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.?

即使在像芝加哥這樣擁擠的城市，周六早上7點(diǎn)也很少出現(xiàn)交通堵塞。然而，在4月23日的時(shí)候，已經(jīng)有300多輛汽車在英國(guó)石油公司位于東加菲爾德公園的一家分店外排隊(duì)。他們從加油站的前院一直延伸到整個(gè)街區(qū)。司機(jī)們坐在他們的車?yán)?，從破舊的豐田車到新的路虎攬勝，等待威利?威爾遜提供的價(jià)值50美元的免費(fèi)汽油。威利?威爾遜是芝加哥的百萬(wàn)富翁，他將參加明年的市長(zhǎng)競(jìng)選。排在隊(duì)伍前面的人凌晨4點(diǎn)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.?

這是威爾遜先生兩個(gè)月來(lái)的第三次免費(fèi)贈(zèng)送，在該市的其他15個(gè)地方和郊區(qū)的11個(gè)地方也進(jìn)行了免費(fèi)贈(zèng)送。他花了大約220萬(wàn)美元，主要是在黑人占多數(shù)的社區(qū)為人們購(gòu)買汽油。他在接受《芝加哥太陽(yáng)報(bào)》采訪時(shí)表示:“用美元來(lái)幫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.?

這似乎有問(wèn)題。超過(guò)四分之一的芝加哥家庭以及更多的最貧困家庭沒(méi)有汽車。而且這個(gè)城市已經(jīng)有太多時(shí)間交通堵塞了。盡管如此，威爾遜先生的慷慨還是很受歡迎。大衛(wèi)·瓊斯(David Jones)坐在一輛雪佛蘭黑斑羚(Chevrolet Impala)車?yán)镎f(shuō):“這對(duì)芝加哥來(lái)說(shuō)是一個(gè)不錯(cuò)的選擇?！蓖栠d所針對(duì)的社區(qū)尤其關(guān)注汽油價(jià)格的上漲，因?yàn)檫@些社區(qū)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.?

這會(huì)幫助他成為市長(zhǎng)嗎?現(xiàn)年73歲的威爾遜先生小時(shí)候從路易斯安那州來(lái)到芝加哥，靠麥當(dāng)勞的特許經(jīng)營(yíng)和后來(lái)的一家醫(yī)療用品公司發(fā)家致富。他不太可能贏得明年2月的選舉。但他在黑人選民中的支持可能會(huì)損害現(xiàn)任總統(tǒng)萊特富特(Lori Lightfoot)。在2015年威爾遜先生上次參選時(shí)，他只贏得了11%的選票，但要想再次獲勝，萊特福特女士需要更多的黑人選區(qū)的選票。

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.

她顯然很慌亂。4月27日，她說(shuō)服市議會(huì)批準(zhǔn)一項(xiàng)計(jì)劃，花費(fèi)1250萬(wàn)美元，分發(fā)5萬(wàn)張汽油和公共交通預(yù)付卡。選民可能不會(huì)被打動(dòng)。“她在用城市的錢，而他在用自己的錢，”坐在他的路虎攬勝車?yán)锏膶W(xué)校校長(zhǎng)德里克·奧爾(Derrick Orr)說(shuō)，他對(duì)威爾遜先生贊不絕口。他認(rèn)為，該市需要的是比免費(fèi)汽油更迫切的東西。但是，一個(gè)資金短缺的政客很難與一個(gè)分發(fā)免費(fèi)贈(zèng)品的人對(duì)抗。