法国人致美国人的一封信

法国人致美国人民的一封信 A Frenchman wrote this warning to Americans, and it is worth heeding. 一位法国人写了这封警告美国人的信，值得听取。 I'm French. I want to talk to you Americans who are about to vote Democrat. Not to insult you, but to warn you. I come from your future. 我是法国人，我想和那些即将投票给民主党的美国人谈谈。不是为了侮辱你们，而是为了警告你们，我来自你们的未来。 In France we did everything your progressive politicians promise: free healthcare, free college, generous welfare, strong unions, heavy regulation, high taxes on the rich, a state that takes care of everything. Public spending close to 57% of GDP, one of the highest on the planet. On paper, it's the dream. 在法国我们做到了进步派政客承诺的一切：免费医疗、免费大学、慷慨福利、强大工会、严厉监管、对富人征收重税、国家包揽一切。公共支出占GDP的比例接近57%，位居全球前列。在纸面上，这宛如梦幻。 Here's what it looks like from the inside. France hasn't passed a balanced budget since 1974. Our debt is above 3,300 billion euros. Interest on that debt is becoming one of the biggest items in the national budget. Our hospitals are collapsing despite record funding. Our schools rank lower every year. Young people with degrees can't afford an apartment in the city they were born in. Our best engineers leave for London, Zurich and San Francisco. And the rich you wanted to tax? They left too, and took the jobs with them. The promise was protection. The result is stagnation. 这就是它从内部看起来的样子。法国自从1974年以来从未通过过预算平衡。我们的债务已经超过三千三百亿欧元。这笔债务的利息正成为国家预算中最大的项目之一。尽管资金创下纪录，我们的医院仍在崩溃。我们的学校排名每年都在下降。拥有学位的年轻人买不起他们出生的城市里的一间公寓。我们最优秀的工程师前往伦敦、苏黎世和旧金山。而你想征税的富人呢？他们也离开了，并带走了工作机会。承诺是保护。结果是停滞。 The worst part is that nobody in France voted for decline. Every single step sounded generous, compassionate, reasonable. One more program. One more regulation. One more tax to fund it. Each edge alone makes sense. Fifty years of them, and you wake up in a country that can no longer build a nuclear plant on time or keep its streets safe. 最糟糕的部分是，没有人在法国投票支持衰退。每一步听起来都很慷慨、富有同情心、合情合理。再增加一项计划。再多一项法规。再多一笔税收来资助它。单独来看，每一步都有道理。五十年后，你会醒来发现这个国家再也无法按时建造核电站，也无法保证街道安全了。 I love America because it's the one place on earth where people still believe they can build something from nothing. I came to Silicon Valley as a self-taught kid and it changed my life. That spirit is the most precious thing your country has. 我爱美国，因为它是地球上唯一一个人们依然相信自己能白手起家的地方。我作为一个自学成才的孩子来到硅谷，那改变了我的一生。那种精神是你们国家最珍贵的东西。 Before you vote, ask yourself one question: Is the program you're voting for making America more like America, or more like France? 在你投票之前，请问你自己一个问题：你投票支持的计划，是让美国变得更像美国，还是更像法国？ Trust me. You don't want to be France. 相信我，你们不会想成为法国的。