每天一篇经济学人 | Free petrol 免费汽油（2022年第37期...

Even in a city as congested as Chicago, traffic jams rarely form at seven o’clock in the morning on a Saturday. At that time on April 23rd, however, there were already over 300 cars queuing outside a branch of bp in East Garfield Park. They stretched from the petrol-station forecourt around an entire city block. Drivers sat in their cars, which ranged from battered Toyotas to new Range Rovers, waiting to pull in for $50 worth of free petrol courtesy of Willie Wilson, a Chicago millionaire who is standing for mayor again next year. Those at the front of the queue had arrived at 4am. 

即使在像芝加哥这样拥挤的城市，周六早上7点也很少出现交通堵塞。然而，在4月23日的时候，已经有300多辆汽车在英国石油公司位于东加菲尔德公园的一家分店外排队。他们从加油站的前院一直延伸到整个街区。司机们坐在他们的车里，从破旧的丰田车到新的路虎揽胜，等待威利•威尔逊提供的价值50美元的免费汽油。威利•威尔逊是芝加哥的百万富翁，他将参加明年的市长竞选。排在队伍前面的人凌晨4点就到了。

The giveaway, which also took place at 15 other places in the city and 11 in the suburbs, was Mr Wilson’s third in two months. He has spent some $2.2m, mostly in majority-black neighbourhoods, buying people petrol. “It’s a good use of the dollar to help a lot of families,” he told the Chicago Sun Times. 

这是威尔逊先生两个月来的第三次免费赠送，在该市的其他15个地方和郊区的11个地方也进行了免费赠送。他花了大约220万美元，主要是在黑人占多数的社区为人们购买汽油。他在接受《芝加哥太阳报》采访时表示:“用美元来帮助很多家庭是件好事。”

That seems questionable. Over a quarter of Chicago households, and higher shares of the poorest, do not own cars. And the city is already choked with traffic too much of the time. Still, Mr Wilson’s largesse is popular. “It’s a good look for Chicago,” said David Jones, queuing in a Chevrolet Impala, its wing mirror hanging off. The rising cost of petrol is of particular concern in the neighbourhoods Mr Wilson targeted, where public transport is often poor. 

这似乎有问题。超过四分之一的芝加哥家庭以及更多的最贫困家庭没有汽车。而且这个城市已经有太多时间交通堵塞了。尽管如此，威尔逊先生的慷慨还是很受欢迎。大卫·琼斯(David Jones)坐在一辆雪佛兰黑斑羚(Chevrolet Impala)车里说:“这对芝加哥来说是一个不错的选择。”威尔逊所针对的社区尤其关注汽油价格的上涨，因为这些社区的公共交通通常很差。

Will it help him become mayor? Mr Wilson, a 73-year-old who came to Chicago from Louisiana as a child and made his money with a McDonald’s franchise and then a medical-supplies company, is unlikely to win the election next February. But his support among black voters could hurt Lori Lightfoot, the incumbent. In 2015, when Mr Wilson last ran, he won just 11% of the vote, but far more in the black wards which Ms Lightfoot will need if she is to win again. 

这会帮助他成为市长吗?现年73岁的威尔逊先生小时候从路易斯安那州来到芝加哥，靠麦当劳的特许经营和后来的一家医疗用品公司发家致富。他不太可能赢得明年2月的选举。但他在黑人选民中的支持可能会损害现任总统莱特富特(Lori Lightfoot)。在2015年威尔逊先生上次参选时，他只赢得了11%的选票，但要想再次获胜，莱特福特女士需要更多的黑人选区的选票。

She is clearly rattled. On April 27th she persuaded the city council to approve a plan to distribute 50,000 pre-paid cards for petrol and public transport, at a cost of $12.5m. Voters may not be impressed. “She’s using the city’s money, he’s using his own money,” notes Derrick Orr, a school principal waiting in his Range Rover and full of praise for Mr Wilson. The city needs other stuff more urgently than free petrol, he argues. But it is hard for a cash-strapped politician to fight a man handing out freebies.

她显然很慌乱。4月27日，她说服市议会批准一项计划，花费1250万美元，分发5万张汽油和公共交通预付卡。选民可能不会被打动。“她在用城市的钱，而他在用自己的钱，”坐在他的路虎揽胜车里的学校校长德里克·奥尔(Derrick Orr)说，他对威尔逊先生赞不绝口。他认为，该市需要的是比免费汽油更迫切的东西。但是，一个资金短缺的政客很难与一个分发免费赠品的人对抗。