密歇根新闻广播 共和党人和民主党人在兰辛问题上达成共识

 

It's not always gridlock and stalemate in Lansing. The left and right seem to have come together to solve a lingering controversy¹. But, can it last?

A plan in the state Legislature that would hurry up getting rid of driver responsibility fees appears to be on a fast track in Lansing. These fees are surcharges tacked² onto traffic fines. Lawmakers approved them in 2003 in order to fill what was then a big hole in the state budget.

This latest plan, which would forgive hundreds of millions of dollars currently owed by drivers, is bringing opposing parties together. Lawmakers on the right say the passing of the fees was a failure by lawmakers to make tough budget choices, and an example of government overreach. The left considers the fees an attack on the working poor.

Today, some 350,000 people owe these fees. Forgiving those debts will make a lot of voters happy in urban districts represented by Dems and rural districts represented by Republicans.

It's Just Politics with Zoe Clark and Rick Pluta

But, it's not just these driver responsibility fees that are getting some bipartisan attention. A deal between Democratic mayor of Detroit Mike Duggan and Republican Speaker of the House Tom Leonard to roll back auto³ insurance rates in the state was introduced just this past week.

Now, Leonard and Duggan say these two issues are not related even though they affect many of the same people because drivers who are behind the wheel illegally because they haven't paid their fees probably are not buying insurance.

But Duggan and Leonard don't want progress on one of these issues to be stalled if the other gets bogged⁴ down.

Leonard says he's got only two rules as he moves ahead with an auto insurance overhaul⁵. "There are two necessary elements that we have to meet here. One, we have to have 55 votes… Secondly⁶, once we get to 55, we need to ensure that whatever passes comes with a guaranteed rate relief for the citizens of our state."

This is where it becomes much more likely that hurrying up getting rid of the driver responsibility happens before auto insurance reform.

The economic calamity⁷ that was occurring back in 2003 when the driver fees were created has dissipated. And, the fees are already being phased out, this latest deal would just quicken the process.

It took 14 years but there's something of a consensus⁸ that it's time for the fees and the controversy to just go away. But could this be a precursor⁹ to an auto no-fault overhaul? Sure, Leonard and Duggan have created a bipartisan plan but there are other bipartisan packages out there, too.

And all of them have controversial aspects - whether it's ending unlimited¹⁰ medical benefits or outlawing¹¹ redlining - and these goals and objections don't always fall along party lines.

It just goes to show that bipartisan buy-in can also mean there's bipartisan opposition¹².

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 tacked   

用平头钉钉( tack的过去式和过去分词 )； 附加，增补； 帆船抢风行驶，用粗线脚缝

参考例句：

• He tacked the sheets of paper on as carefully as possible. 他尽量小心地把纸张钉上去。
• The seamstress tacked the two pieces of cloth. 女裁缝把那两块布粗缝了起来。

3 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

4 bogged   

adj.陷于泥沼的v.（使）陷入泥沼， （使）陷入困境( bog的过去式和过去分词 )；妨碍，阻碍

参考例句：

• The professor bogged down in the middle of his speech. 教授的演讲只说了一半便讲不下去了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The tractor is bogged down in the mud. 拖拉机陷入了泥沼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

6 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

7 calamity   

n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件

参考例句：

• Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
• The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。

8 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

9 precursor   

n.先驱者；前辈；前任；预兆；先兆

参考例句：

• Error is often the precursor of what is correct.错误常常是正确的先导。
• He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.他说该笔交易不应该被看作是合并的前兆。

10 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

11 outlawing   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Regulations are outlawing certain refrigerants, such as chlorofluorocarbons, which contain ozone-depleting chemicals. 随后出台的政策禁用了部分制冷剂，如破坏臭氧层的氟氯碳化合物。
• An amendment outlawing sale of intoxicating liquors(1920)was repealed in 1933. 规定售卖酒类为非法的一个宪法修正案（一九二○年）在一九三三年被废止。

12 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。