'Saint Bono' the anti-poverty campaigner facing huge Glastonbury protest – for avoiding tax

I can't stand Bono.

I don't know what it is about him, I just can't stand him or U2.

It's his attitude and he just rubs me the wrong way. He acts like he is above everyone. I think most of what he does is an act to sell tickets.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Both Bono and Bob Geldof to me appear to be self-absorbed individuals feigning concern for the world's poor to benefit themselves. And Bono's production company move to not pay taxes is just proof of that for him.

Originally posted by dalloway
reply to post by Ferris.Bueller.II

 

So let me ask you, Ferris: What would you do if you were faced with an enormous tax debt from a corrupt government? How do you feel about taxes here in the U.S? Are you okay with the tax dollars you personally pay to the U.S. government? Are you happy with the way your tax dollars are spent? Are you content with the U.S. federal social services programs for the poor and the way funds are administered to those programs? Just wondering.

Yep. Just what I expected.

reply to post by dalloway


okay, so we all have to pay taxes to pay for all of the services we use in our own country, be it UK or Republic of Ireland, schools, hospitals, roads etc, and we earn a pittance...Bonehead and co write a few catchy tunes (and a shed load of crappy ones) earn millions, preach to all of the lower orders about how we should save the planet and the poor, organise huge fundraisers that ordinary joe has to put his (already taxed, hard earned money into) and they shouldn't have to pay a penny

Originally posted by destination now
reply to post by dalloway

 

okay, so we all have to pay taxes to pay for all of the services we use in our own country, be it UK or Republic of Ireland, schools, hospitals, roads etc, and we earn a pittance...Bonehead and co write a few catchy tunes (and a shed load of crappy ones) earn millions, preach to all of the lower orders about how we should save the planet and the poor, organise huge fundraisers that ordinary joe has to put his (already taxed, hard earned money into) and they shouldn't have to pay a penny

edit on 6-6-2011 by destination now because: typo

edit on 6-6-2011 by destination now because: (no reason given)

Ummm, in what post did I say I think rock stars "shouldn't have to pay a penny" in taxes? I never said or implied anything even close to your statement. Not cool of you to attempt to put words in my mouth like that. Actually, I do not mind paying taxes all that much as I am a social liberal who thinks we need more taxes and more social services. In fact, I am very disappointed in Bono for relocating in order to dodge the tax. I think he personally needs to explain his actions. At the very least it was really dumb of him and his people not to have anticipated what a bad PR move it was. That being said, I also have a major problem with people carping about the hypocrisy of others while failing to acknowledge their own. Hence the questions I asked the OP in my first post which, by the way, the OP has still not addressed.

Are we clear now?

hey, who knows, maybe when he dies he will give half of his wealth away,

like gates and buffett (warren and jimmy) just kidding you parrot head!


ever look into mccartney or bowie? stones?

what i was saying was that bono campaigns for governments to forgive debt from other countries to help the poor in the country that owes.


like i said, they must have some good legal and their job is to make them money.

i didn't see how much he gives from his personal stash. U-2 is a corp and he didn't start the band.

so it might not be his call.

bono made money off his crappy music and if he really beleived in the tripe he spouts off left and right

he would be poor from giving all his cash away but no he kept it

i can live without bono or his music or the trash he speaks

bono cant live without his cash.

hes a hypocrite

reply to post by neo96


aww common neo,

why does one want to be a rock star?

fame and fortune! you get it whether you want it or not, if people love you.

anyway, where are his personal records of charity?

he's been married for the whole time of the band and more, i believe.

to me that shows some integrity.

i call this a slur if only because of the "saint" moniker.

reply to post by fooks


ask bono for his records i dont have em


most dudes wanna be rock starts for the chics

what the wife dont know wont hurt her is what they say.

i dont think bono is good person hes a poser

like most people who have his rap

Originally posted by dalloway
reply to post by Ferris.Bueller.II

 

So let me ask you, Ferris: What would you do if you were faced with an enormous tax debt from a corrupt government? How do you feel about taxes here in the U.S? Are you okay with the tax dollars you personally pay to the U.S. government? Are you happy with the way your tax dollars are spent? Are you content with the U.S. federal social services programs for the poor and the way funds are administered to those programs? Just wondering.

I'm clear that you're asking the OP a question that has absolutely nothing to do with their post, as Bono was resident in the Republic of Ireland and has moved his music business to the Netherlands to avoid tax and as such people attending the Glastonbury festival in the UK intend to protest at his hypocrisy...Perhaps the OP didn't want to take his thread off topic to discuss his feelings about how his US tax dollars are spent?

reply to post by neo96


ooooooooooooo ok,


we won't talk music. too bad.


lots of people don't like my stuff either.

still love ya dude.

reply to post by destination now


As an American, I particularly have a particular disdain for St. Bono (of the the UK, correct?) INTERFERING in US Presidential Elections. He was, in 2008, all over endorsing Barack Obama (posers of a feather I suppose flock together) as 'THE ONE.' Same with McCartney...pay some US Income Taxes...THEN you have a say. Til then...shut up and sing (badly).

reply to post by Glinda


I agree totally! Apart from the singing part, I wish they'd shut up period

Though technically he is from the Republic of Ireland so not the UK, but close enough for us to be annoyed by him...

I say it's his money, it's his business and he can do whatever he wants it it. It's HIS an nobody else. No one else has the right to the money he worked hard for. Especially people who think their entitled to it and don't want to/ or are too lazy to help themselves/ improve their own lives instead...


www.caseyresearch.com...

Well, in the first place, though I’m not a Christian, let me quote Jesus of Nazareth. He said, “The poor, you will always have with you.” He had a different context in mind, but he was quite correct. That’s because in most cases, poverty is not a function of bad luck.

It can be, sometimes, of course. Perhaps if you’re born in a country with a brutal and repressive regime, or if you’re born with mental handicaps – there are all kinds of things that can happen. But generally, with a few such exceptions, poverty is simply a sign of bad habits. In a relatively free country, it’s a sign of an inability or unwillingness to save, which is to say, to produce more than you consume. It’s a sign of a lack of self-discipline. Sloth that afflicts those not willing to learn skills they can sell to other people. It can be a sign of having no self-respect, as among those who spend all their money on drugs and alcohol, which are debilitating, rather than strengthening.

In the vast majority of cases, those who suffer from poverty are not victims of anything other than their own bad habits.

A simple suggestion... Tax a small percentage (0.05%) of all bank transactions and we will not be bothered with paying income tax anymore... Of course that's after all governments fire over 80% of government employees and cut all possible costs and stop regulating almost everything first.

reply to post by TheBandit795


No one is asking Bono to give them his money, just to pay taxes on the money he has earned like the rest of us have to. And your quote is a bit unfortunate in that Bono is an anti-poverty campaigner so to say that the vast majority of people in poverty have only their bad habits to blame, I would say is inaccurate as I don't think that drugs/alcohol are the main causes of poverty in the third world, where Bono focuses his work. I would say it is corrupt governments that are to blame there.

And mostly we are just complaining that Bono is a bit of a hypocrite who demands that the world should put their hands in their pockets to end world poverty, but will do what he can to avoid paying tax which could be used to help pay for essential services in the country he lives in, where there are people in poverty through no fault of their own.

Originally posted by destination now

Originally posted by dalloway
reply to post by Ferris.Bueller.II

 

So let me ask you, Ferris: What would you do if you were faced with an enormous tax debt from a corrupt government? How do you feel about taxes here in the U.S? Are you okay with the tax dollars you personally pay to the U.S. government? Are you happy with the way your tax dollars are spent? Are you content with the U.S. federal social services programs for the poor and the way funds are administered to those programs? Just wondering.

I'm clear that you're asking the OP a question that has absolutely nothing to do with their post, as Bono was resident in the Republic of Ireland and has moved his music business to the Netherlands to avoid tax and as such people attending the Glastonbury festival in the UK intend to protest at his hypocrisy...Perhaps the OP didn't want to take his thread off topic to discuss his feelings about how his US tax dollars are spent?

You are wrong. My questions have everything to do with the OP and the point of the questions are directly on-topic. The original post draws attention to the article detailing Bono's actions which also deals with the hypocrisy of Bono's actions regarding his tax dodge because of his charity work and the band's championing of certain causes. Bono's hypocrisy is why the protest is planned at Glasto. My questions are pointing out the hypocrisy of the OP in complaining about Bono's tax dodge, when the OP himself desires to reduce what he pays in taxes. I am pointing out the hypocrisy of the OP complaining about Bono's hypocrisy in seeking to not pay taxes when the OP himself also seeks to not pay taxes. Get it? As a matter of fact, the OP has a history of being unhappy with taxes as shown in some of the threads he has previously authored:

More Taxpayer Paid Security Than Guests At Pelosi Fundraising Party

and

Harry Reid Says Paying Income Tax Is Totally Voluntary

In addition, the OP has also pointed out the hypocrisy of others in at least one more thread he authored:

Associated Press: Hypocrisy In Action

Like I said, I have a problem with people pointing out the hypocrisy of others while failing to acknowledge their own hypocrisy in action. My posts in this thread are calling out Ferris.Bueller.II for being a hypocrite which is exactly what he is accusing Bono of in his OP. Please explain to me how I am off-topic in pointing out the weakness of the accusations of the OP and of his subsequent supportive posts?

Edit to add: Just because you do not like Bono and/or U2 it does not mean the OP is not guilty of being a hypocrite. You can still defend his and other's dislike, including your own, of the band, but it does not dismiss the hypocrisy of the OP.

reply to post by dalloway


I have not read any of the OP's other threads, and sorry I don't have time to either! I was simply replying to a thread about Bono and his (or his managements) decision to relocate the business to another country to avoid paying tax


I suggest that perhaps creating a specific thread about your issues with the OP regarding their stance on the US tax system may be more appropriate, as the people on this thread are probably going to be more concerned with Bonos decision and actions rather than the OP's

But I apologise if I misunderstood your reaction to the OP and understand that you have reasons for doing so, it was just that I participated in a thread about Bono's hypocrisy, not the OP's

Originally posted by destination now
reply to post by dalloway

 

I have not read any of the OP's other threads, and sorry I don't have time to either! I was simply replying to a thread about Bono and his (or his managements) decision to relocate the business to another country to avoid paying tax


I suggest that perhaps creating a specific thread about your issues with the OP regarding their stance on the US tax system may be more appropriate, as the people on this thread are probably going to be more concerned with Bonos decision and actions rather than the OP's

But I apologise if I misunderstood your reaction to the OP and understand that you have reasons for doing so, it was just that I participated in a thread about Bono's hypocrisy, not the OP's

It was probably kind of dumb for us to jab each other over this stuff anyways. It's just that I've seen some of the OP's other threads recently and have remembered some of his stances on stuff since I tend to have somewhat of a photographic memory. Plus, admittedly, I love U2 (even just saw them in Denver last month) so I feel like I have a stake in what people think of them. Truth be told, I agree with almost every post of yours I've seen around ATS. Not to mention that you were actually the very first ATS member who I ever posted and replied with when I first joined ATS about 6 months ago. I just went back and looked at that thread, and ironically, you and I ended up discussing hypocrisy in that thread (link)! Anyways, sorry I got all confrontational. It's actually not really my style.

"From the Brightest Star, Comes the Blackest Hole"

reply to post by dalloway




Yes I remember that conversation! I sometimes do leap right into things, and I may come across as confrontational, but that's no really me and I'll always be the first to apologise and try to see the other person's point of view. I like your posts as well, you seem to be an intelligent thoughtful poster from what I have read.

Anyway back to Bono, I used to love their music when I was a teenager, Sunday Bloody Sunday was one of our anthems, and of course being from Scotland and being all too aware of the troubles in Ireland, that music spoke volumes about the situation. Unfortunately from my point of view they just got too big for their own boots and whilst I can remember clearly the live aid event and felt good that musicians all joined together to tackle poverty, both Bono and St Bob (Geldof) just got too preachy, whilst not really doing much at all (in my opinion) and the real person behind the whole thing (Midge Ure) just stayed quiet and in the background while St Bono and St Bob took all the credit. Then Bono flew his hat first class to the US from Ireland (cos he forgot it) and at the same time stood preaching to the masses that we all have responsibility for the planet and the poorest people on it! WTF!! And by now their music had got increasingly rubbish (IMO ) But I'm glad you enjoyed their gig

I also hope you get an opportunity to have a proper debate with the OP about the issues that concern you, I know myself how frustrating it is to deal with hypocrisy and when posters just disappear when confronted. Good luck!