tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9504620.post1281398554383464862..comments2023-10-31T12:05:02.496+00:00Comments on katieallisongranju: bono has a credibility problemUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9504620.post-34941016989551351332006-11-06T16:49:00.000+00:002006-11-06T16:49:00.000+00:00Ireland has certainly turned its economy around. T...Ireland has certainly turned its economy around. They deregulated their economy, reduced overall government spending, reduced taxes, and perhaps significantly spread their tax base evenly between taxes on production, labor, and consumption. <a href="http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/933">Here's a piece</a> which includes some comparison between Irish and European economies.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_Tiger">Wikipedia article on the Celtic Tiger</a><br /><br />And, yeah, Bono and U2 are being hypocrites. No one in Ireland should listen to them telling the government how to spend its money when they're keeping theirs elsewhere.Les Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03389811940518627023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9504620.post-45867920505575631382006-11-06T11:42:00.000+00:002006-11-06T11:42:00.000+00:00Anonymous is your best friend on this thread.
Wow....Anonymous is your best friend on this thread.<br />Wow.<br />Hope you are feeling better, KAG.Newscomahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06314104886871823355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9504620.post-28929028162027688482006-11-06T02:51:00.000+00:002006-11-06T02:51:00.000+00:00Yep, he's evil. He doesn't want to pay taxes. I ...Yep, he's evil. He doesn't want to pay taxes. I know i'm very eager to pay lots of taxes, because i fully trust the government to make better decisions with my money than I ever could.<br /><br />Good grief. Ridiculous.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9504620.post-24838843442914342642006-11-05T23:45:00.000+00:002006-11-05T23:45:00.000+00:00Just saying--the statement was made, without equiv...Just saying--the statement was made, without equivocation, that Ireland is "one of the poorest countries in the western world," and that's not a fact.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9504620.post-87878046262962064652006-11-05T12:47:00.000+00:002006-11-05T12:47:00.000+00:00Which has more credibility when it comes to handli...Which has more credibility when it comes to handling money--The government or private charities?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9504620.post-11708024590763245822006-11-05T03:27:00.000+00:002006-11-05T03:27:00.000+00:00Hmm, anonymous #2 is right--according to the World...Hmm, anonymous #2 is right--according to the World Bank, Ireland is #10 in the world in GNI (gross national income), right behind US, Sweden, and Liechtenstein and ahead of the UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany and Canada. They're ranked #9 in purchasing power parity. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/GNIPC.pdf<br /><br />So, to read something like they have a high poverty rate amoung children and then sweepingly assume that they are "one of the poorest countries in the west" is quite a jump. Wealth does not necessarily beget equity in government programs, and I don't think we can lay that at Bono's feet.<br /><br />Be careful about oversimplifying an issue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9504620.post-28945770135131076532006-11-05T02:11:00.000+00:002006-11-05T02:11:00.000+00:00Time to check your facts here. Ireland is one of t...Time to check your facts here. Ireland is one of the fastest growing economies in the world - not the poorest - so much so that many natives are choosing to remain there and work (as opposed to leaving for employment overseas as was typical less than twenty years ago when the economy was not so promising). Plus, those who have lived and worked in this country are now deciding to go back since there is such a boon over there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9504620.post-32843964424250289112006-11-05T00:42:00.000+00:002006-11-05T00:42:00.000+00:00Something else: Ireland has been the fastest growi...Something else: Ireland has been the fastest growing economy in Western Europe for the last decade because it has low taxes to attract investors, both native and foreign. That's what Bono &Co should be doing (at least at the same time as giving to the Third World): paying their income tax in Ireland to boost their own people!<br /><br /><br />Marta from LisbonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9504620.post-2527850266752848112006-11-04T20:51:00.000+00:002006-11-04T20:51:00.000+00:00It seems that a lot of celebrities (Brad Pitt and ...It seems that a lot of celebrities (Brad Pitt and Sausage Lips, Madonna, George Clooney) take their charity overseas...and exhort others to do the same...while neglecting the problems in their own backyards. That's why I yawn whenever one of them gets on the bandwagon about something.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com