Believe Buffet 

Alexander Ward’s letter (“Check the numbers,” Aug. 21, 2008) reminds me of the statistician who drowned in a river having an average depth of 2 feet. Rather than statistics, I’ll use the words of Mr. Warren Buffet, the multibillionaire. He said that in a recent year, when his income was over $400 million, out of curiosity he asked his secretary what percentage of her income went for taxes. He found that she paid a higher percentage on her secretary salary than he was required to pay on his $400 million that same year. Progressive?