社評 0414 紐約鼠患 令人頭痛

紐約鼠患 令人頭痛

美國最大城市紐約日前任命了一位滅鼠官來對付日愈嚴重的鼠患， 市長亞當斯已經任用了科拉廸女士主持這項滅鼠大行動。據說紐約市的老鼠比人口還多， 至少在數百萬隻以上。

盡管紐約的老鼠眾多， 但它只排名全美第二名，芝加哥仍是全美榜首。

老實說， 鼠患是代表地方之髒亂， 對紐約這個城市而言， 真是令人有無奈之感。 這座號稱世界政治經濟中心， 除了某些華麗的文化及金融塲所之外其地下鐵及許多貧困地區 ，都是老鼠猖獗之地。

我們過去二十多年來， 在國外發動了無數次之戰爭， 國家財政大量失血， 而嚴重影響到了國內民生及基礎建設， 尤其是许多大城市之預算都用於救濟贫困人口， 失業救濟， 而在收縮一般市政建設之經費因此機場、 公路、 街道失修、 垃圾遍地， 這已成為鼠疫之溫床。

我們必須面對這項挑戰， 基本之問題還是在經濟問題， 大城市之負擔不斷加重， 如果大環境無法得到改善， 再能幹的殺鼠大將，也無法解決問題。

New York City Has A Rat-Infestation Problem 

The largest city in America, New York City, has appointed a Rat Control Director with an annual salary of $150,000 to address the city's growing rodent infestation problem. 

Mayor Adams announced that the position has been filled by Ms. Catherine Corradi who has accepted her new job that carries the mandate  to eradicate the rat infestation that is plaguing the city.  

People have often joked that New York City has a larger rat population than it has human residents. The new director said she will combat the rodent problem with a scientific and systematic approach with passion. 

Although New York City has always been notorious for rats, according to a survey, Chicago still topped the list for the eighth consecutive year for its huge rodent population, while New York came in second.

To be honest, rat infestation represents the dirty chaos of the place. It’s really a helpless situation for the City of New York. This so called 'world political and financial center,' may be misnamed. Except for some gorgeous museums and a massive financial center, New York's subway system and poor areas are places where rats always run rampant. 

Over the past twenty years or so,       we have launched and supported countless wars and conflicts abroad. We have lost many trillions of dollars  in wars in other countries and still we wind up financially at a point where we cannot even afford to build up our own domestic infrastructure, especially in the country's airports, streets and highways. 

We must face the reality of how to cope with our national problems, including how to improve our national  infrastructure. Otherwise, no matter how capable the new Rat Control Director of New York City will be, in    the long run, local efforts will never be successful long-term until we solve the real and larger infrastructure problems facing the country.