This translates into about $900 billion of foregone goods and services this year alone – a tremendous waste reflected in an unemployment rate of 7.9% and a poverty rate of 15%, significantly higher than the average of the past 30 years. And the waste accumulates over time: the longer the economy operates far below its capacity, the slower the growth in its future capacity as a result of diminished risk-taking, foregone investment, and erosion of the skills base.
这意味着光是今年就要损失9000亿美元的商品和服务——这一巨大的浪费体现于7.9%的失业率和15%的贫困率上，这两个数字均远高于过去30年的平均水平。且如此浪费还在随时间而恶化：经济在其产能水平之下运行得越久，其未来产能增长就越慢，因为风险承担行为减少了，投资消失了，技能基础弱化了。