SOME BRILLIANT minds have served as chief economist of the IMF. Several of the sharp thinkers were also blunt(直率的，不客气的) talkers. Michael Mussa, who held the job from 1991 to 2001, was once accused of being a hired gun(雇来的枪手，受人雇佣的代言人). “At least I hit what I aim at” he fired back(回击，反击).
国际货币基金组织（IMF）的首席经济学家一职，曾由一些才华横溢的人担任。这些思维敏锐的思想家中，有几位说话也直来直去。1991年至2001年担任该职的迈克尔·穆萨，曾被人指责为“雇来的枪手”。他回击道：“至少我打中了目标。”
The prestigious(有声望的，地位崇高的) position might have been awarded this summer to Ricardo Reis of the London School of Economics. But his occasionally blunt media comments reportedly cost him the job(让他丢掉了这份工作). According to the Financial Times, the offending remarks included some orthodox(正统的，主流的) criticisms of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which he said would raise prices and reduce efficiency. In response, the IMF “categorically(断然地，明确地)” denied that “any candidate was disqualified because of their academic views on the detrimental(有害的，不利的) impact of tariffs…It is not credible to suggest we would object to views that our own research has confirmed and publicised.(要说我们会反对自己研究已证实并公开宣传的观点，那是不可信的。)”
今年夏天，这一声望极高的职位本可能授予伦敦政治经济学院的里卡多·雷斯。但据报道，他偶尔在媒体上发表的直率言论让他丢掉了这份工作。据《金融时报》报道，那些惹麻烦的言论包括对唐纳德·特朗普总统关税政策的一些正统批评，雷斯称这些关税会推高物价、降低效率。对此，IMF“断然”否认“任何候选人因对关税有害影响的学术观点而被取消资格……要说我们会反对自己研究已证实并公开宣传的观点，那是不可信的。”
Tariffs are not, however, the only targets Mr Reis has hit. In his column for Expresso, a Portuguese newspaper, he once described Mr Trump as a “protofascist(原法西斯主义者)”, albeit institutionally constrained(尽管受到制度约束). He later suggested that the president likes tariffs partly because of the exemptions(豁免，免除) he can grant. “Anyone who wants to pay less has to convince Trump with flattery(奉承，恭维), business deals with his family, gifts…For someone who sees the presidency as a way to enrich himself personally(个人敛财，中饱私囊), or even simply to be flattered, tariffs are an excellent tool.” Last year a column entitled “Gringos on the pampas(《潘帕斯草原上的美国佬》)” marvelled at the Trump administration’s willingness to lend to Argentina. The Peronist left(庇隆主义左翼), which could reclaim power at the next election, “proudly never pay what they owe”, he wrote.
然而，关税并非雷斯抨击的唯一目标。在葡萄牙报纸《快报》的专栏中，他曾将特朗普描述为“原法西斯主义者”，尽管受到制度约束。他后来提出，总统喜欢关税，部分原因是他可以给予豁免。“任何想少付钱的人，都得靠奉承、与特朗普家族做生意、送礼来取悦特朗普……对于一个把总统职位视为个人敛财途径、甚至只是想要被人奉承的人来说，关税是绝佳的工具。”去年，一篇题为《潘帕斯草原上的美国佬》的专栏文章惊叹于特朗普政府愿意借钱给阿根廷。他写道，可能在下次选举中重新掌权的庇隆主义左翼，“自豪地从不偿还欠款”。
Impolitic philosophy and economics
不明智的哲学与经济学