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To: Road Walker who wrote (224835)	3/18/2005 2:06:51 PM
From: Jim McMannis	Respond to of 1571408

Wolfowitz Discusses World Bank Mission with Bono WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Paul Wolfowitz, whose nomination as World Bank (news - web sites) president has stirred controversy, discussed poverty and development issues with Irish rock star Bono in two phone conversations on Thursday, an adviser said. Wolfowitz adviser Kevin Kellems told Reuters the deputy U.S. defense secretary initiated the lengthy conversations with the lead singer of the rock group U2, whose name had been bandied about for the World Bank presidency. President Bush (news - web sites) on Wednesday named Wolfowitz, a key architect of the Iraq (news - web sites) war, to be the next World Bank president, but the choice has been controversial, especially in Europe. An endorsement by Bono, who campaigns extensively for African aid and debt relief, could defuse some of the criticism of Wolfowitz. Kellems said the discussions "were incredibly substantive about reducing poverty, about development, about the opportunity to help people that the World Bank presidency provides and about charitable giving and social progress around the globe. "They clicked. They were very enthusiastic, detailed and lengthy conversations," Kellems said. Tom Hart, government relations director for DATA -- Debt, AIDS (news - web sites), Trade and Africa -- the lobby group co-founded by Bono, said the rock star believed it was important to share his views on Africa and poverty with Wolfowitz. "Bono thought it was important that he put forward the issues that are critical to the World Bank, like debt cancellation, aid effectiveness and a real focus on poverty reduction," Hart said. Wolfowitz first telephoned Bono on Wednesday to schedule the conversations. In the past 24 hours, Wolfowitz had spoken with a broad range of foreign leaders, bank officials and advocates for poverty reduction and international development, aides said.

To: Road Walker who wrote (224835)	3/18/2005 3:14:53 PM
From: Tenchusatsu	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1571408

JF, It's really hard to get it through people's minds that there are things the government just can't afford... but Big Daddy Government is flat out broke. An even better reason to get fewer people relying on traditional SS. Tenchusatsu

To: Road Walker who wrote (224835)	3/18/2005 3:42:06 PM
From: Emile Vidrine	Respond to of 1571408

"It's really hard to get it through people's minds that there are things the government just can't afford... " 1. Like illegal wars for the benefit of Israel that are adding hundreds of billion to the deficit. 2. Like $17 billion in welfare in 2003 to 4 billion Zionist Jews living in Israel. ($4 billion in straight foreign aid, $3 billion energy gift annually negotiated by good old Kissinger, and $10 billion in guaranteed loans that are always later forgiven by Congress and never repaid.) An economist by the name of Stauffer reported in a lecture at the US War College that the total cost of Israel to American taxpayers from 1973 to 2003 has been some $1.6 Trillion. (This does not take into account the Iraq War.

To: Road Walker who wrote (224835)	3/18/2005 9:05:49 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1571408

The private accounts don't offset that debt, they are not an asset. The reduced government obligation for future payouts does offset the debt. Also the private accounts increase the pool of savings lessening the impact of the debt even though they do not decrease it. Tim