Responses to Buffett OpEd

I just came across these responses to my Buffett op ed on my computer. Responses to op eds are rare; no doubt that is why I preserved these. Of this group, Burstein is an acquaintance and Bierman an old friend.  For the Buffet piece, see the blog post of September 3rd. ---RHW

On Aug 16, 2009, at 1:58 PM, Burstpsych@aol.com wrote:

Hi Rudy:  Congratulations on your essay on Warren Buffet in todays PP-G.  By emphasizing his multi-faceted sharp intuition, good judgment and character, you hit the nail on the head.  In healthy function, as in disease, many factors go together to determine the outcome.  Best wishes, Stuart Burstein

Greetings:

Many thanks for your flattering remarks.  See you at the Symphony. ---Rudy

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On Aug 16, 2009, at 9:54 PM, frederick Rokasky wrote:

Letter to the editor  

            In Mr, Weingartner’s Sunday Forum: ”How Warren Buffet got rich”, he writes about intuition and other things to explain Mr Buffet’s success.  But in truth what that success comes down too is natural talent.  If you have talent and know you have it and are will to work to develop it to it’s fullness, you can become very accomplished.  This doesn't take away from Mr. Buffet’s achievement at investing and amassing one of the great financial fortunes in the world.  Just as it doesn't take away from Ben Roethlisberger’s success as a very talented quarterback and team leader.  Or a host of talented others who are successful in their particular fields and are blessed by a, (not endowed from a deity), natural talent; be it in education, science, the arts, politics, government, sports, etc.  In my mind the key thing to remember is that without the extreme and inherent natural talent a person must work very hard to achieve what those of talent do seemingly effortlessly.  In any case it is good for all to celebrate their success whether it is from a nature talent or hard work,  

            In the end may I point out Gore Vidal's admonition, or what I humbly term his law:              “It is not enough to succeed.  Others must fail.”  Gore Vidal, b 1925, a very talented writer.  

Be well. Frederick J. Rokasky  

Greetings:  I agree with you about the need for talent.  I was merely trying to describe what
kind of talents he had.  Thanks for commenting. –Rudy Weingartner

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On Aug 17, 2009, at 11:45 AM, Liz wrote:

Dear Mr. Weingartner:  I first want to congratulate you on your nice article re:  Warren Buffett.  I went to high school with Warren and can attest to some of the qualities you expressed.  But mine are more on the personal side.  The high school was in Washington, D.C. as Warren's father was at this time (1947) a congressman from Nebraska.  You could see that Warren had financial dreams and goals even then.  For example, he purchased and placed a pin ball machine in a "guy's" hang-out near the school.  He then would split the profit with the owner.  This was so successful, that he repeated his "franchise" in other places.  This is substantiated in an earlier biography.  Beneath his picture, in our year book, it says, "...a future stock holder"  They got that right!  We have had more recent reunions and Warren has returned each time.  When he does, he is just "one of us" and that is the way he wants it.  At our last one, we "tried" to do some of the old cheers of our high  school days.  It was a pitiful sight.  But Warren went right along with it.  I am only writing you this e-mail because you seemed interested in Warren, though maily as a financial genius.  But there is this other side of Warren I thought you would enjoy.   I think that along with his other attributes, he is a person of whom  people feel they can trust.  And in this business world of today, that is a great asset.  Elizabeth Kokiko

Greetings:  Thanks for your very interesting  reminiscences of the young Warren.  Schroeder reports that he badly wanted to go back to Omaha and that his father finally agreed to let him return home. --Rudy Weingartner  

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Greetings:

On Aug 17, 2009, at 5:09 PM, Arthur Bierman wrote:

Rudy,

        Good piece.  Are you on your Buffet-Way, by the way?  Need startup money, probably.  First risk, sell your house, buy a company.  Go for it, old friend.

Art

Thanks for the compliment.  I still have a bit of a spirit of adventure---but not to that extent!  Hope all is well in Rome--where I assume you you still are.  Here we complained about the cold for most of the summer; today it is stinking hot so we complain about that. Never satisfied.

Best, Rudy

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