Help Americans who need it with a major, carefully crafted expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
通过精心设计的大规模扩展所得税抵免来帮助需要援助的美国人。
The American Dream promises that a combination of education, hard work and good behavior can move any citizen from humble beginnings to at least reasonable success. And for many, that promise has been fulfilled. At the extreme, we have the Forbes 400, most of whom did not come from privileged backgrounds.
美国梦承诺，教育、勤奋工作和良好行为的结合可以让任何公民从卑微的出身达到至少合理的成功。对许多人来说，这个承诺已经实现。极端例子是福布斯400富豪榜，其中大多数人并非出身于特权阶层。
Recently, however, the economic rewards flowing to people with specialized talents have grown dramatically faster than those going to equally decent men and women possessing more commonplace skills. In 1982, the first year the Forbes 400 was compiled, those listed had a combined net worth of $93 billion. Today, the 400 possess $2.3 trillion, up 2,400% in slightly more than three decades, a period in which the median household income rose only about 180%.
然而，近年来，流向拥有专业才能的人的经济回报增长速度远远快于那些同样正直但只拥有普通技能的人。1982年，福布斯400富豪榜首次编制时，上榜者的净资产总和为930亿美元。如今，这400人拥有2.3万亿美元，在略多于三十年的时间里增长了2,400%，而同期家庭收入中位数仅增长了约180%。
Meanwhile, a huge number of their fellow citizens have been living the American Nightmare—behaving well and working hard but barely getting by. In 1982, 15% of Americans were living below the poverty level; in 2013 the proportion was nearly the same, a dismaying 14.5%. In recent decades, our country's rising tide has not lifted the boats of the poor.
同时，大量美国公民正在经历着"美国噩梦"——行为良好、努力工作却仅能勉强维生。1982年，15%的美国人生活在贫困线以下；到2013年，这一比例几乎没变，仍是令人沮丧的14.5%。近几十年来，我国经济的上涨潮流并未提升穷人的生活水平。
No conspiracy lies behind this depressing fact: The poor are most definitely not poor because the rich are rich. Nor are the rich undeserving. Most of them have contributed brilliant innovations or managerial expertise to America's well-being. We all live far better because of Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, Sam Walton and the like.
这一令人沮丧的事实背后并无阴谋：穷人绝对不是因为富人富有而贫穷。富人也并非不配获得财富。他们中的大多数人为美国的福祉贡献了卓越的创新或管理专长。亨利·福特、史蒂夫·乔布斯、山姆·沃尔顿等人让我们的生活变得更好。
Instead, this widening gap is an inevitable consequence of an advanced market-based economy. Think back to the agrarian America of only 200 years ago. Most jobs could then be ably performed by most people. In a world where only primitive machinery and animals were available to aid farmers, the difference in productivity between the most talented among them and those with ordinary skills was modest.
相反，这种日益扩大的差距是发达市场经济的必然结果。回想200年前的农业美国，大多数工作都能被大多数人胜任。在只有原始机械和动物可以帮助农民的世界里，最有才能的人与普通技能者之间的生产力差异很小。
Many other jobs of that time could also be carried out by almost any willing worker. True, some laborers would outdo others in intelligence or hustle, but the market value of their output would not differ much from that of the less talented.
当时的许多其他工作也几乎可以由任何愿意工作的人完成。诚然，有些工人在智力或勤奋方面会胜过他人，但他们产出的市场价值与才能较差者的差距并不大。
Visualize an overlay graphic that positioned the job requirements of that day atop the skills of the early American labor force. Those two elements of employment would have lined up reasonably well. Not today. A comparable overlay would leave much of the labor force unmatched to the universe of attractive jobs.
想象一个叠加图表，将当时的工作要求置于早期美国劳动力的技能之上。这两个就业要素会相当匹配。而今天则不然。类似的叠加图会显示大部分劳动力与有吸引力的工作无法匹配。
That mismatch is neither the fault of the market system nor the fault of the disadvantaged individuals. It is simply a consequence of an economic engine that constantly requires more high-order talents while reducing the need for commodity-like tasks.
这种不匹配既不是市场体系的错，也不是处于不利地位的个人的错。这只是经济引擎不断需要更高阶人才，同时减少对商品化任务需求的结果。
The remedy usually proposed for this mismatch is education. Indeed, a top-notch school system available to all is hugely important. But even with the finest educational system in the world, a significant portion of the population will continue, in a nation of great abundance, to earn no more than a bare subsistence.
通常为解决这种不匹配而提出的解决方案是教育。确实，一个对所有人开放的一流学校系统极为重要。但即使拥有世界上最好的教育体系，在一个物质极为丰富的国家里，相当一部分人口仍将只能勉强维持生计。
To see why that is true, imagine we lived in a sports-based economy. In such a marketplace, I would be a flop. You could supply me with the world's best instruction, and I could endlessly strive to improve my skills. But, alas, on the gridiron or basketball court I would never command even a minimum wage. The brutal truth is that an advanced economic system, whether it be geared to physical or mental skills, will leave a great many people behind.
要理解这一点，想象我们生活在一个以体育为基础的经济中。在这样的市场中，我将一败涂地。你可以为我提供世界上最好的指导，我也可以不断努力提高技能。但遗憾的是，在橄榄球场或篮球场上，我永远无法获得哪怕是最低工资。残酷的事实是，无论是针对体能还是智力技能的先进经济体系，都会让许多人落后。
In my mind, the country's economic policies should have two main objectives. First, we should wish, in our rich society, for every person who is willing to work to receive income that will provide him or her a decent lifestyle. Second, any plan to do that should not distort our market system, the key element required for growth and prosperity.
在我看来，国家的经济政策应有两个主要目标。首先，在我们富裕的社会中，每个愿意工作的人都应获得能提供体面生活方式的收入。其次，实现这一目标的任何计划都不应扭曲我们的市场体系，这是增长和繁荣所必需的关键要素。
That second goal crumbles in the face of any plan to sizably increase the minimum wage. I may wish to have all jobs pay at least $15 an hour. But that minimum would almost certainly reduce employment in a major way, crushing many workers possessing only basic skills. Smaller increases, though obviously welcome, will still leave many hardworking Americans mired in poverty.
面对任何大幅提高最低工资的计划，第二个目标就会崩溃。我可能希望所有工作的时薪至少为15美元。但这一最低标准几乎肯定会大幅减少就业机会，打击许多只拥有基本技能的工人。较小的增幅虽然显然受欢迎，但仍会让许多勤劳的美国人陷于贫困。
The better answer is a major and carefully crafted expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which currently goes to millions of low-income workers. Payments to eligible workers diminish as their earnings increase. But there is no disincentive effect: A gain in wages always produces a gain in overall income. The process is simple: You file a tax return, and the government sends you a check.
更好的解决方案是对目前惠及数百万低收入工人的所得税抵免(EITC)进行重大且精心设计的扩展。随着收入增加，符合条件的工人获得的补贴会减少。但这不会产生负面激励：工资增加总会带来总收入的增加。流程很简单：你提交纳税申报表，政府就会给你寄支票。
In essence, the EITC rewards work and provides an incentive for workers to improve their skills. Equally important, it does not distort market forces, thereby maximizing employment.
本质上，EITC奖励工作并激励工人提高技能。同样重要的是，它不会扭曲市场力量，从而最大化就业。
The existing EITC needs much improvement. Fraud is a big problem; penalties for it should be stiffened. There should be widespread publicity that workers can receive free and convenient filing help. An annual payment is now the rule; monthly installments would make more sense, since they would discourage people from taking out loans while waiting for their refunds to come through. Dollar amounts should be increased, particularly for those earning the least.
现有的EITC需要大幅改进。欺诈是一个大问题；应加大对欺诈的惩罚力度。应广泛宣传工人可以获得免费便捷的申报帮助。目前规定是年度支付；月度分期付款更合理，因为这会阻止人们在等待退税期间借贷。补贴金额应增加，特别是对那些收入最低的人。
There is no perfect system, and some people, of course, are unable or unwilling to work. But the goal of the EITC—a livable income for everyone who works—is both appropriate and achievable for a great and prosperous nation. Let's replace the American Nightmare with an American Promise: America will deliver a decent life for anyone willing to work.
没有完美的制度，当然，有些人无法或不愿工作。但EITC的目标——为每个工作的人提供可维持生计的收入——对于一个伟大而繁荣的国家来说既适当又可实现。让我们用美国承诺取代美国噩梦：美国将为任何愿意工作的人提供体面的生活。