Bono calls on U.S. to give part of budget to poor
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U2 frontman cites religious text at breakfast attended by Bush, top leaders
WASHINGTON - Quoting from Islamic, Jewish and Christian texts, rock star Bono called Thursday for the U.S. government to give an additional 1 percent of the federal budget to the world?s poor.
Speaking to President Bush and members of Congress at the National Prayer Breakfast, the U2 front man said it?s unjust to keep poor people from selling their goods while singing the virtues of the free market, to hold children to ransom for the debts of their grandparents and to withhold medicines that would save lives.
?God will not accept that,? he said. ?Mine won?t. Will yours??
Bono?s speech riveted the ballroom audience that included the president and first lady and leaders from Congress, the Cabinet, the military, the clergy and countries from around the world.
At every table, Bono had distributed white plastic bracelets from The ONE Campaign to fight AIDS and poverty, and Sen. Hillary Clinton was among those who wrapped it around her fingers while she listened.
Bono thanked the president for helping to fight the spread of malaria and AIDS. Bush, in markedly lighter remarks than the singer, praised him as ?a doer? but didn?t comment on his proposal.
?The thing about this good citizen of the world is he?s used his position to get things done,? Bush said. ?You?re an amazing guy, Bono. God bless you.?
http//www.one.org/dia/track.jsp?key=30397495&url_num=2&url=http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11146046/
Click on the Live Vote - Should the U.S. take Bono's advice?
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Salaams Zenje,
rather then give money i think they aught to set up training centre/s of a sort where people can learn/train free so they may have practical abilities to earn -so forth.
Salaams.
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Peace mz357 and all. How about 'goods' for relief(and infrastructure),as well as free-training.
Peace all. -
Salaams enquirer,
Yes , but i found on my visit to the pakistan relief camps with a group after the recent disaster goods were plentiful truck loads from japan,canada and other countries too.Regarding infrastructure i think goverments recieve enough funding but it is diverted to their own projects of a kind.i found the victims were even being given cash help - one lakh rupees per houshold-very good , but obviously the long term solution is the education and training for the people to have a better means of earning ,ability.
Salaams.
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Peace mz,
Salaams Zenje,
rather then give money i think they aught to set up training centre/s of a sort where people can learn/train free so they may have practical abilities to earn -so forth.
Nothing's for free. Training, resources, manpower... Bono is not talking about giving them cash. He's also not talking about a certain area or even a specific people. He's talking about worlwide poverty and hunger. If you look at some places in africa, those people are already severely malnourished and diseased. The long term solution would be perfect for people who can atleast stand and help themselves. Such a project would require serious involvement, which again no one would even think about if there's no large sums of money put down.Believe me, I totally understand the issue of corruption which is highest in these very third world areas that need help the most. Which is what brought in the hunger and poverty to begin with.
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Peace Zenje,
Click on the Live Vote - Should the U.S. take Bono's advice?
Do u believe bush will even be bothered by these vote results ?wink
The Bush administration will request Congress for another $120 billion to cover war costs in Iraq and Afghanistan
Iraq war would eventually cost $2 trillion factoring in all expenses.
http//www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/5234.htmlPeace!