Give Bono's Money Away

Human Events ^ | 3-21-02 | Terence P. Jeffrey

[The Old Hoosier]

Give Bono's Money Away
By Terence P. Jeffrey

The Irish rock singer Paul Hewson—who insists the world call him Bono—visited Washington last week to demand more U.S. foreign aid. He even enlisted President Bush in the cause.

Here’s a suggestion for the President: Slap a 100% tax on all income earned here by foreign rock stars to offset the cost of foreign aid.

Bono—who writes lyrics like "Alright alright, alright, alright, alright/It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright"—sees himself as a poet. The Bono Tax would be such an act of poetic justice you have to believe he’d love it.

Here’s how it would work: He gets taxed. Americans get a tax cut. The great Pharisee of rock’n’roll can still parade from Ritz to Ritz, in sackcloth and ashes (or is it silk shirts and sashes?), explaining to reporters and politicians how his heart bleeds for the destitute masses over there somewhere. American workers right here would keep more of their pay to put clothes on their own kids.

In a recent issue of People, Bono betrayed the kind of shanty Irish class hatred that would make my Irish kin roll their Kerry blue eyes. "There is an old story about an American and an Irishman looking up at a mansion," said Bono. "The American looks at it and says, ‘One day I’m going to live in that place.’ The Irishman looks at it and says, ‘One day I’m going to get the b------ who lives in that place.’"

For this filthy rich Marxist materialist, America is the mansion. American workers are the b------s. And what he wants to get is our hard-earned pay.

This should inspire exactly one application of Mr. Hewson’s ideology: Level it against him and that pernicious class of millionaires to which he belongs, the foreign rock star.

They live in mansions. Many, if not most, are b-------s. Let’s get their pay.

Unfortunately, rather than seize Bono’s U.S. earnings, Bush invited him to a speech at the Inter-American Development Bank. In the speech, Bush proposed a three-year, $5-billion increase in U.S. foreign aid. Yet, in proposing his Bono-driven aid bonus, Bush correctly attacked the underlying premises of foreign aid itself.

"Contrary to popular belief," said Bush, "most funds for development do not come from international aid. They come from domestic capital, from foreign investment and especially from trade."

Right—that’s why development does not happen where governments steal capital and loot foreign investors.

His new aid program, Bush said, will "reward nations that root out corruption, respect human rights and adhere to the rule of law," and "where people can start and operate a small business without running the gauntlets of bureaucracy and bribery." Of course, Bush then correctly conceded, if regimes that receive foreign aid actually do these things "they will really no longer need it."

I’d bet Bono’s mansion that after Bush’s aid proposal runs its course Bono will be back demanding more—and Third World despots around the world still will be looting their peoples.

The principal difference between then and now is that the despots then will have more of our tax dollars.

Perhaps Bono has given Republicans an even better opportunity than the temptation to take him at his word and seize his wealth. It is a chance to debunk the false pretense of his argument.

Bono is right about the problem. Much of the world lives a miserable existence, subjected to disease and poverty it should be the lot of no human person to endure. But Bono is wrong about the solution. It is not government. It is freedom. Man is not elevated by the state, he is elevated by his own exertions when the state gets out of his way.

That used to be the Republicans’ theme song. Have they forgotten how it goes?

[moneyrunner]

I can’t believe that serious people can take popular entertainers as serious social commentators. It is especially obnoxious to be lectured about giving by ultra-wealthy pop “artists” who own their own private jet aircraft, live the good life in mansions and are waited on hand-an-foot by servants.

For every Bono out there, I want to see pictures of their mansions, planes, limousines and staff. It would be a healthy antidote to the pictures their public relations firms try to create of them.

I have no problems with people getting rich, even filthy rich. I do mind being lectured by them while they live the life that people would kill for.

When Bono moves into a middle class house and flies coach to his “concerts” after having given all his possessions to the poor, then will I listen to him as and advocate for the poor. Until then, he is a rock star with a publicity gimmick. And people who say they take him seriously are cynics or gulls.

[summer]

And, here is the real kicker: David Bowie claims his legal residence in Ireland, because in that country -- Bono's native land -- there is NO income tax on money earned from residuals and royalities. So, Bowie and Bono and all the rest of them keep EVERYTHING. How's that? Pretty fair, huh? The working American should be taxed to pay for foreign aid, but, don't suggest that an Irish resident / rock star pay a dime. Yep, that's "fair"!

[mountaineer]

toppling one leftist government would go farther toward true "liberation" of the Third World than all the U2 benefits ever will

Yes, we're waiting for Mr. Hewson to go to Cuba to demand of Fidel that the Cuban people be free.

[summer]

See my post #42.

[summer]

LOL!

[Hildy]

Man is not elevated by the state, he is elevated by his own exertions when the state gets out of his way.

I'm going to make T-Shirts that say this, anyone want one?

[IronJack]

Yes, we're waiting for Mr. Hewson to go to Cuba ...

I've got another suggestion as to where Mr. Hewson can go ...

[CharlesI]

Try "hypocritical"

That fits very well too. Full of crap comes to mind as well.

[Calculus_of_Consent]

Bono is just another example of people who have no idea how capitalism or economics work, but have all kinds of wonderful ideas on how make it more fair.

[CharlesI]

But Bono considers himself an elite Socialist

Very true. It's interesting, though, that his Socialism doesn't include his money, only ours. I just love the gall of his ilk.

[SamAdams76]

Bono—who writes lyrics like "Alright alright, alright, alright, alright/It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright

He also wrote HEY BABY HEY BABY HEY.....

Ad hominem attacks based on absurd selectivity such as this are normally the forte of liberals. It like using an Ellsworth Toohey passage in The Fountainhead to prove that Ayn Rand is a socialist. Or it's like judging the entire Reagan presidency on the off-mike joke "We start bombing Russia in one hour."

Fact is, whether you care to admit it or not, Bono is a very gifted songwriter who has written some amazing songs over the years. His politics may not agree with you (or me, for that matter), but attack him on the stupid statements he makes. Grossly distorting his songwriting talent by quoting some throwaway lines meant only to be filler in an otherwise great song makes you appear petty to those who know better.

[majordivit]

Meet George W. Bush's foreign aid advisor...

Bush Calls For More Foreign Aid

Learning nothing from the horror of September 11th, President Bush has submitted to Congress a proposal to dramatically increase U.S. foreign aid to hostile Third World regimes by $5 billion.

U.S. taxpayers already send $17 billion to these anti-American dictatorships under the "Economic Development Assistance" program, which is just one small part of America's huge foreign aid handouts to her sworn enemies.

"Victory to the Third World!" (March 14, 2002) (Bush with his foreign aid advisor, designer-clad rock degenerate Bono)

Bush's comment in announcing the big increase should infuriate every patriotic American with an ounce of sanity:

"We must include every African, every Asian, every Latin American, every Muslim, in an expanding circle of development."

Aside from committing U.S. taxpayers to foot the bill for the entire Third World, Bush's statement is careful to include "every Muslim" in his promise of goodies. Why not every Christian, every Catholic, every Hindu, every Buddhist, every Jew? The only religion worth mentioning as deserving of U.S. taxpayer handouts, according to Bush, is the very Islam that so fanatically wishes to destroy this country.

Then again, ever since September 11th, Bush and the rest of the political establishment have not stopped sucking up to the Muslim mass murderers.

[summer]

See my post #42. GW should suggest that Ireland levy an income tax on rock stars who reside in that country.

[majordivit]

The working American should be taxed to pay for foreign aid, but, don't suggest that an Irish resident / rock star pay a dime. Yep, that's "fair"!

So I see that this rock degenerate not only makes all his millions off of American kids who have no real role models to look up to anymore, but this rock degenerate also takes his ill gotten spoils and runs back to his 'native' Ireland without even contributing to the huge gigantic foreign aid budget of the United States. Talk about a parasite...

No American should purchase any records or material from the rock group U2 or the artist Bono. They should not even try to download their songs for free on the internet because it would give these animals publicity.

[summer]

:)

[summer]

Re your post #56 - I wonder if anyone bothered telling GW about the tax laws in Ireland. Because I know for a fact I am right about what I posted.

[summer]

Thanks for posting that link.

[majordivit]

I wonder if anyone bothered telling GW about the tax laws in Ireland. Because I know for a fact I am right about what I posted

I think Condalezza Rice would have been the one. However, I think that Bono's plea to pick billions more out of the pockets of average Americans to pay for more so called 'aid' to third world Africa got a sympathetic hearing from Dr. Rice.