2005年11月三笔实务

Washington D.C. ranks first among the 40 cities with the widest gap between the poor and the rich, according to a recent report released by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute on July 22nd. The top 20 percent of households in D.C. have an average yearly income of $186,830, 31 times that of the bottom 20 percent, which earns only $6,126 per year. The income gap is also big in Atlanta and Miami, but the difference is not as pronounced. The report also indicates that the widening gap occurred mainly during the 1990s. Over the last decade, the average income of the top 20 percent of households has grown 36 percent, while the average income of the bottom 20 percent has only risen 3 percent. "I believe the concentration of the middle-to high-income families in the D.C. area will continue, therefore, the income gap between rich and poor will be hard to bridge,‖ David Garrison told the Washington Observer. Garrison is a senior researcher with the Brookings Institution, specializing in the study of the social and economic policies in the greater Washington D.C. area. The report attributed the persistent income gap in Washington to the area's special job opportunities, which attract high-income households. Especially since the federal government is based in Washington D.C., Government agencies and other government related businesses such as lobbying firms and government contractors constantly offer high-paying jobs, which contribute to the trend of increasing high-income households in the D.C. area. For example, a single young professional working in a law firm in D.C. can earn as much as $100,000 in his or her first year out of law school. "In addition, high-quality housing available in Washington D.C. is one of the main reasons why high-income families choose to live here, while middle and low-income families, if they can afford it, choose to move out of Washington D.C. to the Virginia and Maryland suburbs so that their kids can go to better schools,‖ stated Garrison. "As rich families continue to move into D.C. and middle and low-income families are moving out, the poorest families are left with nowhere to move, or cannot afford to move. This creates the situation we face now: a huge income gap between the rich and poor.‖ The Washington D.C. area to which Garrison refers is the District of Columbia city itself, not including the greater Washington metro area. "The greater Washington metro area has a large population of about 5 million, but the low-income households are often concentrated in D.C. proper,‖ Garrison explained. Tony Blalock, the spokesperson for Mayor Anthony Williams, said resignedly, "No matter what we seem to do to bring investment into the District, a certain population is not able to access the unique employment opportunities there. The gap between the rich and poor is the product of complex forces, and won't be fixed overnight.‖ Garrison believes that the D.C. government should attract high-income families. By doing so, the District's tax base can grow, which in turn can help improve D.C.'s infrastructure. "But in the meantime, the District government should also take into consideration the rights of the poor, set up good schools for them, and provide sound social welfare. All these measures can alleviate the dire situation caused by income disparity.‖ Garrison, however, is not optimistic about the possibility of closing the gap between the rich and poor. He is particularly doubtful that current economic progress will be able to help out the poor. "Bush's tax-cut plan did bring about this wave of economic recovery, and the working professionals and rich did benefit from it. It is unfair to say that the plan did not help the poor at all… it just didn't benefit them as much as it did the rich, ‖Garrison said. "The working class in America, those who do the simplest work, get paid the least, and dutifully pay their taxes, has not benefited from Bush's tax-cut plan much.‖ Garrison concludes, "A lot of cities in America did not enjoy the positive impact of the economic recovery. Washington D.C., on the other hand, has always been sheltered by the federal government. The wide gap between rich and poor in the District, therefore, deserves more in-depth study and exploration.‖

亚洲是我们共同的家园，亚洲的和平、稳定、发展关系到亚洲各国人民的共同命运。我们高兴地看到，在当前总体和平稳定的国际环境下，亚洲也迎来了有史以来较为稳定的和平发展时期。这就是一个最重要的新机会。在亚洲各国政府和人民的共同努力下，亚洲的发展正呈现出前所未有的良好态势，突出表现在：亚洲巨大的市场潜能逐步得到开发，亚洲各国和地区经济结构调整的成效显著，产业优化升级继续加快，经济持续快速发展，亚洲已成为全球经济最具活力的地区之一。"我们说，要把握亚洲寻求共赢的新机会，这又是一个新机会。"亚洲和平、稳定、发展的整体氛围，促进了亚洲区域合作进程的快速发展，一个平等、多元、开放、互利的地区合作新局面正在逐步形成。特别是以东亚、东盟、中亚、南盟、亚洲合作对话以及多双边自由贸易安排为标志，各种形式的区域、次区域经济合作蓬勃发展。这同样也是一个新机会。这些积极而重大的变化，既为推动亚洲区域合作提供了有利条件，也为亚洲各国和地区的发展带来了历史性机遇。"只要我们继续相互尊重、平等对待，把握发展的机会，把握住己的命运，就一定能够促进亚洲的发展与振兴，达成互利共赢的目标。"