今日主題：Rick Perry's no-frills airline 里克•佩里的廉價航空模式
康康精選GRE&GMAT會考的主題，堅持每天精讀一定會進步的哦!! MP3音檔 (按右鍵可下載聽)：喜歡的同學，幫忙推或按讚哦~~
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中英文稿：
Lexington-- Rick Perry's no-frills airline
萊剋星頓--里克•佩里的廉價航空模式
The governor of Texas thinks his state's thrifty model will appeal to America
德克薩斯州長認為自己州的節約模式對美國具有號召力
COWBOY swagger can be a great look—until the strutting 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 nomination. Then came the fall. An ill-prepared Mr Perry was stunned 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 workforce. 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.
趾高氣揚的牛仔看起來很棒—直到這名大搖大擺的英雄不小心摔了個狗啃泥，變成了狗熊。德克薩斯州長里克•佩里在2011年得到了教訓。在一個激動人心的時 刻，他領導共和黨人追求總統提名，然後功虧一簣。由於佩里準備不足，當他的競爭對手從右翼攻擊他，譴責他的政策（一個值得讚揚的政策）為德克薩斯居民提供 大學資助名額，而忽略了移民身份，只是為了熟練工人的利益，他手足無措。在這場電視直播的辯論中，結束時他的一聲“哎喲”全世界都清楚地聽到了—佩里慌亂 地對抗著嚴重的背痛，忘了他希望廢除的是哪個聯邦部門。
Now, as he prepares to retire as Texas's longest-serving governor, Mr Perry is poised for a re-launch. Think-tank boffins and foreign-policy gurus have descended on the Ionic-columned governor's mansion in Austin, briefing him on everything from monetary 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 donors 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，作為德克薩斯州在任時間最長的州長，他準備退休了，但也正在準備重新開始自己的事業。智囊團和國外政策專家們突然訪問了這座位于奧斯丁的有著愛奧尼 亞式圓柱的州長大樓，簡單向他報告了許多事情——從貨幣政策到伊斯蘭極端主義。他在倫敦和華沙談論地緣政治學，與中國的共產黨官員爭辯能源政策。他於12 月2日邀請捐贈人吃午餐。他很明智，午餐間他們並不僅僅是愉快的交談。他對賓客們說，選民們投票給共和黨使其在中期大選中全勝，這對右翼來說不是一件好 事。他們對奧巴馬投了不信任票，而且對美國政府功能紊亂，以及海外國家對美國缺乏尊重很失望。選民們為共和黨提供了更多管理的機會，並傳遞了資訊：“別搞 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 busts 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”.
佩里的任務就是不要搞砸這次全新的白宮選舉。在州長大樓的一場採訪中，他斜靠在扶手椅中，兩側分別是雷根和邱吉爾的半身像，他承認上次“有點自大”了。他錯誤認為管理德克薩斯州就是為總統競選做準備。而這次，他已花費22個月“集中”準備競選。
Pundits 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 indicted for abuse of power, after leaning on an Austin prosecutor to resign after her arrest for drunk-driving. His indictment (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?
專家詢問：里克•佩里準備好了嗎？當問到這個問題時，傑出的共和黨員建議佩里言辭熱烈一些：他們稱他是“精力充沛”以及“求知好學”的人。某位專家稱他與 2011年那時已經不可“同日而語”。州長在來年春天將會做出最終決定。在一名奧斯丁檢察官因酗酒被捕後，他逼迫她辭職，意料之外的是，最近他因此被控告 濫用職權。對他的控告（即使一些仁慈的法學家也認為這看起來是州長被迫行使職權）要麼會沉寂，要麼就會使他止步。時間將會證明他是否能夠勝任一場新選舉， 但這個問題是錯誤的。更好的問題是：佩里代表了什麼？
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, drawn by low taxes, cheap housing, light-touch regulation and courts that take a dim view of frivolous lawsuits. 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.
任何答案都應該從他的管理記錄開始。近幾年有數百萬人因低稅收、低房價、輕力度監管和法庭對瑣碎訴訟的不贊成而遷移到德克薩斯州，支持者們說這是個“德克 薩斯奇跡”。佩里喜歡與高稅收、嚴監管的加州作對比，或者像他稱的那樣，他“經常”從加州挖來雇主。他笑容滿面地稱，在他十四年的行政生涯中，美國所有淨 就業機會中有三分之一都是德克薩斯州創造的，這是他的一個得意功績。
A mirage, retort many on the Left: Mr Perry rode an energy boom and stole jobs from other states with tax breaks and other bribes. Millions in Texas lack health insurance. The state tolerates horrible inequalities. Sceptics charge that an extremist lurks behind the governor's charm, whether he is attacking the federal government for leaving a lethally “porous” border between Mexico and Texas, or displaying a serene 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.
許多左翼人士反駁說這只是個假像：佩里先生精力旺盛，用稅收減免和其它賄賂從別的州偷來了不少工作。德克薩斯州有數百萬人沒有醫療保險。該州容忍了嚴重的 不平等。懷疑論者們控告稱州長那迷人外表下隱藏著極端主義者，他正在攻擊聯邦政府，在墨西哥和德克薩斯州之間留下致命的“漏洞百出”的邊界，或者是就像同 意了279項執行令狀那樣展示著自己平靜的自信。這些批評家們抱怨說，如果人們遷移到德克薩斯州，那是因為他們自甘墮落。
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 curtailed, 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.
佩里先生反駁說，美國人不會遷移到沒價值的地方。他一口氣說出了德克薩斯州的生活品質的各種統計資料：待遇優厚的新工作，當煩人的訴訟被縮減後，三萬五千 名醫生來到了這裡，甚至連休斯頓的劇院座位都縮減了（只有紐約增加了，他說）。德克薩斯之路是個選擇，他說：該州為人們提供了他們所有想要的治理，即使華 盛頓都沒這麼為他們著想過。
You get what you pay for
你付出了，就能得到收穫
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 affordability. Most households have seen their incomes stagnate while certain essential middle-class goods (such as college education and health care) have soared in price. Too many Democrats 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 largesse, 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 affluence.
當然，如果佩里先生參加競選的話，這就是他對辯論的貢獻。將現代政策縮減至精華，一些憤怒的爭論變成了負擔能力的危機。大多數家庭都看到了收入停滯不前， 而一些重要的中產階級物品（如大學教育和醫療保險）價格飆升。許多民主黨認為解決方案就是從魔術師的帽子裡變出更多的錢。一些人建議說新的稅務政策能夠毫 不費力地為政府的慷慨提供資金支援，或者堅稱公司能夠輕鬆負擔高薪。許多共和黨對魔法政策信心十足：暗示單靠減稅和放鬆管制就能使經濟回到富裕的鼎盛時期。
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 minimal service that is safe and reliable, then letting consumers pay for frills and extras if they like. Mr Perry grumbles 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 coverage 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 affordable, rather than safety nets). As president, he would be delighted to let other states offer onerous taxes and lavish services. Some people want such things, he agrees: they are “free to live in California”.
佩里堅決斷然阻止，事實是美國人習慣了超出他們（或者任何政府）承擔能力的日益增加的花費。德克薩斯州的常見解決方法就包括物美價廉的基本服務，叫做廉價 航空模式：提供最少的安全可靠服務，如果顧客需要額外的花哨服務的話，讓他們自己支付。佩里對德克薩斯州這種什麼事情都要打折扣的模式表示不滿。但競爭是 他競選的核心。例如，他曾向德克薩斯州大學施壓，讓他們提供一萬美元就能獲得的學位。在華盛頓任期期間，他拒絕了奧巴馬醫改擴大醫療覆蓋範圍的要求。他認 為德克薩斯應該被允許覆蓋窮人，因為它很合適（強調創造就業機會，使人們能負擔得起醫療保險，而不是建立醫療安全網）。如果成為總統，他會很樂意讓其它州 提供繁重的稅收和花哨的服務。有人喜歡這些東西，他贊同說：她們“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.
不是每個人都想生活在德克薩斯州。但佩里先生的政策值得爭辯。忘掉那聲“哎喲”吧，希望他參加競選。
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