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?

[summer]

But as brilliant as she is, and I do believe she is, the issue of taxes may have been out of her field of expertise. Most people have no clue that Ireland is the reside to go if you are raking it in like these guys. Of course, Bowie would know that, but most musicians are not quite as bright as he is. And, Bono knows it. But, he is not telling anyone! :)

[summer]

I meant to type: ...that Ireland is the place to reside...

[shaggy eel]

,,, take a look at post #42. This is the point I would have made. Artists (broadly defined in Ireland) pay no taxes. Write your next novel, stage your next art exhibition or slap some poetry together with some enchanting photos and you're in! Bono will no doubt be happy when everyone on the face of the planet who's impoverished owns a protected cell company in the Channel Islands.

He may be good at what he does in a musical context but I don't think that point is up for debate here. The point I extract from this article is he's another "I care about the world" Bob Geldoff success runner. Tiresome, transparent, large scale, recipe from a cookbook altruism - [yawn] it's been done before.

[Zviadist]

Gotta love Terry Jeffrey.

[summer]

It would have looked much better -- for tax-free Bono -- if he had offered up some of his own billions before asking GW for some $$$.

[shaggy eel]

,,, none of these artists know much to start with about day to day hedging of funds, taxation treatments, domiciling of bank accounts or any mechanisms within that realm. As time goes on, they tend to know even less, usually. They tell their manager what they want, the manager tells their accountant what's been bought. The accountant pays for anything the record company doesn't. When all that's done, the last thing that's paid is tax, if at all. Usually, there's a loss making hotel or aircraft leasing deal at the very least to offset any danger of that.

[majordivit]

I think Bush should not even listen to these people. I am against all foreign aid. It should all stop. I don't want any American to pay for this.

[shaggy eel]

,,, hello Bono and Summer, from the third world! May the giving hand never falter. I'll sit by the jungle telegraph with my bowl in anticipation.

[mtngrl@vrwc]

I am really outraged at the assertion in this piece that Bono isn't a poet.

Hey, do you remember these lyrics?

She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah
She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah
She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah......

These "brilliant" lyrics were written by none other than the Beatles, probably the best musical group of all time. One doesn't have to dig far to find lyrics that they wrote that are very meaningful. The same is true with Bono. Among my favorites are these from "The Fly":

It's no secret that a conscience can sometimes be a pest
It's no secret ambition bites the nails of success
Every artist is a cannibal - every poet is a thief
All kill their inspiration and sing about the grief

All that being said, I don't like Bono's politics better than any of the rest of you. The main thing to remember here is that we aren't electing him to public office. We are simply enjoying his music. I love his voice and his music.

[summer]

LOL...

[summer]

Re your post #67 - Well, I don't feel that way, but I do believe that Bono was not very smart in this instance, in terms of his own PR. GW, on the other hand, came off looking quite sincere. Bono did not.

[mtngrl@vrwc]

More U2 lyrics from "Bad" (and I don't think they are half bad!):

If you should ask then maybe they
Would tell you what I would say
True colours fly in blue and black
Bruised silken sky and burning flak
Colours crash - collide in bloodshot eyes

Timm22 - I would agree with you were it not for the fact that Bono wants to force me and other Americans to give our hard-earned money to corrupt third world countries.

Bono can't force you or any other Americans to give our money to anybody! He's not an elected official in this country, he's not even an American!

[timm22]

Bono can't force you or any other Americans to give our money to anybody! He's not an elected official in this country, he's not even an American!

No, but he can certainly attempt to convince others (like the United States government, for example) to take my money without my consent. To me, that kind of behavior sends a clear message. It says, "I'm a jerk, and I don't have one ounce of respect for you." So I don't think he deserves any respect from us.

[luvzhottea]

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

Good

[BradyLS]

He gives away large amounts of time and money to causes he believes in, and as he is a Christian I believe his motivation is a good one.

Can I make my OWN millions and give vasty sums away to the charities I want to give it to BEFORE foreigner Bono asks my government to snatch it from me and give it away to HIS pet causes?

[BradyLS]

If Bush is perceived to be a friend of Bono, it will probably gain him a few votes he might not have otherwise gotten.

Could cost him votes, too.