too much stuff, and way too little of what we really want. Now we're going to start looking at

創造太多物資的系統, 而這些物資裡鮮少是我們真正需要的. 現在我們將要看看

the stories behind the Story of Stuff.

東西的故事中,背後的"故事".

That's where we'll find ways to turn this situation around.

在那裡, 我們將發現改善這種情況的方法.

Welcome to Season Two!

歡迎來到第二季!

These last few years, I've had to get a lot more careful about how I spend

這幾年來, 我變得很注重我

my paycheck. Everyone has.

薪水的花費. 每個人都是這樣.

Like I'm eating out less often,

像我比較少外食,

holding back on expenses I don't really need, saving for my kid's college.

減少不必要的支出, 存下我孩子的大學基金.

I'm getting more responsible, taking control of how I spend.

我變得越來越負責, 掌控我的消費習慣.

But one thing I can't control is that every month a big chunk of my paycheck

但有件事我無法掌控: 那就是我薪水裡有一大部分

goes off to the government.

必須上繳給政府.

It's not the most fun part of my budget, but I believe in paying taxes.

這對我的開銷而言絕不是件好事, 但我相信繳稅是好的.

Not just because it's the law

不只是因為這是法律規定的,

but because that's how I invest in a better future that I can't afford

而是因為那將是我為下一代投資更好的未來,

to build on my own.

而這我是無法獨力負擔的.

You know that future we all want and nearly every candidate promises us —

你知道的, 那種每個候選人都向我們保證的美好未來-

great schools,

更好的學校,

a healthy environment,

更健康的生活環境,

clean energy, good jobs. But a funny thing happens to our money on its way

環保能源, 更好的工作機會. 但一件有趣的事發生在那些用來

to that better future.

建設更好未來的錢上.

It seems to disappear.

那些錢似乎消失了.

And by the time we get around to investing in it, all we hear is,

而每次我們投資的錢, 得到的回應卻是,

"sorry, not this year, we're broke."

"抱歉, 今年不行, 我們已經破產了."

In fact, we're so broke, they say,

事實上, 根據他們的說法,我們已經透支到

that we have no choice but to slide backwards,

必須倒退回更糟的生活環境.

cutting things that made this country great — like schools and the EPA,

減少那些讓國家更好的支出-如學校及美國國家環境保護局.

maybe even Social Security and Medicare.

或許再砍些社會安全和醫療資源.

Wait a minute. Broke?

等一下. 破產?

I'm sending in my share of hard-earned cash every month and so are you!

我和你們一樣, 把每月辛辛苦苦賺的錢上繳給政府!

If everyone did, we'd have plenty of money.

如果每個人都這麼做, 我們應該有不少錢.

Now, what we've got to work with shrinks a lot thanks to corporate tax loopholes

現在, 我們投入的工作被許多企業避稅

and unprecedented tax breaks for the richest 1%.

及為了1%富人空前的所得稅減額所侵蝕大半.

But even after those, we've

但即使如此, 我們

still got over a trillion dollars.

還是有超過1兆美金.

So if we're broke,

所以如果我們真的破產了,

what's happening to all that money?

那這些錢都去哪裡了?

I decided to look into it and it turns out this whole "broke" story hides

我決定深入分析, 而發現整個"破產"故事背後藏著

a much bigger story

一個更大的故事

— a story of some really dumb choices being made for us —

- 一個對我們做出各種愚蠢決定的故事-

truth is actually work against us.

真相反而跟我們所設想的完全相反.

The good news is that these are choices,

好消息是, 這些只是決定而已,

and we can make different ones.

而我們可以做出不同的決定.

So, where is all that money going? Well first the military takes a biggest chunk --

所以這些資金究竟流到哪裡去了? 第一項是軍事支出占了最大部分 --

$726 billion in 2011. Wow!

2011年花了7260億美元. 哇!

We could build a lot of better future with that kind of money.

我們可以用這筆錢把未來建設的更好.

Spending billions on fighter planes we don't need or wars with no end, and

把數十億的美金砸在那些我們根本不需要的戰鬥機, 或永不停止的戰爭上, 然後

then saying we're broke, just isn't honest.

他們就說我們破產了, 根本不誠實.

It's like calling your kid from your billion-dollar yacht to say you can't

這就像在你花了數十億美金打造的遊艇上打電話給你的孩子說, 我沒辦法

afford her lunch money.

支付你的午餐錢.

Then hundreds of billions more go to propping up the dinosaur economy.

接著數百億美金用來填補那些恐龍經濟.

You know, the obsolete system we talked about in The Story of Stuff —

你知道的, 我們在東西的故事裡提到那些過時的製造系統-

the one that produces more pollution, greenhouse gasses and garbage than any

那些製造更多汙染, 溫室氣體和垃圾, 相較於其他

other on Earth — and doesn't even make us happy.

地球上的企業- 還無法讓我們感到高興.

In so many ways, it's just not working,

在這麼多方法下, 沒有一項有用,

but we're keeping it in on life support instead of building something better.

而我們還拿這些錢來貼補這些企業, 而不去建設些更好的東西.

A lot of that life support comes in the form of subsidies.

大部分貼補這些企業的錢叫做補助款.

A subsidy is a giveaway that gives some companies a lift over others.

補助款是用來幫助企業來提升相較於其他企業的競爭力.

That's not necessarily a bad thing — we should help companies that are

那其實不是件壞事- 我們的確應該幫助那些

building a better future.

會為我們建設更好未來的公司.

The problem is the government keeps lifting up companies that are actually

問題在於政府一直將錢補助給那些

dragging us down.

實際上將我們拖垮的公司.

Everywhere you look along the dinosaur economy, you'll find these subsidies.

每當你看到這些恐龍經濟, 你就會發現他們都有補助款.

There's spending subsidies: where the government just gives our money away —

另外有消費補貼: 也就是政府直接將錢給出去-

like payments that benefit big agribusiness, while helping drive family

像是給大型農業綜合企業好處, 同時再去把那些家庭

farms off a cliff.

農業推下懸崖.

Or the less obvious version where the government foots the bill for things

或是一個比較不明顯的版本是, 政府資助那些

corporations should pay for themselves

公司應該自己出錢的成本

like cleaning up toxic chemical spills or giant livestock manure ponds.

像清除有毒化學物, 或巨型的牲畜肥料池.

Or building roads that go to only one place — like a new Walmart.

或建設些只會通向一個地方的公路- 如一間新的沃爾瑪.

Or paying for polluting and wasteful garbage incinerators that would never

或是資助些會汙染且浪費的垃圾焚化廠, 這些即使

make financial sense to build on their own.

他們自己出資也毫無經濟上的幫助.

Then there's tax subsidies:

接著還有稅額補貼:

which excuse big corporations from contributing their fair share —

這讓大型企業有藉口來不分享他們的利潤-

like the enormous tax breaks granted to oil and gas companies

如對石油和天然氣公司的巨大稅額減免.

even in times of record profits.

即使他們創下超額的收入時也是這樣.

These subsidies amount to billions of dollars we should be collecting

這些擁有數十億的我們應收的補助款

and putting to good use.

可以拿來做多少有意義的事.

And there's risk transfer subsidies: where the government acts as an

接著還有風險轉移性補助款: 政府扮演

investment bank and even an insurance company for corporations doing risky

投資銀行甚至是保險公司來協助企業做些危險的

things, like building nuclear reactors.

事, 像是建核電廠.

If anything goes wrong, we have to cover for them.

如果發生意外的話, 我們還要替他們收拾殘局.

There's freebie subsidies:

還有免費贈品補貼:

where our government gives stuff that belongs to all of us to corporations

我們的政府將屬於全體公民的商品

for cheap or even free.

降價甚至免費贈送給企業.

That's billions more we should be collecting but never see!

這數十億美金是我們從未見到過的資金!

Like permits to mine public lands, granted at prices set in the Mining Law of 1872.

像是發放礦業開採公共領地的許可證, 在1872年礦業法裡訂定可出售的價格.

Really. 1872.

真的. 1872年就開始了.

President Grant signed this law to encourage settlement of the West.

格蘭特總統為了鼓勵往西部定居而簽署這項法案.

News flash:

新聞短訊:

it's settled.

早就定居了.

And all this doesn't even count externalized costs. They

然而上述這些都還沒考量到外部成本. 它們

don't show up on any spreadsheet and could amount to trillions of dollars —

不會在任何的試算表上顯示, 且可能價值數兆美元-

include the damage to the environment,

包括環境的損害,

public health and the climate that this dinosaur economy causes.

公眾健康的損害及因這些恐龍企業所導致的氣候變遷.

Without laws that make the polluters pay, we all pay with the loss of clean air and water,

在沒有立法要求汙染者付費的情況下, 我們通通必須付出失去乾淨的空氣和水,

or increased asthma and cancer.

或是增加哮喘和癌症發病率的代價.

By the time we've handed out all these subsidies, there isn't even enough money

當我們支付完這些補助款後, 我們根本沒錢去

to pay our bills —

支付我們想要的花費-

forget about building the better future.

連建設什麼美好的未來都不用提.

So why is there always enough money for the dinosaur economy, from big oil to

所以究竟是為什麼我們總是有足夠的錢給這些恐龍企業, 從大煉油廠到

bailouts for big banks, but when it

紓困大銀行, 結果

comes to building a better future we're supposedly broke? Maybe it's because

說到要建設更美好的未來時就說我們破產了? 或許是因為

these guys know how to ask for it.

這些拿錢的人知道錢如何到手.

Their lobbyists and giant campaign contributions let the government know

那些關說議員及提供鉅額政治獻金的人讓政府知道

what they want,

他們想要什麼.

and what they'll do if they don't get it.

而他們會不擇手段的得到他們想要的東西.

And it works.

而顯然這挺有效的.

US Senators who voted to keep big oil subsidies in 2011 had

2011年, 美國參議員投給支持大型煉油廠補助的票數

received 5 times more in Big Oil campaign cash than those who voted to end them.

比反對的票數還多上5倍.

So, while subsidies should be a tool to help

所以, 補助款原本應該是一個工具可以幫助

companies that are helping us all, they've become a prize for

會對我們有益的公司, 反而變成

those with the most power to get on the handout list.

一個可以讓企業晉升在領錢名單的手段.

But you know who has the real power?

但你知道誰是真正有權力的人嗎？

We do! What if we got as protective of our tax dollars as we are with

我們才有! 如果我們挺身而出去保護

the rest of our money?

那些用我們剩下的錢所繳的稅?

What if we told the government what we want and what we'll do if we

如果我們明確的告訴政府我們需要什麼且

don't get it -- starting with voting them out!

如果我們會訴諸什麼行動如果沒有得到的話- 我們就不投給他!

We could re-direct these dinosaur subsidies,

我們可以重新導正這些恐龍補助,

freeing up hundreds of billions of dollars. Forget broke, we could

放出數百億美金. 別再說我們破產了, 我們可以

build a better future right now!

現在就來建設更美好的未來!

We could start by reinvesting the $10 billion in oil and

我們可以將100億美金的煉油廠和天然氣補助款重新投資到

gas subsidies to renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

再生能源和提升能源使用效率的計畫上.

With just half of that amount, we could put solar systems on over two

只要拿回一半的錢, 我們就可將太陽能板裝設在超過

million households. Then use the rest to retrofit half a million homes,

2百萬戶上. 然後將剩下的錢來更新50萬住戶的房子.

creating jobs and saving energy year after year.

逐年創造就業機會和省下能源.

The average cost of cleaning up a toxic site on the Superfund list is

在環境保護局的超級基金計畫名單中, 平均用來清除有毒廢棄物的成本是

$140 million.

1億4千萬美金.

Let's make the polluters pay and instead invest our money in developing safer

讓汙染者自行負擔這些成本, 而我們將這些基金投資在更安全

materials so we don't have to worry about them spilling in the first place.

的材料上, 這樣我們就不用因它們洩漏而頭疼.

Most chemicals today are made from oil — that's why they are called petro-chemicals.

現今大部分的化學物都來自於石油- 這就是為什麼他們被稱作石化物.

Switching just 20% of them to safer bio-based materials

將20%的石化物轉換到更安全的生質材料

would create over 100,000 new jobs.

將創造十萬個就業機會.

Instead of subsidizing garbage incinerators, let's subsidize

與其補助垃圾焚化廠, 不如補助

real solutions, like zero waste.

在真正能解決問題的方法上, 如零廢棄.

Raising the US recycling rate to 75% would result in one and a half million

將美國的資源回收率提高到75%會創造150萬

new jobs — with less pollution, less waste,

新的就業機會- 順帶減少污染, 廢棄物,

less pressure to harvest and mine new stuff. What's not to like?

及降低開採新物資的壓力. 這有什麼不好?

That would still leave billions of dollars for improving education —

而且還將剩下數十億美金去改善教育-

the best investment for a healthy economy.

對健全的經濟體系最好的投資.

With $100 billion, we could increase the number of elementary school

只要1千億美金, 我們將可提高40%小學

teachers by over 40%

教師的數目.

and give college scholarships to over 6 million students.

且發放大學獎學金給超過6百萬名學生.

See, we can rebuild the American Dream;

看吧, 我們可以重建美國夢,

we can afford to have a healthy environment, good jobs, and top-notch public education.

我們可以負擔一個健康的生活環境, 好的工作, 以及頂尖的公眾教育.

But not if we continue subsidizing the dinosaur economy.

但如果我們繼續補助恐龍企業的話, 這些都無法做到.

So next time you have an idea for a better future and someone tells you,

所以下次如果你對更好的未來有新的看法, 而有人告訴你,

"that's nice, but there's no money for that,"

"想法不錯, 不過沒錢就是了."

you tell them we're not broke.

你可以告訴他, 我們沒有破產.

There is money, it's ours, and it's time to invest it right.

是有錢的,且是屬於我們的, 而正是時候去將其投資在對的地方.