经济学人下载:美国政府面临倒闭风险

And then, of course, comes the even greater challenge of dealing with America’s medium-term fiscal problems, driven mainly by an ageing population and the steadily rising cost of health-care programmes. Even once the economy has wholly recovered from the recession, these factors mean that the country faces a structural deficit of around 3%, which is not sustainable. When a bipartisan commission sketched out a way forward at the end of last year, Barack Obama and the Republican leadership raced to distance themselves from its conclusions. A government forced to live hand-to-mouth, funded by stopgap resolutions for a few weeks at a time, hardly looks like one that can calmly negotiate the radical overhaul of the American state that is needed.

当然，接下来更大的挑战是如何解决美国的中期财政问题。这一问题主要是由人口老龄化和医改项目支出逐步上涨引起的。即使美国经济完全摆脱衰退，实现复苏，这些因素也将导致该国的结构性赤字率接近3%，不利于可持续经济复苏。去年底，两党连立的委员会概述解决问题的方法时，贝拉克·奥巴马和共和党领导人却相互竞争，企图摆脱其结论束缚。一个被迫依赖每几周制定一次权宜之计以勉强维持生计的政府似乎无法平心静气地协调必需政策，彻底检修美国政府。

Stop the play-acting
停止演戏

Both sides must shoulder some of the blame for the steadily worsening atmosphere on Capitol Hill. The Democrats have failed repeatedly, most recently with Mr Obama’s dishonest budget for the next fiscal year, to indicate how they intend to repair the nation’s finances. Yet even set against that miserable standard, it is the Republicans who deserve most criticism. While extracting many concessions from the Democrats, they have made precious few themselves. And while spinelessly failing to explain how the deficit might be controlled in the medium term, conservatives have vaingloriously demanded more cuts in the short term than should be inflicted on an economy as weak as America’s now is.

两党必须为国会不断恶化的氛围承担部分责任。民主党屡遭挫败，最近一次受挫是奥巴马总统提出的不切实际的下一年财政预算，这也反映了他们迫切期望改善国家财政状况。然而权衡利弊，即使这一标准有失公允，最该受批评的仍是共和党人。虽然民主党人被迫做出许多让步，共和党人却几乎未履行自身职责。保守党人一方面没有骨气解释如何控制中期赤字，另一方面却虚荣自负，过分要求削减短期财政赤字，这会使本已脆弱不堪的美国经济雪上加霜。

Left to himself, John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, would probably make a deal to avoid a shutdown. But he is cowed by the new intake of theatrical extremists bent on playing at budget discipline rather than achieving it. It is time he showed some leadership. If he does not, it bodes ill for both his party and America.

孤身作战的众议院共和党议长约翰・博纳很有可能会妥协以力避政府倒闭。但他也面临着矫揉造作的极端分子带来的威胁，这些人只是借预算问题表演，从不解决问题。他应该展示领导权威了。否则对共和党、对美国都不利。