Obama Must Destroy Detroit So America Can Live
舍弃底特律才能保美国
Dear President Obama,
总统奥巴马在上：
Who said life was fair?
谁说人生是公平的？
You're in office less than a month and the markets already hate your presidency, your treasury secretary and your economic stimulus plan.
上任还不到一个月，你的总统宝座、财政部长和经济刺激计划已经招来市场怨恨。
Not all is lost. The great Detroit bailout debate is here again. And now you have a chance to do the right thing. Forget about throwing billions more of taxpayer money at Motown.
还有希望。大规模救助底特律汽车厂商的争论又来了，现在你有一个机会做正确的事了。别再打算拿几十亿纳税人血汗钱往汽车城打水漂了。
It's time for you to destroy Detroit, so that the rest of America can live.
现在到了你一举摧毁底特律的时候了，因为这样美国其他部分才能好好生活。
Mr. President, it's time for the bankruptcy of GM and Chrysler.
总统先生，是时候让通用汽车(GM)和克莱斯勒(Chrysler)破产了。
Now that may seem harsh. But you really have no choice. Look around you. Everybody in America has his hand out - California and the movie industry, New York and Wall Street, homebuilders and the millions of mortgage deadbeats.
尽管这似乎很残酷，但你的确别无选择。不妨环顾一下。美国到处都在伸手求助──加州与电影业、纽约和华尔街、建筑商以及数百万被抵押贷款压垮的人。
You need to send a message to all America - and fast. No more Mr. Nice Guy and no more money. Reinventing America doesn't mean bailing everyone out. It means stopping those things that just don't work anymore.
你需要向美国各处传递一个信息──而且要快。不会再有好好先生，不会再有资金救助。重振美国经济不代表就要普渡众生，而是要终结那些行将就木的明日黄花。
And Detroit makes a great showpiece. It hasn't worked well for decades.
现在底特律提供了一个绝好的样板。汽车城运转不灵已经数十年了。
Of course, you're trying to show Detroit that you mean business. Yesterday, your adviser, David Axelrod talked tough on Meet the Press.
当然，你正试图向底特律展示你要动真格了。昨天你的顾问大卫·艾索洛(David Axelrod)在电视访谈中言辞强硬。
And today, there's the predictable hoopla in the press. Detroit execs and union reps stuck battling mano-a-mano in all-night negotiating sessions. The appointment of savior du jour, Ron Bloom, the tough, but fair restructuring guru who will shake the trees.
今天，媒体如预期那样喧哗起来。底特律管理人士和工会代表彻夜谈判，锱铢必较。政府则任命了罗恩·布鲁姆(Ron Bloom)扮演汽车业救世主的角色，这个强硬的家伙但公平的重组高手将带来震撼。
And, no doubt at 5 p.m. EST, GM and Chrysler will hand thousands of pages of business plans 'proving a path to viability' to your new Presidential task force.
不用怀疑，美东时间下午5点的时候，通用汽车和克莱斯勒会向你新组建的特别小组呈交数千页的商业计划，长篇累牍地证明它们将如何生存。
But no one expects these plans to prove anything. Without a detailed agreement from the bondholders and the United Auto Workers, the plans are just empty words and meaningless waterfall charts.
但没人会指望这些计划能证明什么。没有来自债权人和全美汽车工人联合会(UAW)的具体协议，这些计划不过是废话连篇，毫无意义。
The reality is that GM, Chrysler, the UAW and the bondholders are just playing for time. They all want to see how much they can squeeze from you and the American taxpayer.
现实是，通用汽车、克莱斯勒、全美汽车工人联合会和债权人不过是在拖延时间而已。他们都想看看到底能从你和美国纳税人这里榨取出多少东西。
Now, you may think that your new task force will come up with some clever answers and give you political cover. But the big tough decisions on Detroit will come down to you anyway.
现在，你可能会认为你的特别小组会提出一些精明举措，为你提供政治保护。但在底特律问题上，迟早还是要由你痛下决心作出重大决策。
So, why not take a calculated risk and use Detroit to show taxpayers how to truly reinvent America? Here are three ways to do it.
因此，为什么不冒一次有备之险，拿底特律开刀向纳税人展示该如何真正重振美国呢？你有三条路可以走。
Bipartisanship?
两党合作？
Call Republican Senator Bob Corker and get him on board. Pair him with Ron Bloom to cook up a thoughtful bipartisan plan. The Republicans will happily put up billions for a smooth government sponsored bankruptcy.
打电话给共和党参议院考克(Bob Corker)，拉他入伙。让他和罗恩·布鲁姆协作制定一个深思熟虑的两党合作计划。那帮共和党人会很乐意投入数十亿美元，用于一个政府支持的顺利破产计划。
Fairness?
一碗水端平？
Americans are outraged by both Wall Street fat cats and the UAW job bank. Ensure that all the egregious perks are taken from both Detroit execs and the UAW. Corporate jets are easy to pick on. But does it seem right that all UAW workers continue to receive free legal services funded by the American taxpayer?
华尔街的硕鼠和汽车工人联合会已经激起了美国公愤。我们得保证取消底特律管理人士和汽车工人联合会所有过分的特权。在公司专机问题上挑刺很容易。但所有汽车工人联合会成员继续得到美国纳税人资助的免费法律服务，这看起来就公平？
Accountability?
问责制？
You're always saying that people should be responsible for their actions. Prove it. GM CEO Rick Wagoner and the GM board must go. And so too, sadly, must Chrysler. Chrysler is just too small and too far gone to survive.
你总是说人应当为自己的行为负责。那就证明一次吧。通用汽车首席执行长瓦格纳(Rick Wagoner)和董事会必须走人。很不幸，克莱斯勒也一样。克莱斯勒实在太弱小，犯错太多，以致于无法生存。
Now, there is no doubt that the Midwest and an army of Congressmen and K Street lobbyists will be deeply unhappy with something as radical as GM's bankruptcy.
当然，对任由通用汽车破产这样激进的决定，中西部人士还有那帮国会议员和说客们肯定会感到极度不满。
But such a bold gamble could mark a turning point early in your term.
不过，如果这样放手一搏，你的总统任期之初倒有可能出现重大转折。
It would get Republicans behind you. It would get Wall Street and America's trading partners behind you. And it would get even more Americans behind you. Americans know when something makes sense.
这会让你获得共和党人的支持，得到华尔街和美国贸易伙伴的拥护，甚至会更让你得到更多美国人的爱戴。美国民众是识大体识时务的。
Remember Ronald Reagan and the air traffic controllers' strike of 1981?
还记得里根总统和1981年的空中交通管制员罢工事件么？
That's how he reinvented America. Now, it's your turn.
那件事展示了里根重振美国经济的魄力。现在轮到你了。
Evan Newmark
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