课文翻译)

1、Longing for a New Welfare SystemA welfare client is supposed to cheat. Everybody expects it. Faced with sharing a dinner of raw pet food with the cat, many people in wheelchairs I know bleed the system for a few extra dollars. They tell the government that they are getting two hundred dollars less than their real pension so they can get a little extra welfare money. Or, they tell the caseworker that the landlord raised the rent by a hundred dollars. 福利受益人被认为是骗子。人人都这么想。我认识的很多轮椅上的人，面临着与猫分 享粗糙的宠物食品

2、的境地，都想从福利系统中多捞几个钱。他们告诉政府他们少拿了两百 美元的养老金，就能得到一点额外的救济款。或者，他们告诉社会工作者房东提高了一百 美元房租。I have opted to live a life of complete honesty. So instead, I go out and drum up some business and draw cartoons. I even tell welfare how much I make! Oh, Im tempted to get paid under the table. But even if I yielded to that temptation, big magazines are not going to get involved in some sticky situation. They keep my records, and that information goes right into the governments computer. Very high- profile. 我宁愿过一种诚实无欺

3、的生活。所以，我出门去招揽活计，画点漫画。我甚至告诉福 利机构我挣了多少！噢，我倒是想偷偷地挣钱。但是，即使我抵抗不了这种诱惑，大型杂 志社也不会去给我惹麻烦。他们会保留我的记录，这些记录会直接进入政府的电脑。真是 态度鲜明。As a welfare client Im expected to bow before the caseworker. Deep down, caseworkers know that they are being made fools of by many of their clients, and they feel they are entitled to have clients bow to them as compensation. Im not being bitter. Most caseworkers begin as college-educated liberals with high ideals. But after a few years in a system that practically requires people to

4、 lie, they become like the one I shall call “Suzanne“, a detective in shorts. 作为一名福利救济者，我只好在社会工作者面前卑躬屈膝。社会工作者深知他们被很 多救济者愚弄，作为补偿，他们有权让这些救济者卑躬屈膝。我并不怀恨在心。很多社会 工作者刚开始都是受过大学教育，带着理想主义又思想开明的人。但是在这个现实需要人 们撒谎的福利系统里，几年之后，他们变成一个我称作“苏珊娜”一样的人，一个穿短裤的 侦探。Not long after Christmas last year, Suzanne came to inspect my apartment and saw some new posters pasted on the wall. “Whered you get the money for those?“ she wanted to know. 去年圣诞节不久，苏珊娜来到我的公寓视察，看见几张贴在墙上的新海报。 “你从哪里 来钱搞这些？”她想知道。“Friends and family.“ “朋友和家人。 ”“

5、Well, youd better have a receipt for it, by God. You have to report any donations or gifts.“ “嗯，最好有一张收条，真的，所有馈赠和礼物都要上报。This was my cue to beg. Instead, I talked back. “I got a cigarette from somebody on the street the other day. Do I have to report that?“ 这是在暗示我要哀求她了。我却顶了回去。 “某天我从大街上得到一支烟，需要报告吗？“Well Im sorry, but I dont make the rules, Mr. Callahan.“ “真抱歉，但是规矩不是我定的，卡拉汉先生。 ”Suzanne tries to lecture me about repairs to my wheelchair, which is always breaking down because welfare wont spend the mo

6、ney maintaining it properly. “You know, Mr. Callahan, Ive heard that you put a lot more miles on that wheelchair than average.“ 苏珊娜试图就修理轮椅的问题训诫我，因为福利机构不肯出钱好好修，老是抛锚。 “你 知道，卡拉汉先生，我听说你的轮椅比一般人开得远。 ”Of course I do. Im an active worker, not a vegetable. I live near downtown, so I can get around in a wheelchair. I wonder what shed think if she suddenly broke her hip and had to crawl to work. 的确如此。我是个工作积极的人，又不是一个呆子。我住在闹市区，所以我可以驾着 轮椅到处转转。我在想要是她有一天突然摔坏了髋部，不得不蠕行去上班的时候她会怎么 想。Government cuts in welfare have

7、resulted in hunger and suffering for a lot of people, not just me. But people with spinal cord injuries felt the cuts in a unique way: The government stopped taking care of our chairs. Each time mine broke down, lost a screw, needed a new roller bearing, the brake wouldnt work, etc., and I called Suzanne, I had to endure a little lecture. Finally, shed say, “Well, if I can find time today, Ill call the medical worker.“ 政府削减福利开支已经导致了饥饿，殃及了很多人，不光是我。脊髓受伤的人对这个 削减有独特的体会。政府不再照顾我们的轮椅。每次我的轮椅坏了，掉了一个螺丝，需要

8、 一个新轴承，刹车失灵，等等，我打电话给苏珊娜，由得忍受一番教训。最后她会说， “好 吧，如果今天我有时间，我会找医务人员的。 ”She was supposed to notify the medical worker, who would certify that there was a problem. Then the medical worker called the wheelchair repair companies to get the cheapest bid. Then the medical worker alerted the main welfare office at the state capital. They considered the matter for days while I lay in bed, unable to move. Finally, if I was lucky, they called back and approved the repair. 她应该是先通知医务人员，确保确实存在问题。然后，医务人员打电话给轮椅修理公 司

9、，获得最低报价，再通知州府的福利总办公室。他们要考虑几天，这时我躺在床上，不 能行动。最后，如果幸运的话，他们会打电话来，批准维修。 When welfare learned I was making money on my cartoons, Suzanne started “visiting“ every fortnight instead of every two months. She looked into every corner in search of unreported appliances, or maids, or a roast pig in the oven, or a new helicopter parked out back. She never found anything, but there was always a thick pile of forms to fill out at the end of each visit, accounting for every penny. 当福利机构知道我依靠漫画挣钱后，苏珊娜开始两个星期“拜访”一次，不再是两个月。她 搜查每一个角落，寻找没有报告的器具，或者女仆，或者烤箱里的烤猪，或者停在房后新 买的直升机什么的。她从来都是一无所获。但每次最后都有一大堆表格要填，每一分想钱 都要写清楚。There is no provision in the law for a gradual shift away from welfare. I am an independent businessman, slowly building up my market. Its impossible to jump off welfare and suddenly be making two thousand dollars a month. But I would love to be able to pay for some of my living and not have to go through an embarrassing situation every time I

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