丹奇
淒淒之心，惶惶之神，乏乏之力，空空之靈
一個美國人對美國的反思：
信用的失喪 --- 美國的故事
作者：羅傑 （ Roger Snyder ） 翻譯： 丹奇
過去八年對美國真的不好。 2001 年我們被伊斯蘭恐怖分子襲擊。我們先發製人地發動了兩場戰爭，現在還在進行著。其中一場（伊拉克戰爭）卻是基於錯誤的情報發動的，並持續到今天。在這些持續的戰爭中，我們承受了四千一百年輕戰士的死亡，三萬傷員，三十萬伊拉克人被殺（大部分為平民）以及高達八千億美元的戰爭成本，而且我們還在繼續在為此戰爭每月支付一百億美元。我們的許多同盟國已經離開了我們，把部隊撤回他們的國家。我們現在麵臨著自大蕭條後 80 年以來最糟糕的金融危機。我們的失業率為七年來最高，股票市場現在比布什總統上任時要低許多。最糟糕的是，我們在全世界的信用之低恐怕史無前例。
這一切是怎麽發生的？難道隻是簡單地責怪布什政府就行了？或是我們現在要處理的問題本來就是不可預知會發生的？那就是說，所有這些現在發生的糟糕的情形 --- 是我們自己咎由自取？還是他們的發生是美國人的思維和行為方式導致的？
我認為所有已經發生的和將要發生的這一切都是美國的行為方式以及他的人民的行為方式決定的。我們才是這場麻煩的始作俑者。正是美國的“狂妄自大” --- 我行我素 --- 才是這一切災難的根源。我們在全世界的競爭對手們？此時他們一定在得意的看著這一景象：美國金融破產，兩場看上去沒有結尾的軍事衝突。我們的長期盟友們（許多新的盟友們）已經從支持美國的 ’ 冒險事業 ” 裏打了退堂鼓。我們的朋友們再也不信任我們了。他們把他們國家的問題也歸罪到美國頭上了。
美國政府在他的公民麵前也失去了信用。國會在其選民中的支持率現在隻有 9% ，總統支持率僅僅 27% 。在有文明的曆史以來，當人民對其領袖的支持率降低到如此數字的話，革命或政變通常為期不遠了。
我們作為一個國家，將會有一場政變，這場政變會在 2008 年 11 月 4 日當美國人投票選出一位新的總統和國會新的代表時發生。新舊更替，除舊迎新。
為什麽美國人民如此不信任他們自己的政府，他們大多人自己親手選出來的政府？這是因為，我們，美國人民，感到被背叛了。我們可以肯定我們的領袖關於這場戰爭及其原因對我們說了謊。我們可以肯定我們的政府隻是一味地迎合富人們 — 這次的華爾街救市就是很好的證明 --- 當普通美國人民正在創紀錄地失去他們的家園，失去他們的工作時。 就在上個月（ 2008 年九月）就有十五萬九千人失業。我不知道你怎麽樣，但是如果沒有工作，你要支付房款，供養家庭，送孩子上學，給車子加油便極端困難。然而，當這些在我們自己的國家發生時，我們竟然還能夠用七千億美元幫助富有的華爾街銀行和交易商擺脫困境。
美國人民已經看夠了。改革一定會來到！無論好壞，曆史會告訴我們。但是，正如物理學一樣，自然界厭惡真空，政治也是如此。一場權利，一個新政府的焦點和政策將會發生急劇的轉換。人民要求如此。
我想我們將看到一個與九十年代克林頓政府相似的新政府，一個我們作為國家與世界各國友好睦鄰的政策，一個這樣的國家：對解決國際問題不再采取單邊主義行動或不再盛氣淩人地要求我們的盟友支持我們的行動或麵對一個不痛快的美國。我們過去就是反其道而行之，因而失去了我們長期盟友 -- 歐盟的尊重。我們過去八年強迫他們在伊拉克，阿富汗直至中東乃至全世界支持我們。這些民主國家現在麵臨著自己人民的責難：他們自己國家的弊病，然後把這些問題的根源和矛頭直指“美利堅合作國。”
過去美國人民受全世界愛戴。我們的風度，我們的文化，我們的誠實，我們的樂觀主義精神在全世界備受尊敬。
現在美國人在歐洲幾乎不受歡迎（特別是德國，意大利，和法國）。英國現在還是我們盟友，但與他們的緊張關係顯而易見。那裏的人民指責我們是他們災難的根源。我們把他們拖入了戰爭，幫助他們在毀掉我們的銀行係統同時也毀掉了他們的銀行係統。美國歐幣銀行係統現在已是深陷泥沼。澳洲已經對這場看不到頭的戰爭失去了胃口。
我們國家的金融係統是如此的崩潰以至於中國主權財富基金現在被找出來作為投資者來重塑我們破產的係統（特別是摩根斯坦利）。中國政府本身就是我們自己的國家財政債務第二大的買家（日本第一）。
為什麽我們的政府在我們的公民們麵前如此失去信用？要跟你的公民們解釋是非常困難的。我們的金融係統如此崩潰，我們不得不拿窮人的錢給富人。但首先我們政府要從那個我們繼續稱之為“共產主義”的政府那裏借錢。這樣，我們才能把那筆錢給華爾街的富人們。 但是，既然我們是從“共產主義們”手裏借錢 （既然我們自己再也沒錢了），我們還是要歸還的。那麽，可憐的納稅人就理所當然地要把錢還給“共產主義們”了。那麽華爾街的富人們呢？他們繼續富裕。納稅人呢？ 繼續捱窮。“共產主義們 ”? 當然，他們顯而易見是最富有的了。
總而言之，也許對於我們所有的這些困難最好的答案就是成為“共產主義們“。歸根結底，他們好像是唯一有錢的家夥們。他們的國家也是唯一一個過去五十年沒有卷入過戰爭的主要超級大國。
（譯者注： 作者為譯者的美國先生。作者為國會議員藍普森經濟問題顧問，譯者為國會議員亞裔代表和亞裔顧問）
(English Version):
A LOSS OF CREDIBILITY:
AN AMERICAN STORY
Roger Snyder ( October 5, 2008)
The past 8 years have not been kind to the United States. We were attacked in 2001 by Islamic terrorists. We have preemptively started 2 wars, both of which are still going on and one of which ( the Iraq war ) was started, and continues to this day, based on false information. In those continuing wars we have absorbed over 4100 of our young soldiers deaths, over 30,000 have been wounded, over 300,000 Iraqi’s have been killed ( most of them civilians ) and the cost of the war is approaching $800 billion and we continue to spend $10billion per month on the war effort. Many of our allies have left us and pulled their troops back home. We are facing the worst financial crisis in nearly 80 years since our Great Depression. Our unemployment is at a 7 year high, the stock market is now lower than when President Bush took office. Worst of all our credibility around the world is perhaps at an all time low.
How did this all happen? Is it so simple to just blame the Bush administration? Or were the current events we now must deal with simply inevitable to happen? That is to say, all the bad things going on now – were they going to happen anyway because of who we are? Were they going to happen anyway because of the way Americans think and behave?
I believe all the bad things that have happened, and continue to happen, is because of the behavior of the United States and the behavior of its people. It’s who we are that has put us in this mess. It’s the “swagger” of the American – that we can do anything we want – that is the root cause of all of these calamaties. And our competitors around the world? They must surely be enjoying the spectacle of a financially broken United States that is mired in 2 military conflicts that appear to have no ending. Our longstanding allies ( and many new ones ) have backed away from supporting further U.S. “adventures”. Our friends don’t even trust us anymore. They are now blaming their countries problems on the U.S. !
The U.S. Government has lost such credibility with its’ own citizens that our Congress has only a 9% approval amongst its voters. The Presidents approval rating is a mere 27%. In the history of the civilized world when people have disapproved of their leadership in such numbers as those a revolution or coup usually was the answer.
We, as a nation, will have a coup and that coup will take place on the first Tuesday of November 2008 when Americans will vote for a new President and new representatives in Congress. Out with the old in with the new.
Why do Americans so distrust their own government? The very government that they themselves voted in in a majority? It’s because we the people of these United States feel betrayed. We are certain our leaders have lied to us about the war and its cause. We are certain our government caters only to the wealthy as proved by the bailout of Wall Street – while ordinary Americans are losing their homes and their jobs in record numbers. Just last month ( September 2008 ) over 159,000 Americans lost their jobs. I don’t know about you but it’s very hard to make your house payments, feed your family, send your children to college and put gas in your car when you don’t have a job. However, with all that happening within our own country – we still can bailout the rich Wall Street Banks and traders with over $700 billion !
The American public has seen enough. Change will come. For good or bad, history will tell us. But, just as in physics, nature abhors a vacuum and so does politics. There will be a radical shift of power, focus and policy with a new administration. The people demand it.
I think we will see more of an administration that mirrors the Clinton Presidency of the 1990’s. A policy that we as a nation get along better with our neighbors around the world. A nation that no longer acts and behaves unilaterally towards problems around the world or bullies its allies to support our position or face an upset U.S. That’s why we have lost the respect of our longtime European allies. We have forced them these past 8 years to support us in Iraq, in Afghanistan, throughout the Middle East, and indeed around the world. These democratic governments are now facing the wrath of their own people who are blaming them for own ills which they then point to the root cause of all these problems – THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA !
In the past Americans were loved around the world. Our manners, our culture, our honesty, our whole sense of optimism were revered around the world.
Now Americans are hardly even welcome in Europe ( Germany, Italy and France in particular ). The British are still our close allies but the tension with them is evident. The people there blame us for their woes. We have dragged them into wars and helped ruin their banking systems along with ours. The American – Euro banking system is in serious trouble. The Australians have lost their appetite for a war action that doesn’t appear to have an end.
Our countries finances are so broken that Chinese Sovereign Wealth Funds are now searched out as investors to shore up our broken system ( Morgan Stanley specifically ) and the Chinese Government itself is the second largest buyer ( Japan is first ) of our national debt from our own Treasury !
Why has our Government lost such credibility with its own citizens? Well, it’s hard to explain to your citizens that the financial system is so broken that we need to take money from the poor to give to the rich but first we have to borrow that money from a Government that our Government continues to call “communists”- so then we can give that money to the rich on Wall Street. But, since we “borrowed” it ( since we don’t have any money of our own any more ) from the “communists” we have to pay it back – so, the poor tax payer gets the privilege of paying back the “communists” and the rich Wall Street guys? Well, they’re still rich. The tax payer? He’s still poor. The “communists”? Well, they’re obviously the richest of all.
In summary, perhaps the best answer to all of our problems is to become “communists”. After all, they seem to be the only guys with any money, and their country is also the only major Super Power who hasn’t been involved in a war in the past 50 years.
hope more people could see this.