Second, and more important for those who worry about the US economy’s health, the process is not well-described by the term “fiscal cliff.” It is, rather, an austerity bomb that hits an economy in which unemployment remains high, the employment-to-population ratio remains horrifyingly low, and there are only feeble signs that the large gap between current and potential output is closing.
第二点在为美国经济健康忧心忡忡者看来尤为重要，即“财政悬崖”一词无法贴切地形容整个过程。这相当于命中高失业率经济体的一枚紧缩炸弹，就业人口占总人口的比例依然低得惊人，且只有微弱迹象表明当前及潜在产值之间的巨大落差正在逐步弥合。