The Supreme Court's Decision
In a rare unanimous ruling, the US Supreme Court has overturned the corruption conviction of a former Virginia governor, Robert McDonnell.
美國最高法院罕見地一致推翻了對前弗吉尼亞州州長羅伯特·麥克唐納的腐敗指控。
But it did so while holding its nose at the ethics of his conduct, which included accepting gifts such as a Rolex watch and a Ferrari automobile from a company seeking access to government.
但是最高法院也對其收取禮物的行為嗤之以鼻，這其中包括接受一家試圖打通政府部門關(guān)系的一家公司饋贈的勞力士手表和法拉利跑車等禮物。
The high court's decision said the judge in Mr. McDonnell's trial failed to tell a jury that it must look only at his "official acts," or the former governor's decisions on "specific" and "unsettled" issues related to his duties.
高等法院的判決認(rèn)為，主審麥克唐納案的法官沒有告知陪審團(tuán)必須只審查他的“官方行為”，或者與這位前州長職責(zé)相關(guān)的“特定的”和“未確定的”問題上的決定。
Merely helping a gift-giver gain access to other officials, unless done with clear intent to pressure those officials, is not corruption, the justices found.
法官們發(fā)現(xiàn)，只是幫助送禮者接觸其他官員，除非出于向這些官員明確施壓的目的，否則并不構(gòu)成貪污罪。
The court did suggest that accepting favors in return for opening doors is "distasteful" and "nasty."
法院確實表示，為送禮者開路并從中牟利的行為是“令人反感的”且“骯臟的”。
But under anti-bribery laws, proof must be made of concrete benefits, such as approval of a contract or regulation.
但是根據(jù)《反腐敗法》的規(guī)定，必須找出具體的獲利證據(jù)，例如批準(zhǔn)某項合同或者法規(guī)。
Simply arranging a meeting, making a phone call, or hosting an event is not an "official act."
僅僅安排一個會面，打一個電話，或者主持一個活動都不是“官方行為”。
The court's ruling is legally sound in defining a kind of favoritism that is not criminal.
最高法院將該事件判決為一種偏袒而不是犯罪的行為是合法的。
Elected leaders must be allowed to help supporters deal with bureaucratic problems without fear of prosecution of bribery.
被選出的政府領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人必須能幫助其支持者處理官僚體制內(nèi)的問題，而不必?fù)?dān)心因受賄被起訴。
"The basic compact underlying representative government," wrote Chief Justice John Roberts for the court, "assumes that public officials will hear from their constituents and act on their concerns."
針對此次法庭審理，首席大法官約翰·羅伯茨寫道：“代議制政府當(dāng)包含這樣的契約，即公職人員會聽取選民的訴求，并努力踐行他們的關(guān)注點(diǎn)?！?/p>
But the ruling reinforces the need for citizens and their elected representatives, not the courts, to ensure equality of access to government.
但是，公民及他們選舉出來的代表，而非法院，必須確保接觸政府部門的途徑是平等的，而這一判決強(qiáng)化了這種必要性。
Officials must not be allowed to play favorites in providing information or in arranging meetings simply because an individual or group provides a campaign donation or a personal gift.
官員不得因個人或團(tuán)體提供競選捐款或私人禮物而在提供信息或安排會面時有所偏袒。
This type of integrity requires well-enforced laws in government transparency, such as records of official meetings, rules on lobbying, and information about each elected leader's source of wealth.
這種誠信需要在政府透明度上制定嚴(yán)格的法律，例如要記錄正式會議，制定游說規(guī)則，以及公布每個當(dāng)選領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人的資金來源信息等等。
Favoritism in official access can fan public perceptions of corruption. But it is not always corruption.
官方性的偏袒會激起關(guān)于腐敗的公眾認(rèn)知。但這并不總是腐敗。
Rather officials must avoid double standards, or different types of access to average people and the wealthy.
相反，官員必須避免雙重標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，或是區(qū)別對待普通人和富人。
If connections can be bought, a basic premise of democratic society — that all are equal in treatment by government — is undermined.
如果與政府的關(guān)系可以交易、那么民主社會基本前提——政府平等對待一切，就會受到損害。
Good government rests on an understanding of the inherent worth of each individual.
良好的政府建立在理解每個人的內(nèi)在價值之上。
The court's ruling is a step forward in the struggle against both corruption and official favoritism.
最高法院的裁決使得與腐敗和徇私舞弊的斗爭又向前邁進(jìn)一步。
美文閱讀筆記
㈠一個人的形象和教養(yǎng)，會在不經(jīng)意間于行為細(xì)節(jié)處展露無遺。天下大事必作于細(xì)，細(xì)節(jié)的背后是用心程度和價值觀。魔鬼就藏在細(xì)節(jié)里。
在這個步步為營的時代，你會通過細(xì)節(jié)審視一個人嗎？你知道什么樣的細(xì)節(jié)直指一個人的本質(zhì)嗎？
很多時候，讓人優(yōu)秀起來的并不是大善義舉或者功成名就，而是一些細(xì)微的習(xí)慣與修養(yǎng)。因為具備這些習(xí)慣與修養(yǎng)，他（她）得以在向上的路上越走越順，漸漸與庸常之人拉開距離。生活、學(xué)習(xí)與工作，都是由千千萬萬個細(xì)節(jié)組成，愿你們能夠關(guān)注“細(xì)節(jié)”之鏡，正衣冠，慎言行，在觀察別人的同時反省自己，注重細(xì)節(jié)的威力，努力完善每一個細(xì)節(jié)，做更好的自己。
㈡大約每個人都有種懷才尚未遇伯樂的感覺，所以應(yīng)當(dāng)隨時做好準(zhǔn)備。一個人的運(yùn)氣什么時候到來很難說，一息尚存則希望不滅。
我一直記得瓊·柯林斯在拍攝電視劇《豪門恩怨》之前多年沒有工作，可是她一在劇中亮相就艷壓群芳。那是什么樣的戲以及她的性格如何根本不重要，那種忍耐和毅力才叫人刮目相看。
