Kicking the can down the road?
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> “<span word="kicking">kicking</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="down">down</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="road">road</span>” <span word="in">in</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="passage">passage</span> (<span word="The">The</span> <span word="Economist">Economist</span>, <span word="July">July</span> 19, 2017):</p><p><span word="America">America</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="House">House</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Representatives">Representatives</span> <span word="passed">passed</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="temporary">temporary</span> <span word="patch">patch</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="fund">fund</span> <span word="federal">federal</span> <span word="highway">highway</span> <span word="projects">projects</span> <span word="after">after</span> <span word="months">months</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="delay">delay</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="put">put</span> <span word="hundreds">hundreds</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="thousands">thousands</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="construction">construction</span> <span word="jobs">jobs</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="risk">risk</span>. <span word="But">But</span> <span word="Barack">Barack</span> <span word="Obama">Obama</span> <span word="said">said</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="Congress">Congress</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="merely">merely</span> “<span word="kicking">kicking</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="down">down</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="road">road</span>”; <span word="he">he</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="proposed">proposed</span> <span word="a">a</span> $300 <span word="billion">billion</span> <span word="transportation">transportation</span> <span word="programme">programme</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="repair">repair</span> <span word="America">America</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="crumbling">crumbling</span> <span word="infrastructure">infrastructure</span>.</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="By">By</span> <span word="saying">saying</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="Congress">Congress</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="merely">merely</span> “<span word="kicking">kicking</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="down">down</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="road">road</span>”, <span word="Barack">Barack</span> <span word="Obama">Obama</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="criticizing">criticizing</span> <span word="America">America</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="lawmakers">lawmakers</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="shirking">shirking</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="duties">duties</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="obligation">obligation</span>.</p><p>“<span word="Kicking">Kicking</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="down">down</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="road">road</span>”, <span word="you">you</span> <span word="see">see</span>, <span word="means">means</span> <span word="avoiding">avoiding</span> <span word="doing">doing</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="job">job</span> <span word="now">now</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="putting">putting</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="off">off</span> <span word="till">till</span> <span word="later">later</span>.</p><p><span word="Obama">Obama</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="proposed">proposed</span> <span word="a">a</span> $300 <span word="billion">billion</span> <span word="transportation">transportation</span> <span word="programme">programme</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="repair">repair</span> <span word="America">America</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="crumbling">crumbling</span> <span word="infrastructure">infrastructure</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="House">House</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Representatives">Representatives</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="given">given</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="approval">approval</span> <span word="after">after</span> <span word="months">months</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="delay">delay</span>. <span word="Perhaps">Perhaps</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="representatives">representatives</span> <span word="don">don</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="want">want</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="much">much</span> <span word="money">money</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="spent">spent</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="roads">roads</span>, <span word="or">or</span> <span word="perhaps">perhaps</span> <span word="some">some</span>, <span word="especially">especially</span> <span word="Republican">Republican</span> <span word="members">members</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Congress">Congress</span>, <span word="just">just</span> <span word="don">don</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="support">support</span> <span word="any">any</span> <span word="proposal">proposal</span> <span word="raised">raised</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="Obama">Obama</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="Democrat">Democrat</span>.</p><p><span word="Whatever">Whatever</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="case">case</span>, <span word="they">they</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="accused">accused</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="playing">playing</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="stalling">stalling</span> <span word="game">game</span>, <span word="in">in</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="words">words</span> <span word="playing">playing</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="time">time</span>. <span word="They">They</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="likened">likened</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="Obama">Obama</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="kids">kids</span> <span word="kicking">kicking</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="down">down</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="road">road</span>.</p><p><span word="What">What</span> <span word="can">can</span>? <span word="What">What</span> <span word="road">road</span>?</p><p><span word="Any">Any</span> <span word="can">can</span>, <span word="any">any</span> <span word="road">road</span>.</p>
页:
[1]