U.S. billionaire investor Warren Buffett answers reporters' question during a news conference in Daegu, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007. Buffett said Thursday that he is still negative on prospects for the U.S. dollar and that problems in the U.S. subprime mortgage sector may continue to cause difficulties for some time. (AP Photo/ Yonhap, Lee Jae-hyuk) **KOREA OUT**

Go ahead, write a check

EDITOR: Somebody needs to let Warren Buffett know that it has been possible to write a check for the "public debt" for many years. Your IRS booklet has a note telling you how at the end of the instructions under "General Information." I understand that some do so (even long before Buffett told us to).

However, I'd like to note that $15 trillion is 15 thousand, billion dollars. So, believe it or not, not even Warren Buffett - nor even he and many super-wealthy friends all put together - could make a dent in the public debt. Nor could they even keep up with the annual $1.65 trillion in overspending that's added to the debt each year.

But if you still believe that the federal government has a revenue problem rather than a spending problem, then by all means write a check. The address is Bureau of the Public Debt, P.O. Box 2188, Parkersburg, W. Va., 26106-2188.

EDIE BENSON

Petaluma

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