又中又英｜Eggonomics

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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有一个笑话是这样的：如果你放10个经济学家进一间房内，你会得到11个意见。经济学家之间常有分歧。美国总统当劳．特朗普的全球贸易战已经引发经济学家之间的不同意见。有一个经济学学士学位的特朗普，坚持他所设立的关税将会创造就业机会、减低美国的贸易逆差，以及令美国人富有起来。但大部分的经济学家都警告指，特朗普的关税会加剧通货膨胀、导致失业及缓慢的经济增长。美国总统们即使并非经济学家，亦很常有他们自己一套经济哲学。

于1990年代担任总统的比尔．克林顿，拥有一个法律学位，却运用他的Clintonomics“克林顿经济学”，创造了美国近代其中一个最辉煌的经济时代。他的克林顿经济（Clintonomics）哲学创造了就业机会、促进自由贸易，于美国、墨西哥与加拿大之间创立北美自由贸易区，并将美国自1969年以来的赤字首次转盈。已故的朗奴．列根，也有一个经济学学士学位，却在1980年代在任总统期间，实行不同的经济哲学，被称为Reaganomics。列根经济学（Reaganomics）也被称为下渗经济学（trickle-down economics）。列根经济学（Reaganomics）主要的目的是削减个人入息税和资本增值税。

列根相信，为企业和有钱人减税，可以增加上层人士的财富，最终得以“下渗”惠及低收入阶层。可是，这却反而导致贫富之间财富差距更大。批评者说，特朗普减税的想法，尤其是减有钱人的税，会进一步拉阔贫富悬殊。美国鸡蛋价格的飙升，已创造了一个新字“eggonomics”。特朗普承诺会减低鸡蛋的价钱，但批评者说，相比起鸡蛋经济学（eggonomics），他更关心如何增加有钱人的财富。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻