美：支撑美国梦的中产阶级家庭不再占大多数 [美国媒体]

Delegates watch as former President Bill Clinton addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. on Sept. 5, 2012. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

2012年9月5日，民众代表在北卡罗来纳州夏洛特市观看前总统比尔.克林顿于民主党全国代表大会上发表演讲（美联社Jae C .Hong报道）
（图注：民众手持“中产优先”的标语）



The nation's middle class, long a pillar of the U.S. economy and foundation of the American dream, has shrunk to the point where it no longer constitutes the majority of the adult population, according to a new major study.

根据最新大规模研究显示，长期作为美国经济支柱、美国梦实现基础的美国中产阶级人口数量，已锐减至无力构成美国成年人口绝大多数的规模。

The Pew Research Center report released Wednesday put in sharp relief the nation's increasing income divide, which is certain to be a central issue in the 2016 presidential race. It also highlights how various economic and demographic forces have eroded long-held ideals about maintaining a strong, majority middle class.

周三（译者注：2015年12月9日）皮尤研究中心（译者注：总部设于华盛顿的一家美国独立性民调机构，以下简称皮尤）发布的调查报告将美国收入差距进一步拉大——这一2016年总统大选必然性的核心议题，置于一个引人注目的焦点。报告同时重点关注多方经济、人口影响因素，怎样逐渐侵蚀美国关于维持一个牢固的、占人口多数的中产阶级——这一长期理想目标。

Many analysts and policymakers regard the shift as worrisome for economic and social stability. Middle-income households have been the bedrock of consumer spending, and many liberals in particular view the declining middle as part of a troubling trend of skewed income gains among the nation's richest families.

众多分析人士与政策制定者将这一现象视为维护经济与社会稳定的隐忧。中等收入家庭一直是消费者开支的主体，很多自由主义者更是将中产衰退视为美国富裕家庭收入增加困难——这一问题趋势的成因之一。

Median-income voters, particularly non-college-educated men, are also at the core of billionaire Donald Trump's surprising surge in the Republican presidential campaign. His supporters' sense that their once-secure middle-class standing is in danger of slipping appears to be fueling much of the anger against the government and immigrant groups.

中等收入，尤其是其中未经高等教育的选民，有很多正是亿万富翁唐纳德.特朗普，在本次共和党总统竞选中惊人上升势态的主要推手。他的支持者们一度稳固的中产阶级地位面临滑落的危险，致使他们对于政府以及移民的愤怒和不满被火上浇油（译者注：如各位所知，特朗普参选以来的主张很多与批判现政府各项问题，诸如开支过大、政策失误等，以及与反移民，诸如建议驱逐非法移民、禁止穆斯林入境等有关）。

The tipping point for the middle class occurred over the last couple of years of the recovery from the Great Recession as the economy continued to reward highly educated workers, well-to-do investors and those with technical skills.

中产阶级衰退的爆发点出现在自大萧条之后近几十年经济复苏过程中， 经济体制不断回报受过高等教育的工作者、富裕的投资人、以及技术持有者。



图注：左图为柱状图，反映1971年与2015年美国低、中、高三个收入阶层人数的对比，单位为百万人（其中橙色柱状反映中产阶级人口数，橙色条形旁的双色条形柱代表高等、低等收入阶层人口数之和，上部较浅色条形柱为高等收入人口，较深色条形柱代表低等收入人口）。1971年数据为中等收入人口：8000万，高、低等收入人口之和：5160万；2015年数据为中等：1亿2008万人，高、低等之和：1亿2013万人。由此可见中产阶级在44年以来规模缩减，从总人口的60.07%下降到49.90%。
右图对中等收入与高等收入的标准进行定义，数据采用2014年的美国收入。以家庭为单位，家庭人数为1，也就是单身狗，收入在$24,173及以上为中产阶级家庭，在$72,521以上的是高等收入家庭。家庭为2、3、4、5人的标准，纵向以此类推。
图片来源：皮尤研究中心，图片提供：latimesgraphics

Rapid growth of upper-income households, coupled with an increase in less-educated low earners, has driven the decline of the middle-income population to a hair below 50% of the total this year, Pew found. In 1971, the middle class accounted for 61% of the population, and it has been declining steadily since.

高收入家庭的飞速增长，伴随着受教育程度较低的低收入人群的增加，导致皮尤总结，中等收入人口今年降至略低于总人口数的50%（译者注，49.90%，见柱状图）。在1971年，这个数字是大约61%（如上，见图），自该年起至今该数字飞速滑落。


The Pew research found that the shares of upper-income and lower-income households grew in recent years as the middle shrank — with the higher-income tier growing more. In that sense, the nonpartisan group said, “The shift represents economic progress.”

皮尤发现高等、低等收入人口比例增加，同时中等收入人群占比缩减——这意味着较高收入阶级的增加。从这个意义上来说，无党派人士宣称“这一转变态势表明了经济增长”。

Pew defined middle class as households earning two-thirds to twice the overall median income, after adjusting for household size. A family of three, for example, would be considered middle income if its total annual income ranged from about $42,000 to $126,000. Pew analyzed data from the Census Bureau and the Labor Department, as well as the Federal Reserve.

皮尤定义中产阶级为，在同等家庭人口数下，收入是美国总收入中位数2/3至两倍的家庭。举个栗子，如果一个三口之家的年总收入范围在$42,000到$126,000之间,这就是一个中产阶级家庭。皮尤的分析数据来自于美国人口调查署、劳工部和美联储。

Most Americans have traditionally identified themselves as middle class, even those at the top and bottom, reflecting a kind of cultural heritage tied to the American dream of self-reliance. But the Great Recession and subsequent slow recovery have shaken that image.

过去大多数美国人传统性地将自己划入中产阶级，哪怕是有些高收入，或者低收入人群也这样划分自己。这种现象反映了一种美国梦中关于自力更生的文化传承。但是经济大萧条和其后的缓慢经济复苏已经开始使这一概念摇摇欲坠。

A Gallup survey this spring showed that just 51% of U.S. adults considered themselves middle or upper middle class, with 48% saying they are part of the lower or working class. As recently as 2008, 63% of those polled by Gallup said they were middle class.

今年春天盖洛普咨询公司（译者注：美国权威民意调查机构）的一个调查显示，只有51%的美国成年人将自己视作中产或中高产阶级，48%认为他们是较低收入人群或工人阶级。而在2008年，63%的人群将自己定义为中产。

This change in self-identification — and the reality of the shift documented by Pew — carries political ramifications as the state of the middle class continues to be a major focus of the economic debate in the presidential campaigns, with candidates, in time-honored fashion, invoking the middle class in their speeches and policy statements. President Obama has dubbed his programs “middle-class economics.”

这一自我定义上的转变，以及皮尤所观察到的的现实差异，带来了政治上的衍生结果是，由于中产阶级总是成为总统竞选中经济议题上辩论的焦点，而候选人门，遵循着古老而确立已久的传统，总是急切地想唤起中产阶级对于他们演讲以及政策制定的热情。（比如，）奥巴马总统将他的经济主导思想称为“中产阶级经济学”。

Patrick Egan, a politics professor at New York University, says the Pew findings and the Gallup surveys suggest that the public may be more open to policies of redistribution.

纽约大学政治学教授Patrick Egan指出，皮尤的研究成果和盖洛普的调查结论显示，公众也许更欢迎收入再分配政策。

“Americans are always kind of reluctant to embrace open class warfare,” Egan said. But “if more Americans are under the idea of placing themselves at the bottom, you'll see politicians follow.”

“美国人一向不喜欢公开的阶级斗争，”Egan表示，但是，“如果更多美国民众倾向于将自己置于社会底层，政客们一定会闻风而动。

Although the median incomes of upper, lower and middle tiers have all lost ground since 2000, primarily because of the Great Recession in late 2007 to mid-2009, upper-income households saw the smallest decline through 2014, the Pew study found.

皮尤研究发现，尽管低、中、高三个阶层的收入中位数自2000年都有下滑，但由于2007年到2009年上半年的经济危机，高收入阶层受到的损失最小。

Seen over a longer period, from 1971 to 2014, the median income of all upper-income households increased 47% to $174,625. The median income for the middle tier rose 34% to $73,392, and for the lower income group, it was up 28% to $24,074. The median marks the halfway point.

回顾1971年到2014年，高收入家庭的收入中位数上涨了47%，达到$174,625。中等收入家庭的收入中位数上涨34%， 达到$73,392。低收入阶层上涨28%，达到$24,074。中位数是高低排序后位于中点的数值。

Pew's findings add to strong evidence that the middle class has been thinned partly by a decline in manufacturing due to competition from imports as well as a broader polarization of jobs that has favored the most educated and technically skilled workers.

皮尤的发现有力地证明了，中产阶级减少部分是由于进口产品（译者注：与本土产品的）竞争造成的制造业衰退、以及更大范围的职业极化导致了只有高技术、高教育门槛工作者受益（译者注：普通中产的获益空间因而受到挤压）。

Elizabeth Espinoza and her husband, Carlos Arceo, both 38, fall squarely in the middle class, according to Pew. The Downey couple, who have two children, ages 4 and 6, gross about $110,000 between them, not counting benefits, such as healthcare insurance. By Pew's definition, a household of four is in the middle tier if total income is $48,347 to $145,041.

Elizabeth Espinoza和她的丈夫，Carlos Arceo, 今年都是38岁，根据皮尤的标准来看，他们是中产阶级。夫妇俩有两个孩子，一个4岁一个6岁。全家的年收入在不计入类似于健康保险这样的额外收益时是$110,000。因为按照皮尤的定义，一个中产阶级四口之家的年收入范围在$48,347到$145,041之间。

But Espinoza, who works as a student programming coordinator at the UCLA Labor Center, sees her family as barely straddling the middle class. The reason: high living costs, including $850 a month for child care and hefty student loan payments.

但是在加州大学洛杉矶分校劳动中心担任学生编程协调员的Espinoza，认为她的家庭只能算堪堪悬在中产阶级的围墙之上。原因在于她的家庭生活成本极高，每月她需负担总计$850的儿童保育费用和沉重的学生贷款清偿。

“I'm on the border of middle class, and I feel this way because I feel like being part of the middle class means being comfortable financially, and I think we struggle with that,” Espinoza said. “When you look at that expense-to-income ratio, it's just a lot more difficult to have that comfortableness.”

“我认为还处在中产阶级的边缘，同时因为我觉得身为中产阶级意味着财务安全，所以我乐意这样认为，其实我们是在非常艰难地努力维持这一现状，”Espinoza说，“但你看看我的支出/收入占比就知道，我真的很难拥有这种财务充裕感。”（译者注：Espinoza的家庭负债和支出较高，导致可支配收入低，支出占收入的比例较高）

Espinoza said that she and her husband were hopeful about their future incomes rising, but she doubts that they can move up to the upper-income tier. “I feel like upward mobility keeps getting harder and harder,” she said.

Espinoza说她和她丈夫对于他们未来的收入增长可能性持乐观态度，但是她不认为他们最终能够跃入高收入阶层。“我感觉阶层间的向上流动性变得越来越差。”

（译者注：来自百度百科：社会流动（social mobility），一个社会成员或社会群体从一个社会阶级或阶层转到另一个社会阶级或阶层，从一种社会地位向另一种社会地位，从一种职业向另一种职业的转变的过程叫做社会流动。它是社会结构自我调节的机制之一。一个社会能够创造更多的向上流动的机会，是社会充满活力的象征，是社会进步的表现。）

The Pew study did not address economic mobility — an issue that many economists believe is more important than the change in income distribution. But research on income mobility across generations has found the U.S. as a whole lags behind other Western countries.

然而皮尤研究并没有将经济流动性——一个众多经济学家认为比收入分配变化更为重要的指标，纳入考虑。但是跨世代的收入流动性研究显示，美国整体的流动性已经落后于其他西方国家。

The declining middle also reflects demographic shifts, such as the arrival of more low-skilled immigrants, which can be seen in the overall slippage of Latinos in the income ladder since 1971. By race, black adults made the biggest strides in income status from 1971 to 2015, although they are significantly less likely to be middle income compared with adults overall.

中产衰落同样反映了人口结构的变迁，诸如更多低技术移民的到来，可见于1971年以来拉丁裔人口的总体收入下滑。以族裔划分，尽管与其他族裔成年人相比，非洲裔成为中产阶级的可能性较低，但是从1971年到2015年，非洲裔的收入状况完成了最大的飞跃。

At the same time, the increase of women in the workforce since the early 1970s has tended to boost household incomes, as has higher college education enrollment. And of course, strong gains from stocks and high-tech ventures have fueled incomes for some.

同时，由于高等教育的女性录取率增高，女性劳动力数量的增加从20世纪70年代开始使家庭收入呈上升趋势。当然，高回报的股票投资和高科技企业的发展同样使部分人收入激增。

As of this year, 9% of Americans are in what Pew called the highest-income category — up from 4% in 1971 and 5% in 1991. A household with three people had to have an income of more than $188,000 last year to be in this highest bracket.

本年度内，9%的美国人被划入皮尤界定的最高收入人群——由1971年的4%和1991年的5%升至于此。一个三口之家去年的年收入只有高于$188,000时，才能被划入这个最高收入类别。

In contrast, the share of American adults in the very lowest income category — a three-person household making less than $31,000 — rose to 20% of the U.S. adult population this year from 16% in 1971.

与之相比，美国最低收入人群在总人口中的占比——一个三口之家的年收入低于$31,000——从1971年的16%，升至今年的20%。

“The distribution of adults by income is thinning in the middle and bulking up at the edges,” Pew said.

“成年人的收入比例中，中等收入人群逐渐缩减，而两端的高收入人群和低收入人群日益渐膨胀。”皮尤如此总结。

Whether this trend continues will depend in large part on how household structures evolve. Soaring numbers of single-parent households since the early 1970s, for example, have increased those at the bottom of the income spectrum.

上述趋势即将持续与否很大程度上取决于家庭结构如何演化。举例来说，上世纪70年代以来激增的单亲家庭，某种程度上增加了收入序列最低端的人群。

Also, trends in marriage rates, immigration, college education and the labor force participation of lower-skilled men in particular will all have a bearing on the future of the middle class in America, said Harry Holzer, an economist and public policy professor at Georgetown University.

同理，结婚率、移民、高等教育和特别是掌握较低技术的成年男性的劳动参与率（译者注：劳动参与率即就业者占适龄劳动人口的比例）将会对未来美国中产阶级的规模产生影响，语出乔治城大学经济学及公共政策学教授Harry Holzer。

The Pew findings, however, are not comforting, he said. “It does suggest, even when you adjust for demographics, it's a little troubling,” Holzer said. “We always expect things to be getting better.”

Harry Holzer说，皮尤的调查并不能令人感到欣慰，“即使考虑到人口结构的变化，调查结果仍不容乐观。”“我们总是希望前景越来越乐观。”


网友 lolamw  
What does a country expect when itimports poverty for decades?

如果一个国家过去数十年一直进口（输入）贫困（即引进低技术移民），你还能指望什么呢？21顶 2踩

     网友 hoffmanellis
     @lolamwWe've been EXPORTING jobs for the last few decades, eliminating middle classwhite collar and unionized blue collar employment. 
This country has sustained middle class growth while accommodating immigrationfor generations. 
The one exception may be found in the construction industry, where non-unionprojects often employ undocumented workers. Otherwise, you're referring toseasonal farm labor, housekeepers, gardeners, janitors and other traditionallypoverty wage work -- jobs which traditionally have been filled by newimmigrant.

     @lolamw过去数十年中我们一直在出口工作岗位，消除白领中产阶级、成立蓝领工会。
只要这个国家妥善安排移民，中产数量就能够保持稳定增长。
只有建筑业例外，不被工会承认的项目会雇佣不在册工人。不然，你就要指望那些季节性农场工人、主妇、园艺工、看门人和其他传统性低收入工种——恰好也是历来被移民占据的工种。
（译者注：水平有限，译者不是十分理解该发言的逻辑。若存在翻译问题，敬请斧正）

网友Everyone Everywhere
And somehow allowing a large groupof low skill illegal aliens from South America will fix this middle classproblem.

只要允许大量南美低技术非法移民进入美国，这个什么中产阶级问题就再也不是问题。

     网友 Sixth generation Angelena
     @mj1341 LACounty was 80% white in 1970 and now it's around 40% white. How did thathappen?

     @mj1341 LA 1970年国内80%是白人，现在只有40%了，这怎么解释？

     网友 non-freudian
     @Sixthgeneration Angeleno No wonder it's swirling the crapper.

     @Sixthgeneration Angeleno他只是说反话忘了加滑稽。

网友GOOD BYE LA
Don’tblame the upper class people for the economic problems facing this country..they are productive and hire people.. blame the importation of millions ofunskilled Mexican laborers who have driven down wages and contribute to the taxburden by overwhelming our support services

不要把这个国家的经济问题怪罪到高收入人群头上……他们富有创造力还能制造工作岗位……要怪就怪那些涌入美国的百万无技术能力的墨西哥人，他们不仅拉低了工资标准，还通过压垮补助项目增加税收负担。

     网友UndercoverBrother1
     @GOOD BYE LA: you are right aboutthe immigrants’ problem. But cheap greedy American non-union companies (big andsmall) are choosing to hire them and pay low wages with no benefits, rather topay living wages to American workers. This not economics’, it's just greed.

     @GOOD BYE LA：你指出的移民问题没有错。但是小气贪婪的美国无工会公司（无论大小）宁愿雇佣移民来少付工资，也不愿帮助正经的美国人维系生计。这不是市场经济，这就是贪欲在作祟。

     网友 whjones18
     @UndercoverBrother1：Greedis the cornerstone of human nature and economics. We're not angels my friend.

     @UndercoverBrother1：贪欲是人性和经济的本质。吾友我们可不是小天使。

网友Kurfco
Think of how much different theincome distribution would look if it weren't for the fact that our fastestgrowing, large population bloc is composed of very poorly educated, lowearning, illegal immigrants and their poorly educated children. We have"imported" enough of an underclass to thoroughly skew the data, inaddition to putting pressure on wages of legal low wage workers.

想想如果我们增长最快、最大的人口类别不是由哪些低学历、低收入的非法移民以及他们同样低学历的后代组成，我们的收入分布数据该有多漂亮。我们已经“进口”了太多低层次人口拉低了我们的数据，不应该给那些合法的低收入公民施加太大压力。

     网友gilrod2007
     @Kurfco 
     Of course, it's the fault of immigrants and you heard that on Fox. 
     You voted for Saint Reagan who began the destruction of the middle class. ThenBush Sr. Yes, Clinton made it worse then Bush Junior. 
     You voted in your own destruction. 
     Now blame it on immigrants.
     @Kurfco

     那是当然啦，全都是移民的错，你没少听Fox新闻。
     你自己的选票选出了为削弱中产开路的圣人里根。然后选出了老布什。没错，比尔.克林顿比小布什还过分。
     你自己的选票选出了自己的衰落。

     网友einsteinsgirl
     @gilrod2007,blame it on immigrants and women in the work force. Anything to distract fromthe 1% and giant corporations who have shifted all of our countries resourcesto themselves.

     @gilrod2007，把错推到移民和女性劳动力身上吧，好把注意力从集中我们财富99%的那1%的人和搜刮国家脂膏的大公司身上转移出来。

     网友Kurfco   
     @einsteinsgirl
     You did read the article? 
     "The declining middle also reflects demographic shifts, such as thearrival of more low-skilled immigrants, which can be seen in the overallslippage of Latinos in the income ladder since 1971." 
"Import" enough poverty and poof we have more poverty and it skewsthe income distribution of the entire country.
     @einsteinsgirl

     真的你好好看文章了吗？
     （引用原文）“中产衰落同样反映了人口结构的变迁，诸如更多低技术移民的到来，可见于1971年以来拉丁裔人口的总体收入下滑。”
     “进口”太多的贫困人口，然后“呼”地一下我们就有了更多贫困人口，他们拉低了全国的收入水平。

网友Health
And what, no mention ofcorporatocracy? 
How can our manufacturing basecompete with China, when they're able utilize unfair business practices, workerexploitation, and outright disregard for pollution and toxicity?

所以呢？没有人想到公司王国吗？（译者注：译自维基百科：公司王国 corporatocracy 或 corporocracy是一个由全球正义运动的支持者发明的新词，指由大公司大财阀控制的经济体或政府）
我们的制造业基础要如何与中国竞争？他们能够利用不光彩的商业手段、剥削劳工、而且还能毫无道德负疚地排放污染物和有毒物质。

     网友averageperson
     @Health
     So we should start utilizing those practices to regainthe middle class?
     @Health
     所以我们也应该为了重振中产运用这些不光彩的手段吗？

     网友Health （本层层主，答网友averageperson问）
     —No. 
     You enforce strict labor standards, and punish obvious violations. 
     China and multi-national corporations are gaming the system. 
     People tend to forget that capitalism has rules.

     ——不是。
     我们执行严格的劳工标准，同时惩罚明显的犯规。
     中国和有些跨国公司（译者注：“有些”在原文里不存在）是在体系里耍花招。
     人们经常忘记了资本主义是有原则的。

     网友GOOD BYE LA
     @Health 
     silly boy,there are plenty of third world countries that are very happy to take overmanufacturing from china… In fact, the wages of Chinese workers have become toohigh and production is moving into other countries... blame our predicamentsolely on the illegals who rape our social welfare systems

     @Health
     傻孩子，第三世界里面想要接棒中国制造业的国家多了去了……实际上，中国工人的工资太高了，已经导致生产线外迁……我们现在的困境全是抢夺我们社会福利的违法者们造成的。

     网友einsteinsgirl
     @Health,Business owners with less than 50 employees don't even have to provide healthinsurance for their employees.

     @Health, 公司雇员小于50人的雇主甚至都不用给雇员上保险。

     网友Max Plank
     @einsteinsgirlComplain to Obama.

     @einsteinsgirl找奥巴马吐槽去吧。

网友Mon Key
Let the analysts factor in/out 11million illegals and what they have done to the economy/job market.

让分析家们在分母上下减掉1100万非法移民，再看看他们对于经济和就业市场（译者注：数据）的影响。

网友Res IpsaLoquiter
Middle class for a couple startsaround $34k? In California? Sorry, but that's still well within poverty levelaround here. Maybe that's the point of the study that the writer ignores: Ifyou are "middle class" here you have little hope of saving andinvesting for a better future. In Kansas, you can get by making $34k. Here,with our enormous taxes, cost of living, etc, you're in trouble

夫妻俩年收入在$34,000以上就算中产阶级了？在加州算吗？还只能算徘徊在贫困线上呢。可能这就是作者忽略的重要一点：如果你是个所谓的“中产阶级”，你就几乎没有可能形成足以改善未来生活的可观储蓄和投资。在肯萨斯州，两个人$34,000可能能活得挺滋润，但是如果考虑到加州的繁杂税务和高昂的生活成本来，这些远远不够。

网友Andre-Leonard
Years of exporting all themanufacturing jobs overseas and importing illegal cheap labor creates the newunderclass. 
Surprisingly it's hard to find anything made in America with the exception ofmilitary supplies and automobiles. Flat Screen television, all Apple andSamsung mobile handsets are all made overseas.

经年累月的制造业岗位外流和非法廉价劳动力输入造就了今天的低收入阶层。
神奇的是现在很难找到除了军工产品和车以外的美国制造商品。液晶电视和所有的苹果、三星移动手机都是在海外生产的。

网友 viper12321
We've spent years importing theworld's poverty, and encouraging Entitlement and Dependency in the inner cityslums, and act surprised that the middle class is gone? 
For "progressive" elitists, independent taxpayers are the enemy. Theytrade government freebies for votes, using your paycheck, until there's no oneleft to rob.

我们过去几年一直进口世界贫困人口，在城中贫民窟鼓励福利施与和不劳而获，现在为什么要对中产阶级的逐渐消亡感到惊讶？
对于“进步派”的精英来说，独立的纳税人是他们的公敌。他们用你付账的政府赠予换取选票，直到把你榨干为止。

网友NorCalAl
Gee, they covered all the reasonsexcept for the high birthrate among low income 'families' (in quotes because somany of them are single parent). When 'the pill' came along and middle and highincome women began having one or two children instead of 3 or 4 the shiftbegan. Low income women continue having 3 or 4 and those children tend tofollow in their parents low income footsteps. We're, what, three or fourgenerations into that phenomena and the consequences are becoming obvious. Itisn't the 'wealthy' and it isn't 'the government' or 'big corporations'. It'ssimple statistics. When one part of the distributions grows faster the medianshifts.

伙计们，这些报告找尽了各种理由，就是不提低收入家庭（其中太多是单亲家庭）的高生育率。当避孕药横空出世，中高级别收入的女性普遍只生一两个而不是三四个孩子的时候，问题就已经出现了。低收入妇女继续生育三至四个孩子，而她们的孩子又容易步她们低收入的后尘。我们三四代人持续如此其后续影响就会开始显露。不是什么“为富不仁”也不是什么“政府无能”或者什么“大财阀”导致的，就是一个简单的统计学问题。低收入人群增长加速，中产阶级自然占比就少了。

网友jagexxx
Welcome to the Democrat plantation.

欢迎来到民主殖民地。

网友greggreen29
Crony capitalism at the top; bankstoo big to fail, mandatory customers of health insurance companies, crony greenjobs including the king of corporate welfare Elon Musk. Illegal aliens and mid-easternrefugees at the bottom, accustomed to corruption and reliant on an overlygenerous welfare state. 
Read 2 Californias by Victor Davis Hanson for a glimpse of California's presentand the country's future.

社会顶层笼罩着裙带资本主义；大而不倒的银行，强制顾客购买的健康保险公司，还有环保项目的裙带关系，包括公司义务福利制之王埃隆.马斯克.非法移民和中东难民构成了社会最底层，惯于贿赂腐败，而且以过分慷慨的福利机制为生。
请阅读Victor Hanson所着的《两个加州》，可一窥加州的现状和这个国家的未来。

     网友Andre-Leonard
     @LATfan21You hit the nail squarely on the head. What really is painful is that we electthese career politicians who have spent the country $18 trillion into debt. 
     You would think we might stop reelecting them at some point?

     @LATfan21 你简直一针见血。但是真正令人绝望的是就是我们选出了这些使国家负债$18000亿的职业政治家。
     有时候真想重新选举一次。

     网友Tython...
     @Andre-LeonardBut politicians are just kowtowing to the voter's desires. So essentiallyvoters are responsible for the debt the 'elected' politicians tally up. 
     How do we overcome this sort of dilemma?

     @Andre-Leonard但是政客们都对选民的要求惟命是从（译者注：指选举阶段）。所以最终选民们要为“选举出的”政客们筑起的债台买单。
     我们怎样才能走出这种困境呢？

网友iamtheteapartyleade
Obama and the democrats havecombined the poor and middle class to form the "Dependent" class.Dependent on the handouts from their big government.

奥巴马和其他民主党人把穷人和中产捏到一起形成了一个“无独立能力”阶级，需要依赖伟大政府的救济。

     网友gilrod2007
     @iamtheteapartyleader
     I'm not getting any handouts. Are you?
     @iamtheteapartyleader

     我不领任何政府救济，你领吗？

     网友Mon Key
     @iamtheteapartyleaderit's been decades of this, not just O

     @iamtheteapartyleader几十年都是如此，并不是从奥巴马上台开始的。

     网友Naime Bond
     @gilrod2007You don't get a standard deduction at tax time or exemptions for kids? Maybefor medical expenses? State run colleges get subsides; people buying electriccars? Farmers, oil companies....It's hard to find any one that works that doesnot get a 'personal' subsidy (vs a 'general welfare subsidy that serveseveryone e.g. interstate highway) of some sort. 
     Get rid of all of it and go with a flat tax with a healthy exemption at thebottom; Verify every illegal out of every job and benefit and put anyone whohires one in jail and hit them with a fine that would bankrupt all but the top1% of the earners…

     @gilrod2007 你是在报税的时候没有受到所得税标准税减，还是没有享受过儿童免税？比如说在计算医疗支出的时候？州立大学都受到政府补助；购买电动车没有补贴吗？农民、石油公司等等……很少有人没有一定程度上受到过“个人”补贴（而公众补贴是为每一个公民服务的，比如说州际公路）。
     把这些补助都免除，实行单一税（译者注：即对不同收入水平的公民课同等比例的所得税，收入越高纳税越多，收入与税款等比例增加）并对底层收入者实行适当减免。查实所有参与工作和收受福利的非法者，谁雇佣这些人就判决谁徒刑并予以罚款，那样收入顶层1%的人肯定就先破产了。