When voters are mad about(对……感到愤怒) a problem—particularly before an election—politicians usually try to solve it. Ideally, their proposed fix would be wise. But sometimes the solution that seems politically effective is also substantively nonsensical.(但有时，看似政治上有效的解决方案，实质上却荒谬至极。) Such is the case with diesel.
当选民对某个问题怒不可遏时——尤其是在选举前夕——政客们通常会设法解决它。理想情况下，他们提出的对策应当是明智的。但有时，看似政治上有效的解决方案，实质上却荒谬至极。柴油问题正是如此。
The average price of diesel in America top(突破、超过（纪录）)ped a record $6.50 a gallon on September 20th. This is painful for the Americans who depend on the fuel. And it is a political nightmare for Republican lawmakers, who already face public anger over the war in Iran and costly petrol. A growing number of them are pushing for a ban on diesel exports, including Mike Rogers, a Republican running for Senate in Michigan, and Dan Sullivan, a Republican senator facing a tough re-election battle in Alaska. On September 22nd Donald Trump said he was considering the idea. The next day Politico(美国知名政治新闻媒体), a news outlet, reported that the administration was preparing a 90-day restriction, though the White House subsequently denied the report. If such a restriction materialises, it would do little to fix the problem—and could create new ones.(倘若此类限制真的落地，它不仅无助于解决问题，反而可能制造新的麻烦。)
9月20日，美国柴油平均价格突破每加仑6.50美元的历史纪录。这对依赖柴油的美国人来说是切肤之痛，对共和党议员而言更是一场政治噩梦——他们本就因伊朗战争和汽油价格高企而饱受民众怒火。越来越多的共和党人正在推动禁止柴油出口，其中包括在密歇根州竞选参议员的迈克·罗杰斯，以及在阿拉斯加州面临艰难连任之战的参议员丹·沙利文。9月22日，唐纳德·特朗普表示正在考虑这一想法。次日，新闻媒体Politico报道称政府正在筹备一项为期90天的限制措施，但白宫随后否认了这一报道。倘若此类限制真的落地，它不仅无助于解决问题，反而可能制造新的麻烦。
To grasp(理解、领会) why an export ban would be unwise, consider what Mr Trump’s own energy secretary, Chris Wright(美国能源部长、页岩油企业家), had to say at an event organised by The Economist on September 23rd. “The blunt tool(钝器、笨拙的手段) of banning diesel exports definitely doesn’t work,” he explained. “That same refinery that produces diesel also produces gasoline and jet fuel, so if you can’t export the diesel that comes out of our refineries, you run out of places to store it, and you have to reduce US refining, which would put upward pressure on gasoline prices and jet-fuel prices.(同一座炼油厂既产柴油，也产汽油和航空燃油；所以如果你无法出口自家炼油厂产出的柴油，就会找不到地方储存，最终不得不削减美国的炼油量，而这会推高汽油和航空燃油的价格。)”
要理解出口禁令为何不明智，不妨看看特朗普自己的能源部长克里斯·赖特9月23日在《经济学人》主办的一场活动上是怎么说的。"禁止柴油出口这种钝器绝对行不通，"他解释道，"同一座炼油厂既产柴油，也产汽油和航空燃油。所以，如果你无法出口自家炼油厂产出的柴油，就会找不到地方储存，最终不得不削减美国的炼油量，而这会推高汽油和航空燃油的价格。"