為什麼美國會為了一個虛假的數字爭吵：英語精讀講義

The debt limit is a kind of financial weapon of mass destruction 慣用語

債務上限就像是一種金融上的大規模殺傷性武器，

chained to the United States government by the United States government.

被美國政府自己死死綁在了美國政府身上。

Confused?

聽糊塗了？

Then it's time for the United States debt limit explained.

那是時候來解釋一下美國的債務上限了。

To understand the debt limit, 表達脈絡

要了解債務上限，

you need to know the US splits financial responsibility between the President and Congress. 片語搭配

你得知道美國將財政責任分攤給了總統和國會。

The President has two jobs when it comes to money. 片語搭配

在錢的問題上，總統有兩項工作。

One, collect taxes and two,

第一，收稅，第二，

spend those taxes to run the government.

把收來的稅花出去以維持政府運轉。

This might give you the impression that the President with regards to money is all powerful, 片語搭配

這可能會給你一種印象，覺得在金錢方面總統是全能的，

especially when you hear news reports on the President's new budget

尤其是當你聽到有關總統新預算的新聞報導，

or his plan to raise taxes on haberdashers

或是他計畫對男裝用品店老闆加稅，

or lower taxes on apiarists.

或是對養蜂人減稅的時候。

But reality is just the opposite 表達脈絡

但現實恰恰相反，

and the President is the one who takes orders. 片語搭配

總統才是那個聽命行事的人。

From whom?

聽誰的？

Congress.

國會的。

Congress has the jobs of setting the tax level

國會的工作是設定稅率，

and determining how much the government will spend by writing a budget.

並透過制定預算來決定政府將花多少錢。

So, while the President does get to submit budgets to Congress 文法

所以，雖然總統確實要向國會提交預算，

and asks for changes in the tax level,

並且要求調整稅率，

these are just requests that Congress doesn't have to pay attention to. 文法

但這些僅僅是請求，國會大可不必理會。

Congress can add or subtract anything they want from the President's budget

國會可以在總統的預算中隨意增加或刪減任何內容，

or throw it out entirely 片語動詞

或者完全把總統的預算丟掉，

and write a new one.

自己重新寫一份。

The same goes for the level of taxes. 片語搭配

稅收水準也是如此。

So, Congress decides what it wants,

所以，國會決定它想要什麼，

bridges, tanks, buildings, courts, robots on Mars, robots on Earth,

橋梁、坦克、大樓、法院、火星上的機器人、地球上的機器人，

national parks, whatever,

國家公園，隨便什麼都行，

and approves a budget with that stuff in it.

然後批准包含這些東西的預算。

Once approved, 文法

一旦獲得批准，

the President is required by law to spend the money Congress listed in the budget 片語搭配

法律就要求總統必須花掉國會在預算中列出的錢，

and pay for it using the taxes that Congress set.

並且用國會設定的稅收來買單。

As long as more taxes come in than spending goes out, 講解

只要收進來的稅比花出去的錢多，

everything is fine.

就萬事大吉。

But almost always Congress puts more stuff in the budget than they cover with taxes,

但國會在預算裡塞的東西，幾乎總是比稅收能涵蓋的要多，

which means that the President must borrow money to cover the difference. 講解

這意味著總統必須借錢來補足差額。

In most countries,

在大多數國家，

the story ends here because if their legislatures approved more spending than they have income,

事情到此為止，因為如果立法機構批准的支出超過了他們的收入，

they've also implicitly approved the necessary borrowing.

他們也就等同於默認批准了必要的借款。

But not in America.

但在美國並非如此。

Here, Congress also limits the total amount of debt the United States can have.

在這裡，國會還會限制美國能夠背負的債務總額。

A debt limit sounds like a good idea 文化背景

設定債務上限聽起來是個好主意，

until you see the real world consequences of these two branches of government interacting.

直到你看到這兩個政府分支相互作用時產生的現實後果。

As the total amount borrowed gets closer to the limit,

當借款總額越來越接近上限時，

Congress usually points to the President and acts shocked, 語氣意圖

國會通常會把矛頭指向總統，並表現得十分震驚，

shocked that his reckless spending has brought us so close to the debt limit

震驚於他那揮霍無度的花銷，竟把我們逼到了這個由他們——

that they reasonable prudent Congress have set.

理智謹慎的國會——所設定的債務上限的邊緣。

And while it's technically correct that the President has borrowed this money, 表達脈絡

雖然從技術層面上說，總統借這些錢是對的，

Congress has forced him to do it by approving a budget 文法

但其實是國會逼著他這麼做的，因為國會批准了一份預算，

that the President is legally obligated to spend 用詞

而在法律上總統有義務去花預算裡的錢，

without also approving the necessary taxes to cover that spending.

同時國會卻沒有批准足以支付這些開銷的必要稅收。

So, the debt limit fight is essentially the government version of the playground favorite

所以，圍繞債務上限的鬥爭，本質上就是政府版的遊樂場遊戲：

stop hitting yourself, 慣用語

「別再打你自己了」，

except with added terror for everyone watching.

只不過讓所有旁觀者都多了幾分恐懼。

For it's important to note the debt limit is not about future spending.

因為需要重點指出的是，債務上限關乎的並不是未來的支出。

It's not a credit card on which the limit will be raised

它不是一張為了能辦場瘋狂的政府派對

so a crazy government party can be thrown.

就可以提高額度的信用卡。

The debt limit is about paying bills already incurred. 文化背景

債務上限關乎的是支付已經產生的帳單。

For example,

例如，

the government hires a company to repave a federal highway.

政府雇了一家公司來重新鋪設聯邦公路。

But if the US is at the debt limit

但是如果美國達到了債務上限，

when the company asks to be paid after the work has been done, 文法

當公司完工後要求結帳時，

the government can't.

政府卻拿不出錢來。

This shakes trust in the US

這動搖了人們對美國的信任，

and since large parts of the global economy depend on the dollar being trustworthy, 文法

而既然很大一部分全球經濟都依賴於美元的信譽，

messing with that trust is a big deal. 片語動詞

搞砸這份信任可是一件大事。

But there is a way out.

不過辦法還是有的。

Congress can raise the debt limit

國會可以提高債務上限，

and because of the aforementioned terror,

而且由於前面提到的恐懼感，

they always have. 文法

他們總是會這麼做。

So, if not raising the debt ceiling is potentially disastrous

所以，如果不提高債務上限可能會帶來災難性後果，

and the solution is simple and always taken in the end,

並且解決辦法很簡單，而且最終總是會被採用，

why does this debate last months?

為什麼這場爭論還會持續幾個月呢？

Because politics. 表達脈絡

因為政治。

The debt limit isn't the Constitution.

債務上限不是憲法規定的。

Congress created it themselves

它是國會自己創造出來的，

and from their point of view,

在他們看來，

the debt limit is awesome because one, 語氣意圖

債務上限棒極了，因為第一，

it creates a problem that two,

它製造了一個問題，第二，

Congress can technically blame on the President who three,

國會在表面上可以把這個問題歸咎於總統，第三，

needs the solution that only they can provide.

總統需要解決辦法，而這辦法只有國會能提供。

Congress gets to use the threat of mutual financial self-destruction

國會得以利用共同陷入金融自毀的威脅

as leverage in negotiations 用詞

作為談判籌碼，

that they benefit from extending

並且透過將談判拖延

until the last possible second.

到最後一秒來獲取利益。