经济学人45:商业天堂还是贼窝?

 　　Small-town corruption¹

　　小镇腐败

　　Business paradise or den² of thieves?

　　商业天堂还是贼窝？

　　An effort to abolish a highly unusual Californian city

　　消除一座特别另类之加州城市的努力

　　May 5th 2011 | VERNON | from the print edition

　　EVEN Vernon’s logo proclaims that the city is “exclusively industrial”, and that is no exaggeration. It was founded in 1905 at a railway crossing along the Los Angeles River as a sort of Eden for business, especially the smelly, dirty and blue-collar manufacturing sort. An aerial view shows neat boundaries around its 5.2 square miles (13.5 square kilometres), as the residential³ neighbourhoods of Los Angeles County suddenly give way to huge blocks of warehouses⁴ and factories. Lorries seem to outnumber cars on Vernon’s streets. The whiff of pigs being slaughtered⁵ hangs over those parts not covered by the aroma⁶ of coffee being processed.

　　即便弗农市(Vernon)的标志上宣称本市“专事工业”，这种说法也并未言过其实。1905年，该市创建于洛杉矶河沿岸的一处铁路线交汇处，人们将此地作为某种商业（尤其是又脏又臭的蓝领制造业）的乐园。从空中俯瞰可以发现，随着洛杉矶县的住宅街区突然被大片仓库和工厂所取代，弗农市5.2平方英里（13.5平方公里）的土地周围呈现着整齐的界线。在弗农街头，卡车看起来比轿车还要多。在没有被正在加工的咖啡香气所覆盖的区域，飘荡着被屠宰的猪的气息。

　　In most of the world, it is inconceivable that Vernon could even be considered a “city”. It has about 1,800 businesses that employ more than 50,000 workers who live elsewhere in Los Angeles County. But it has only 96 actual residents, and those live in housing tucked improbably between power stations and warehouses and mostly owned by the city.

　　在全球大部分地区，人们都无法想到弗农甚至会被视为一座城市。该市有大约1800家企业，雇佣了超过5万名居住在洛杉矶县其他区域的员工。不过，该市真正的居民只有96人，那些人住在以几乎不可能的方式挤在发电站与仓库之间、所有权主要掌握在城市手中的房屋内。

　　But in southern California tiny municipalities are not unusual. A clutch of five counties there—Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino—have, between them, no fewer than 183 independent cities. That is because, for much of the past century, California incorporated cities rather as Silicon⁷ Valley today launches start-ups. In a 1967 book title, Los Angeles was “The Fragmented Metropolis”.

　　不过在加州南部，微型城市并非特别现象。此地群集的洛杉矶县、橘县(Orange)、凡图拉县(Ventura)、里弗赛德县(Riverside)以及圣伯纳迪诺县(San Bernardino)五县之间，存在着不少于183座独立市。这是因为在上世纪大多数时间内，加州就像硅谷如今创办新兴企业一样组建着城市。在1967年一本书的书名中，洛杉矶被称为“碎片化的大都会”。

　　But city-founding has now abruptly⁸ gone out of fashion and into reverse. First, several Californian cities—such as Vernon’s neighbour, Maywood—ran into financial trouble largely caused by the recession. They decided⁹ they could no longer afford to duplicate all the intricate layers of local democracy and administration, and have tried to consolidate¹⁰ either with other cities or with the county itself.

　　但是，创建城市的活动如今已突然不再流行，而且这种潮流还在逆转。首先，加州多座城市——例如邻近弗农市的梅伍德市(Maywood)，陷入了主要由经济衰退引发的财政困难之中，这些城市断定自己的财力已不足以复制繁杂的整套地方民主制度及行政制度，并且已经试图与其他城市或县本身合并。

　　Then, last year, came discoveries of corruption. Most notorious was Bell, another of Vernon’s neighbours, where eight officials lived in remarkable¹¹ style, levied¹² illegally high taxes and are now on trial. Another city nearby, Montebello, is also being investigated on suspicions that it cooked its books.

　　之后，人们在去年发现了腐败问题。其中最为臭名昭著的案例是邻近弗农的另一座城市——贝尔市(Bell)，该市的八名官员过着奢华的生活，非法征收高额税款，如今他们已被送上法庭。附近另一座城市蒙蒂贝洛市(Montebello)也在接受调查，人们怀疑该市曾经篡改账目。

　　So it was perhaps only a matter of time before lawmakers took an interest in the bizarre case of Vernon. The city happens to be in the district of assemblyman John Pérez, a Democrat¹⁴ who is also the assembly’s speaker and an up-and-coming sort. Mr Pérez, citing an “unprecedented pattern of corruption”, has now shepherded a bill through his lower house that would disincorporate any city with fewer than 150 residents and have it be absorbed by its county. That happens to affect only one Californian city, Vernon.

　　因此，议员对弗农市的古怪案例产生兴趣也许只是迟早的事。该市恰好位于州议会议员约翰?佩雷斯(John Pérez)的选区内，这位积极进取的民主党人也担任该州议会议长。引用“空前的腐败格局”为例的佩雷斯，如今已在其众议院中护送通过了一份法案，该法案将撤销任何居民数量不足150人的城市，使其被所在县合并。这一法案恰好只影响到一座加州城市——弗农市。

　　Mr Pérez has some good reasons. Two of Vernon’s former city officials are facing criminal corruption charges and a former mayor has already been convicted. Their alleged¹⁵ shenanigans included rigged salaries, outlandish expenses and perks¹⁶. Vernon has usually appointed its officials, rather than electing them, since positions were not even contested. The few residents, since they live in city housing, have been politically tractable¹⁷.

　　佩雷斯拥有一些很好的理由。两名弗农市前任官员正面临着腐败刑事指控，一名前任市长已被判刑。他们据称所采取的诡计包括：工资造假、过高的开支与津贴。因为岗位无人争夺，所以弗农市通常任命官员，而不是举行选举。由于为数不多的居民住在城市所提供的住宅中，因此他们在政治方面易受摆布。

　　But for Vernon’s businesses disincorporation is a step too far. After all, Vernon is really meant to be run for their benefit, not for that of the 96 residents. To a large extent, Vernon represents all that is left of manufacturing industry in Los Angeles County. Who else in Los Angeles these days would welcome belching¹⁸ trucks and slaughterhouses? If Vernon loses its independence, its businessmen say, its electricity company (now city-owned) will have to increase its rates, thus erasing¹⁹ a crucial competitive advantage. Eric Gustafson, the third-generation manager of a family-run maker¹³ of lards and shortenings, says that “if Vernon were not a city we wouldn’t be here,” and “if we’re forced to move, we’re not staying in this state.” He’d move his firm to the Midwest, he reckons.

　　不过对弗农市商界来说，撤市之举走得太远。毕竟，弗农市的运作实际上是旨在服务于商界的利益，而非96名居民的利益。在很大程度上，弗农市代表着洛杉矶县仅存的全部制造业。如今，该县还有谁会欢迎排着浓烟的卡车与屠宰场呢？该市商人指出，如果弗农市失去了独立地位，那么如今由城市所拥有的电力公司将不得不提高电价，而这会令弗农市失去一个关键的竞争优势。一个生产猪油和酥油的家族企业的第三代经理埃里克?古丝塔森(Eric Gustafson)表示：“如果弗农不是一座城市，那我们就不会在这里”，而“如果我们被迫搬走，我们将不会待在加州”。他觉得自己的公司会搬到中西部地区。

　　The threat of job losses and a new manufacturing exodus²⁰ naturally gets legislators’ attention at a time when California has barely begun recovering from recession. Mr Pérez thinks the threats are overblown. But Vernon, and most of its business customers, plan to fight his bill in the state senate, then on the governor’s desk and in the courts.

　　在加州刚刚勉强开始从经济衰退中走向复苏之际，工作岗位流失以及新的制造业外逃的威胁自然会引起立法者的关注。佩雷斯认为这种威胁被夸大了。但是弗农市及该市大多数商业客户却计划着在州参议院对佩雷斯的法案进行抗击，之后还将在州长和法庭那里继续斗争。

　　Even if they prevail, however, Mr Pérez’s bill will have done some good. Vernon’s defence strategy is to reform itself voluntarily and aggressively so that corruption will cease even without disincorporation, says Mark Whitworth, the current city administrator²¹ and fire chief. There will be term limits for officials, caps on salaries, transparency in housing and so forth²². After all, why get rid of an honest city? This bit of the peculiar²³ municipal quilt that is Los Angeles may just persist.

　　然而，即便他们获得了胜利，佩雷斯的法案仍将带来一些益处。弗农市现任市长及消防队长指出，该市的防御对策是对自身进行自愿而激烈的改革，因此即便不撤市，腐败也将得以终止。改革措施还包括官员任期限制、工资上限、房产透明管理等等。毕竟，为什么要撤销一座诚实的城市呢？洛杉矶这座四处铺开的独特城市中的这一角，或许仍将坚持存在下去。

1 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

2 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

3 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

4 warehouses   

仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee. 威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• Row upon row of newly built warehouses line the waterfront. 江岸新建的仓库鳞次栉比。

5 slaughtered   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 aroma   

n.香气，芬芳，芳香

参考例句：

• The whole house was filled with the aroma of coffee.满屋子都是咖啡的香味。
• The air was heavy with the aroma of the paddy fields.稻花飘香。

7 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

8 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。

11 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

12 levied   

征（兵）( levy的过去式和过去分词 )； 索取； 发动（战争）； 征税

参考例句：

• Taxes should be levied more on the rich than on the poor. 向富人征收的税应该比穷人的多。
• Heavy fines were levied on motoring offenders. 违规驾车者会遭到重罚。

13 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

14 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

15 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

16 perks   

额外津贴，附带福利，外快( perk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perks offered by the firm include a car and free health insurance. 公司给予的额外待遇包括一辆汽车和免费健康保险。
• Are there any perks that go with your job? 你的工作有什么津贴吗？

17 tractable   

adj.易驾驭的；温顺的

参考例句：

• He was always tractable and quiet.他总是温顺、恬静。
• Gold and silver are tractable metals.金和银是容易加工的金属。

18 belching   

n. 喷出，打嗝 动词belch的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The Tartars employed another weapon, the so-called Chinese dragon belching fire. 鞑靼人使用了另一种武器，所谓中国龙喷火器。
• Billows of smoke were belching from the chimney. 巨浪似的烟正从烟囱里喷出来。

19 erasing   

v.擦掉( erase的现在分词 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• He was like a sponge, erasing the past, soaking up the future. 他象一块海绵，挤出过去，吸进未来。 来自辞典例句
• Suddenly, fear overtook longing, erasing memories. 突然，恐惧淹没了渴望，泯灭了回忆。 来自辞典例句

20 exodus   

v.大批离去，成群外出

参考例句：

• The medical system is facing collapse because of an exodus of doctors.由于医生大批离去，医疗系统面临崩溃。
• Man's great challenge at this moment is to prevent his exodus from this planet.人在当前所遇到的最大挑战，就是要防止人从这个星球上消失。

21 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

22 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

23 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。