Take That, Bonehead

And he most certainly did. Bono took his high-earning U2 band's taxable earnings and placed them for safety in a low-taxation shelter - right out of his native Ireland. No trouble at all, mate. No problem whatever expressing criticism of the developed world in its miserly response to foreign aid.

Needless to say, he expects Ireland to pony up too, giving aid to the under-developed world at large - and most particularly, seeing to Africa's endless needs. Which is to say, portions of tax money paid by others living within his country of origin; his own exempt due, to sharp self-interest.

Good grief, even Canada, whom Bono and Bob Geldolf slagged most handsomely at the latest G8 meeting for being laggards in not living up to their foreign-aid obligations, assists Ireland, granting that country foreign aid and, one supposes, enabling Ireland - sans Bono's taxes - to make good on its foreign aid promises.

Ha, Canada is kinder to Ireland than Ireland's high-earning celebrities who love to fault high-income countries for forsaking their pledges.

Ireland getting foreign aid from Canada? That's a bit of a brain twister. Seems the Canadian tax-paying public is also rather bone-headed. Ireland, it would seem, now rates as the fourth wealthiest economy in the world. And we're contributing to them under the "International Fund for Ireland", assisting Ireland in job creation and reconciliation projects in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Ireland - with a higher per-capita GDP than that of Canada. Argh! The pain of it.

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs lists Ireland with a higher GDP per capita than the United States; under the U.S. the United Kingdom, followed by Canada. Ireland's economy is on boom-cycle, taxes are lower than in Canada; it rates an "A" for economic performance. The Ireland of old with its chronically high rate of unemployment and emigration outflow is no more.

Canada is such an overwhelmingly generous country (besides being rather daft). On its foreign aid list is Venezuela which, to score political points ships cheap heating oil to underprivileged Americans, yet is happy to accept $3 million in humanitarian assistance from Canada.

China received $57 million in that same 2004-05 year; despite its 10% annual economic growth, its space program and nuclear weapons arsenal, and despite its own self-interested investment in oil-rich African countries.

Canada hands out Canadians' tax money to countries as diverse and questionably needful as Brazil, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Poland.

Canadians like the idea of our giving a hand up to countries in need of it, but we also envision ourselves as kindly benefactors to countries that really do need that hand up. What we're currently engaged in, handing out humanitarian aid to the countries in question is antiquated, obsolete and obscene.

Here's hoping that Bill 293, a private member's bill introduced by MP John McKay, which establishes intelligent criteria for resource allocation to international development agencies based on poverty reduction and transparency passes the Senate, having gone the first round through the House of Commons.

One bonehead to another...