What does the rise of libertarianism portend for the future of the US? This is not a question of interest to Americans alone. It matters almost as much to the rest of the world. A part of the answer came with the publication of a fiscal plan, entitled “Path to Prosperity”, by Paul Ryan, Republican chairman of the house budget committee. The conclusion I draw is the opposite of its author’s: a higher tax burden is coming. But that leads to another conclusion: much conflict lies ahead, with huge implications for politics, federal finance and the US ability to play its historic role.
自由主義的抬頭對美國的未來預示著什么？這不僅是美國人感興趣的問題，而且對世界其他大多數地方幾乎同樣重要。美國眾議院預算委員會主席、共和黨人保羅?瑞恩(Paul Ryan)發表的題為《通往富裕之路》(Path to Prosperity)的財政計劃，部分回答了這個問題。我得出的結論與作者恰恰相反：更重的稅負即將到來。但這又引出另一個結論：未來將有許多紛爭，對政治、聯邦財政及美國扮演其歷史角色的能力都將產生重大影響。