Мы с легкостью приняли решение об инвестициях в Dexter Shoe или See’s Candies, потому что бизнес развивался, и руководство делало правильные things. I think it will be very difficult to achieve this in the government.

If it were up to me, I would introduce a progressive consumption tax. It's okay if the budget is not deficit-free. On the other hand, the public debt will grow at a slower pace than the gross domestic product. Others словами, я бы позаботился о том, чтобы по отношению к доходам долг не увеличивался.

But I don't have any specific program. However, I would probably raise the retirement age. By the way, this is already planned to be done in a couple of decades. I think that since 1937, or when they introduced this retirement age, the world has changed. It seems to me that even in old age people are able to work productively. If you look at the demographics, it's much harder for young people to support older people over 65 now than it was 60 years ago. I think that many of those who retired today are quite capable of working. Therefore, I would change the retirement age. This will save you a lot of money. Although, of course, members of the American Association of Retirees and other similar organizations would not vote for me.

Question: You said that all universities should introduce a course of common sense. I'm wondering: how do you define it? What should be taught in this course?

Answer: I don't know if I said something like that, because I'm not sure that common sense can be taught. But it amazes me how a lot of smart people go crazy. Why are they hurting themselves? I'm not just talking about business.

I look at people I think are very intelligent and realize that I don't have a specific recipe. I don't know how to instill common sense or teach it to other people. I think a lot of people overcomplicate things. For example, there is nothing complicated about how we invest. Everything is very simple.

I guess что прежде чем покупать акции, люди должны взять листок бумаги и написать на нем: «Я покупаю акции General Motors за 47 долл.» or "I'm buying US Steel shares for $83." And then they should state their reasoning and rationale for the decision. This is enough for one page. Moreover, one paragraph is enough. Almost all important, great business ideas are very simple. В идее WITHэма Уолтона, основателя Wal-Mart, не было ничего заумного. It is not hard. If you want to achieve something and your idea is reasonable, just focus on it. How could Mrs. B. She never went to school in her life, but she outdid a lot of people. She was helped by her innate mind and energy. And purposefulness. So was Tom Watson, Sr., the founder of IBM. Он говорил: «I don't гений. But I understand some areas and try not to deviate far from them. It is very important.

Question: I am a graduate student at the conservatory and I want to ask a question about art funding. Who do you think should fund art programs? Government, business or individuals?

Answer: I think both the state and private individuals. It must be both. In the past, 50 or 75 years ago, only private individuals funded art. But now there are so many events that there is a need for support from the state.

Вопрос: Я слышал, что вы отказываете своим детям в материальной help. Is this true? And what did you get from your parents?

Answer: Well, I got a lot from them, a lot of good things. But they didn't give me money. It suited me. I think I had the best parents, which is extremely important. I don't верю, что богатство идет детям на пользу. I think it's bad for society. I have heard people talk about the dangers of food stamps for the poor: “We give them food stamps, they get used to them, and then their children want more food stamps,” etc. What is the difference between the poor and some children who receive food stamps for life legacy? Their "food stamps" are called stocks and bonds, and the social worker turns into a bank employee. They don't see the ill effects associated with trust funds.

Personally, I think that if you are rich, you should leave enough money for the children so that they can do what they like. But they must definitely work, and not idle. I don't думаю, что нужно специально создавать такие условия, будто бы дети богатых родителей родились в полной нищете. But I would deprive them of the opportunity to live on their inherited "food stamps." That is my philosophy.

Question: Mr. Buffett, I would like to know more about your political activities. This year the media reported that you sponsored Senator J. Kerry and Congressman P. Hoagland of Omaha. It seems to me that the business publications that I read and the commercial organizations where I work are negative about these politicians, perhaps because they propose to raise taxes, introduce regulation and bring the health care system under the control of the state. Could you tell us about your involvement in politics? Why do you support those who oppose business incentives?

[W. Buffett is handed a can of cherry Coca-Cola.]

Fine. Thank you. You know, this drink works wonders. By the way, every fourteenth bottle is our profit, and I am very pleased to see Coca-Cola here.

Answer: I was president of the Young Republican Club at the University of Pennsylvania in 1948 and grew up in a Republican family. I voted for many Republicans. I don't член демократической партии, хотя зарегистрирован в ней и, вероятно, чаще голосовал за демократов, чем за республиканцев. Approximately equal. I try not to get involved in politics, but in this case I support the two politicians you mentioned for the exact reason why some people oppose them. I suspect that P. Hoagland and J. Kerry have made proposals that could damage their political careers and even be fatal. However, they did it for the good of society, although you may not agree with them.

This is the hardest thing for politicians. I wouldn't be able to do that. I love running Berkshire Hathaway. If I knew that my proposal would cause me to lose my job... not I know how I would behave in such a case. In general, I saw how they put forward their proposals, and I have no doubt that they will negatively affect their career. They perfectly understood how their voters and voters across the country were set. However, P. Hoagland and J. Kerry did it, and I believe that this is exactly what legislators should do. I thought I would like to see a new deficit reduction law. However, no one will ever be satisfied with all aspects of the bills. In my opinion, then it was important to vote for this bill in the name of the prosperity of our country. As you know, the votes were divided almost equally. Both P. Hoagland and J. Kerry voted for him. I thought that I would be happy to take part in this cause, so that people would identify me with them. The main thing is that it helps. They stood up when the votes were counted, and so did I. That's the reason. Although, in principle, I am not involved in politics. I don't care that they are Democrats.

Q: Berkshire Hathaway is a very thrifty organization. How do you manage to spend meager money, because you have a huge company?

Answer: Good question. WITHейчас у нас 22 тыс. сотрудников. Although it may be 23 thousand or 24 thousand. For twenty years, only 1000 people worked in the company. Our headquarters staff is 10 or 11 people. I prefer not to complicate things. We don't have lawyers. We don't have public relations managers. We don't have guards. We don't have a canteen. It's much easier to work that way. To be honest, I think that you can do a lot more than if your employees are sitting on several floors and exchanging messages about what they are doing.

Many компании тратят время и ресурсы на всякую ерунду, от которой потом очень трудно избавиться. It is better to immediately block her path. My buddy Charlie says, "I need to know where I'm going to die so I can avoid this place." That's what I think about large organizations. I believe that they mean the death of business, and therefore we will never do this. We do not think about how to cut costs. We simply do not open vacancies for unnecessary people.

I buy and sell shares myself. Некоторые люди спрашивают: «WITHколько подчиненных должно быть в вашей компании?» A few ordinary managers are enough for me. Или меня спрашивают: «WITHколько людей должно быть в коллективе. What is the optimal quantity?" I believe that if