经济学人489:莱克星顿 里克·佩里的廉价航空模式

 　　Lexington

　　莱克星顿

　　Rick Perry's no-frills airline

　　里克·佩里的廉价航空模式

　　The governor of Texas thinks his state's thrifty¹ model will appeal to America

　　德克萨斯州长认为自己州的节约模式对美国具有号召力

　　COWBOY swagger can be a great look—until the strutting² hero trips and falls flat on his face. Governor Rick Perry of Texas learned that in 2011. For a heady moment he led the field of Republicans seeking the presidential nomination³. Then came the fall. An ill-prepared Mr Perry was stunned⁴ when rivals attacked him from the right, denouncing his (admirable) policy of offering subsidised university places to Texas residents, regardless of immigration status, in the interests of a skilled workforce⁵. The end came with an “Oops” heard around the world, uttered during a TV debate in which—flustered and battling severe back-pain—Mr Perry forgot which federal departments he wanted to abolish.

　　趾高气扬的牛仔看起来很棒—直到这名大摇大摆的英雄不小心摔了个狗啃泥，变成了狗熊。德克萨斯州长里克·佩里在2011年得到了教训。在一个激动人心的时刻，他领导共和党人追求总统提名，然后功亏一篑。由于佩里准备不足，当他的竞争对手从右翼攻击他，谴责他的政策（一个值得赞扬的政策）为德克萨斯居民提供大学资助名额，而忽略了移民身份，只是为了熟练工人的利益，他手足无措。在这场电视直播的辩论中，结束时他的一声“哎哟”全世界都清楚地听到了—佩里慌乱地对抗着严重的背痛，忘了他希望废除的是哪个联邦部门。

　　Now, as he prepares to retire as Texas's longest-serving governor, Mr Perry is poised⁶ for a re-launch. Think-tank boffins and foreign-policy gurus have descended⁷ on the Ionic-columned governor's mansion⁸ in Austin, briefing him on everything from monetary⁹ policy to Islamic extremism. He has talked geopolitics in London and Warsaw and debated energy policy with Communist bosses in China. On December 2nd he invited donors¹⁰ to lunch. Wisely, he offered more than happy-talk. When voters handed Republicans big wins in the mid-term elections it was no declaration of love for the Right, he told guests. Theirs was a vote of no-confidence in Barack Obama, and a cry of despair at Washington dysfunction and the lack of respect enjoyed by America abroad. Voters are offering Republicans one more chance to govern, with the message: “Don't blow it.”

　　如今，作为德克萨斯州在任时间最长的州长，他准备退休了，但也正在准备重新开始自己的事业。智囊团和国外政策专家们突然访问了这座位于奥斯丁的有着爱奥尼亚式圆柱的州长大楼，简单向他报告了许多事情——从货币政策到伊斯兰极端主义。他在伦敦和华沙谈论地缘政治学，与中国的共产党官员争辩能源政策。他于12月2日邀请捐赠人吃午餐。他很明智，午餐间他们并不仅仅是愉快的交谈。他对宾客们说，选民们投票给共和党使其在中期大选中全胜，这对右翼来说不是一件好事。他们对奥巴马投了不信任票，而且对美国政府功能紊乱，以及海外国家对美国缺乏尊重很失望。选民们为共和党提供了更多管理的机会，并传递了信息：“别搞砸了。”

　　Not blowing a fresh White House bid is Mr Perry's own mission. Last time he was “a bit arrogant,” he admits in an interview at his mansion, reclining in an armchair flanked by busts¹¹ of Reagan and Churchill. He mistakenly assumed that running Texas was preparation for a presidential bid. This time, he has spent 22 months preparing “intensively”.

　　佩里的任务就是不要搞砸这次全新的白宫选举。在州长大楼的一场采访中，他斜靠在扶手椅中，两侧分别是里根和丘吉尔的半身像，他承认上次“有点自大”了。他错误认为管理德克萨斯州就是为总统竞选做准备。而这次，他已花费22个月“集中”准备竞选。

　　Pundits¹² are asking: is Rick Perry ready? When asked, prominent Republicans advising Mr Perry offer warm words: they call him “energised” and “intellectually curious”. The difference from 2011 is “night and day”, says one. The governor will make a final decision next spring. In an unexpected twist, he was recently indicted¹³ for abuse of power, after leaning on an Austin prosecutor¹⁴ to resign after her arrest for drunk-driving. His indictment¹⁵ (which even some liberal jurists think looks like the hounding of a governor for doing his job) will either go away or stop him dead. Time will tell if he is up to a fresh run, but that is the wrong question. A better one is: what does Mr Perry stand for?

　　专家询问：里克·佩里准备好了吗？当问到这个问题时，杰出的共和党员建议佩里言辞热烈一些：他们称他是“精力充沛”以及“求知好学”的人。某位专家称他与2011年那时已经不可“同日而语”。州长在来年春天将会做出最终决定。在一名奥斯丁检察官因酗酒被捕后，他逼迫她辞职，意料之外的是，最近他因此被控告滥用职权。对他的控告（即使一些仁慈的法学家也认为这看起来是州长被迫行使职权）要么会沉寂，要么就会使他止步。时间将会证明他是否能够胜任一场新选举，但这个问题是错误的。更好的问题是：佩里代表了什么？

　　Any answer must begin with his governing record. A “Texas miracle” say boosters, pointing to the millions who have moved to his state in recent years, drawn¹⁶ by low taxes, cheap housing, light-touch regulation and courts that take a dim view of frivolous¹⁷ lawsuits¹⁸. Mr Perry is keen on comparisons with highly-taxed, regulation-choked California, or as he calls it, the state from which he poaches employers “on a regular basis”. During his 14 years as governor, he beams, a third of all net jobs created in America were created in Texas.

　　任何答案都应该从他的管理记录开始。近几年有数百万人因低税收、低房价、轻力度监管和法庭对琐碎诉讼的不赞成而迁移到德克萨斯州，支持者们说这是个“德克萨斯奇迹”。佩里喜欢与高税收、严监管的加州作对比，或者像他称的那样，他“经常”从加州挖来雇主。他笑容满面地称，在他十四年的行政生涯中，美国所有净就业机会中有三分之一都是德克萨斯州创造的，这是他的一个得意功绩。

　　A mirage¹⁹, retort many on the Left: Mr Perry rode an energy boom and stole jobs from other states with tax breaks and other bribes²⁰. Millions in Texas lack health insurance. The state tolerates horrible inequalities. Sceptics charge that an extremist lurks²¹ behind the governor's charm, whether he is attacking the federal government for leaving a lethally²² “porous” border between Mexico and Texas, or displaying a serene²³ confidence as he signed off on 279 executions as governor. If people move to Texas—such critics murmur—it's because they are happy with crappy.

　　许多左翼人士反驳说这只是个假象：佩里先生精力旺盛，用税收减免和其它贿赂从别的州偷来了不少工作。德克萨斯州有数百万人没有医疗保险。该州容忍了严重的不平等。怀疑论者们控告称州长那迷人外表下隐藏着极端主义者，他正在攻击联邦政府，在墨西哥和德克萨斯州之间留下致命的“漏洞百出”的边界，或者是就像同意了279项执行令状那样展示着自己平静的自信。这些批评家们抱怨说，如果人们迁移到德克萨斯州，那是因为他们自甘堕落。

　　Americans don't move to crappy places, retorts Mr Perry. He reels off statistics about the Texan quality of life: the number of well-paid new jobs, the 35,000 doctors who arrived once dodgy lawsuits were curtailed²⁴, even the number of theatre seats in Houston (only New York has more, he says). The Texan way is a choice, he says: the state offers people as much government as they want, rather than what Washington thinks is good for them.

　　佩里先生反驳说，美国人不会迁移到没价值的地方。他一口气说出了德克萨斯州的生活质量的各种统计资料：待遇优厚的新工作，当烦人的诉讼被缩减后，三万五千名医生来到了这里，甚至连休斯顿的剧院座位都缩减了（只有纽约增加了，他说）。德克萨斯之路是个选择，他说：该州为人们提供了他们所有想要的治理，即使华盛顿都没这么为他们着想过。

　　You get what you pay for

　　你付出了，就能得到收获

　　This, surely, will be Mr Perry's contribution to the debate if he runs. Reduce modern politics to their essence, and some of the angriest arguments turn on a crisis of affordability²⁵. Most households have seen their incomes stagnate²⁶ while certain essential middle-class goods (such as college education and health care) have soared in price. Too many Democrats²⁷ seem to think that the solution is to pluck more money out of a magician's hat. Some suggest that new taxes can painlessly fund more government largesse²⁸, or insist that firms can easily afford to pay higher wages. Too many Republicans put their faith in magical policies: hinting that tax cuts and deregulation alone will return the economy to a Golden Age of affluence²⁹.

　　当然，如果佩里先生参加竞选的话，这就是他对辩论的贡献。将现代政策缩减至精华，一些愤怒的争论变成了负担能力的危机。大多数家庭都看到了收入停滞不前，而一些重要的中产阶级物品（如大学教育和医疗保险）价格飙升。许多民主党认为解决方案就是从魔术师的帽子里变出更多的钱。一些人建议说新的税务政策能够毫不费力地为政府的慷慨提供资金支持，或者坚称公司能够轻松负担高薪。许多共和党对魔法政策信心十足：暗示单靠减税和放松管制就能使经济回到富裕的鼎盛时期。

　　Mr Perry stands out for tackling, squarely, the fact that Americans are used to services that increasingly cost more than they (or any government) can afford. Rather often, the Texan solution involves basic services that aim to be cheap but good enough. Call it the low-cost airline model: offering a minimal³⁰ service that is safe and reliable, then letting consumers pay for frills and extras if they like. Mr Perry grumbles³¹ at the idea that Texas is a discount model for anything. But competition is certainly at the heart of his pitch. He has pressed Texan colleges to offer degrees for only $10,000, for example. He has rejected Obamacare's calls to expand health coverage³² on Washington's terms. He thinks that Texas should be allowed to cover the poor as it sees fit (with an emphasis on creating jobs that make health care affordable³³, rather than safety nets). As president, he would be delighted to let other states offer onerous³⁴ taxes and lavish³⁵ services. Some people want such things, he agrees: they are “free to live in California”.

　　佩里坚决断然阻止，事实是美国人习惯了超出他们（或者任何政府）承担能力的日益增加的花费。德克萨斯州的常见解决方法就包括物美价廉的基本服务，叫做廉价航空模式：提供最少的安全可靠服务，如果顾客需要额外的花哨服务的话，让他们自己支付。佩里对德克萨斯州这种什么事情都要打折扣的模式表示不满。但竞争是他竞选的核心。例如，他曾向德克萨斯州大学施压，让他们提供一万美元就能获得的学位。在华盛顿任期期间，他拒绝了奥巴马医改扩大医疗覆盖范围的要求。他认为德克萨斯应该被允许覆盖穷人，因为它很合适（强调创造就业机会，使人们能负担得起医疗保险，而不是建立医疗安全网）。如果成为总统，他会很乐意让其它州提供繁重的税收和花哨的服务。有人喜欢这些东西，他赞同说：她们“在加州自由生活”。

　　Not everyone wants to live in Texas. But Mr Perry's pitch is worth debating. Forget that “Oops,” and hope that he runs.

　　不是每个人都想生活在德克萨斯州。但佩里先生的政策值得争辩。忘掉那声“哎哟”吧，希望他参加竞选。

1 thrifty   

adj.节俭的；兴旺的；健壮的

参考例句：

• Except for smoking and drinking,he is a thrifty man.除了抽烟、喝酒，他是个生活节俭的人。
• She was a thrifty woman and managed to put aside some money every month.她是个很会持家的妇女，每月都设法存些钱。

2 strutting   

加固，支撑物

参考例句：

• He, too, was exceedingly arrogant, strutting about the castle. 他也是非常自大，在城堡里大摇大摆地走。
• The pompous lecturer is strutting and forth across the stage. 这个演讲者在台上趾高气扬地来回走着。

3 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

5 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

6 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

7 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

8 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

9 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

10 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 busts   

半身雕塑像( bust的名词复数 )； 妇女的胸部； 胸围； 突击搜捕

参考例句：

• Dey bags swells up and busts. 那奶袋快胀破了。
• Marble busts all looked like a cemetery. 大理石的半身象，简直就象是坟山。

12 pundits   

n.某一学科的权威，专家( pundit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pundits disagree on the best way of dealing with the problem. 如何妥善处理这一问题，专家众说纷纭。 来自辞典例句
• That did not stop Chinese pundits from making a fuss over it. 这并没有阻止中国的博学之士对此大惊小怪。 来自互联网

13 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

14 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

15 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

16 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

17 frivolous   

adj.轻薄的；轻率的

参考例句：

• This is a frivolous way of attacking the problem.这是一种轻率敷衍的处理问题的方式。
• He spent a lot of his money on frivolous things.他在一些无聊的事上花了好多钱。

18 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

19 mirage   

n.海市蜃楼，幻景

参考例句：

• Perhaps we are all just chasing a mirage.也许我们都只是在追逐一个幻想。
• Western liberalism was always a mirage.西方自由主义永远是一座海市蜃楼。

20 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

21 lurks   

n.潜在，潜伏；（lurk的复数形式）vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Behind his cool exterior lurks a reckless and frustrated person. 在冷酷的外表背后，他是一个鲁莽又不得志的人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Good fortune lies within Bad, Bad fortune lurks within good. 福兮祸所倚，祸兮福所伏。 来自互联网

22 lethally   

adv.致命地；危害地；极具威胁地

参考例句：

• AMERICANS do it guiltily, Russians casually, Africans lethally and the French habitually. 通奸这种事美国人做起来满怀内疚，俄国人非常随便，非洲人相当致命，法国人习以为常。 来自互联网
• The concentration of salt in her blood was found to be lethally low. 人们发现她血液中的盐浓度很低，是致命的原因。 来自互联网

23 serene   

adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的

参考例句：

• He has entered the serene autumn of his life.他已进入了美好的中年时期。
• He didn't speak much,he just smiled with that serene smile of his.他话不多，只是脸上露出他招牌式的淡定的微笑。

24 curtailed   

v.截断，缩短( curtail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Spending on books has been severely curtailed. 购书开支已被大大削减。
• Their public health programme had to be severely curtailed. 他们的公共卫生计划不得不大大收缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 affordability   

可购性

参考例句：

• Performance-Based Logistics Affordability: Can We Afford Categorical Conversion to Performance-Based Acquisition? 基于性能的后期的可承受性：能否担负得起向基于性能的采办的无条件的转变？
• There would be no crisis of affordability, as't for food or clothing. 就想食物与服装一样，因为供给没有危机。

26 stagnate   

v.停止

参考例句：

• Where the masses are not roused,work will stagnate.哪里不发动群众，哪里的工作就死气沉沉。
• Taiwan's economy is likely to stagnate for a long time to come.台湾经济很可能会停滞很长一段时间。

27 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 largesse   

n.慷慨援助，施舍

参考例句：

• She is not noted for her largesse.没人听说过她出手大方。
• Our people are in no need of richer nations' largesse.我国人民不需要富国的施舍。

29 affluence   

n.充裕，富足

参考例句：

• Their affluence is more apparent than real.他们的富有是虚有其表。
• There is a lot of affluence in this part of the state because it has many businesses.这个州的这一部分相当富有，因为它有很多商行。

30 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

31 grumbles   

抱怨( grumble的第三人称单数 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbles at his lot instead of resolutely facing his difficulties. 他不是果敢地去面对困难，而是抱怨自己运气不佳。
• I'm sick of your unending grumbles. 我对你的不断埋怨感到厌烦。

32 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

33 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

34 onerous   

adj.繁重的

参考例句：

• My household duties were not particularly onerous.我的家务活并不繁重。
• This obligation sometimes proves onerous.这一义务有时被证明是艰巨的。

35 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。