又中又英 | Eggonomics | 褚簡寧

　　There is a joke that if you put ten economists in a room, you will get 11 opinions. Economists often disagree. US President Donald Trump’s global trade war has caused different opinions among economists. Trump, who has an economics college degree, insists his trade tariffs will create jobs, reduce the US trade deficit, and enrich Americans. But most economists warn Trump's tariffs will increase inflation, cause job losses, and slow economic growth. It is common for US presidents to have their own economic philosophy, even those who are not economists.
　　Bill Clinton, who was president during the 1990s, has a law degree but used his economic philosophy of Clintonomics to create one of America's best economies in recent times. His Clintonomics philosophy created jobs, promoted free trade, established a free trade zone between the US, Mexico, and Canada, and turned the US deficit into the first surplus since 1969. The late Ronald Reagan, who had an economics college degree, implemented a different economic philosophy called Reaganomics when he was president in the 1980s. Reaganomics was also known as trickle-down economics. The main aim of Reaganomics was to cut income and capital gains taxes.
　　Reagan believed that cutting tax for corporations and the rich increases wealth at the top which would trickle down to lower income levels. But it caused a wider wealth gap between the rich and poor instead. Critics say Trump’s desire to cut taxes, especially for the rich, would further widen the wealth gap. Rising egg prices in the US have created a new term called “eggonomics”. Trump had promised to lower egg prices, but critics say he cares more about enriching the wealthy than eggonomics.
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　　有一個笑話是這樣的：如果你放10個經濟學家進一間房內，你會得到11個意見。經濟學家之間常有分歧。美國總統當勞．特朗普的全球貿易戰已經引發經濟學家之間的不同意見。有一個經濟學學士學位的特朗普，堅持他所設立的關稅將會創造就業機會、減低美國的貿易逆差，以及令美國人富有起來。但大部分的經濟學家都警告指，特朗普的關稅會加劇通貨膨脹、導致失業及緩慢的經濟增長。美國總統們即使並非經濟學家，亦很常有他們自己一套經濟哲學。
　　於1990年代擔任總統的比爾．克林頓，擁有一個法律學位，卻運用他的Clintonomics「克林頓經濟學」，創造了美國近代其中一個最輝煌的經濟時代。他的克林頓經濟（Clintonomics）哲學創造了就業機會、促進自由貿易，於美國、墨西哥與加拿大之間創立北美自由貿易區，並將美國自1969年以來的赤字首次轉盈。已故的朗奴．列根，也有一個經濟學學士學位，卻在1980年代在任總統期間，實行不同的經濟哲學，被稱為Reaganomics。列根經濟學（Reaganomics）也被稱為下滲經濟學（trickle-down economics）。列根經濟學（Reaganomics）主要的目的是削減個人入息稅和資本增值稅。
　　列根相信，為企業和有錢人減稅，可以增加上層人士的財富，最終得以「下滲」惠及低收入階層。可是，這卻反而導致貧富之間財富差距更大。批評者說，特朗普減稅的想法，尤其是減有錢人的稅，會進一步拉闊貧富懸殊。美國雞蛋價格的飆升，已創造了一個新字“eggonomics”。特朗普承諾會減低雞蛋的價錢，但批評者說，相比起雞蛋經濟學（eggonomics），他更關心如何增加有錢人的財富。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻