So while he’s chastising other countries for not giving away more taxpayer money to third world kleptocracies he’s simultaneously avoiding paying taxes himself. Nice.

So I agree with your criticism of Bono, and understand your emotion… and we all need to guard ourselves from the same thing happening in our hearts. I’ll be the first to admit that I am not living at the same level of simplicity that I thought would always characterize my life.

I like to think I have sabotaged the tendency of “lifestyle creep” by diverting my desires in odd directions (like having no television and valuing bicycles over automobiles). But given the disposable income of Bono, I can’t say what my lifestyle would look like. I’d like to think it would be honorably simple, surely less ostentatious than Bono’s… surely…

I think the world is right to pan celebrities. They fly around in private jets, own a half-dozen bling-ed out SUVs, live in huge multi-million dollar mansions, then go on Oprah wearing thousands of dollars worth of designer clothes and jewelery to tell me that *I* should pay more taxes and give more money to the governments of brutal dictatorships on the other side of the world!

When the tsunami and earthquakes hit Asia people like Sandra Bullock donated their own cash to help. What did Bono do? He set up a website and encouraged his fans to donate. Oh yeah, AIDS is important alright, but not important enough for him to sacrifice in his lifestyle. He can have three houses and ten cars, but who are YOU to have two TVs?? You should be giving one to the poor!

Greg, check out the comments under my “Ikea, Baby” post on my blog. There’s a note just for you.

“Love you neighbor is not advice. It’s a commandment.”