That kind of polarization only creates the backdrop for other problems. Even when the differences between the two sides seem relatively small─whether, for example, to raise the top tax rate four percentage points for families earning more than $250,000, or whether to make that income level $450,000─compromise is difficult because both sides think important precedents would be set. Today's decisions will set the backdrop for broader debates on tax reform and spending later in the year.
这种两极化只会为其他问题的产生创造条件。就连在分歧显得相对较小的方面(比如是将25万美元以上还是45万美元以上年收入的最高税阶税率提高四个百分点),双方也很难妥协,因为他们都认为一妥协就会开启重要的先例。今天的决定将为今后更大范围的税改、支出辩论定下基调。
When Republicans agreed to raise any tax rates at all, for example, they knew that they had opened the door for a new set of arguments about which rates and at what level. The question had shifted from whether to raise rates to how─and that's a significant shift.
比如共和党人在同意提高税率的时候,他们知道这就为有关提高哪些税率、提高多少的一系列新争论敞开了大门。问题已经从要不要提高税率变成怎样提高税率,这一转变意义重大。
Similarly, when Mr. Obama said he could accept the idea of reducing entitlement costs by embracing a formula for lowering cost-of-living increases for Social Security recipients, he was setting a precedent as well─a precedent saying that Democrats were willing to consider policies that reduced entitlement spending not just by holding down costs but also by reducing benefits to recipients.
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