华盛顿当地时间1月20日晚9时(北京时间21日上午10时),美国总统奥巴马身着标志性黑色西装,准时现身国会开始进行2015年国情咨文演讲,这也是他任内第六份国情咨文。下面是由出国留学网整理的2015奥巴马国情咨文演讲稿,提供中英文对照,欢迎阅读。
奥巴马2015国情咨文演讲
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, my fellow Americans:
议长先生,副总统先生,国会议员们,美国同胞们:
We are 15 years into this new century. Fifteen years that dawned with terror touching our shores; that unfolded with a new generation fighting two long and costly wars; that saw a vicious recession spread across our nation and the world. It has been, and still is, a hard time for many。
我们跨入新世纪已经15年了。新世纪一开始,我们就遭受了恐怖袭击,新一代人就投入了两场旷日持久而又代价昂贵的战争,后来又发生了席卷全国乃至全球的恶性衰退。对很多人来说,那时候是,现在也仍然是一段艰难的时期。
But tonight, we turn the page. Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis. More of our kids are graduating than ever before. More of our people are insured than ever before. And we are as free from the grip of foreign oil as we've been in almost 30 years。
但是今天晚上,我们将翻开新的一页。今晚,在美国取得了突破性进展的一年后,我们的经济在增长,新的就业机会在以1999年以来最快的速度增加。我们现在的失业率甚至低于金融危机之前。从学校毕业的孩子人数比以往任何时候都多,得到医疗保障的民众也超过以往,我们还打破了过去近30年一直依赖外国石油的状态。
Tonight, for the first time since 9/11, our combat mission in Afghanistan is over. Six years ago, nearly 180,000 American troops served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, fewer than 15,000 remain. And we salute the courage and sacrifice of every man and woman in this 9/11 Generation who has served to keep us safe. We are humbled and grateful for your service。
今晚,我们自9·11恐怖袭击以来首次结束了在阿富汗的战斗任务。6年前,将近18万美国军人在阿富汗或是伊拉克服役,今天,留守那里的只有不到15000人。我们向9·11之后一代服役的男女军人所付出的牺牲和所展示的勇气表示敬意,因为他们的守护,我们得以安全。我们对你们的服务充满敬意和感激。
America, for all that we have endured; for all the grit and hard work required to come back; for all the tasks that lie ahead, know this: The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the union is strong。
美国同胞,为了我们所承受的一切,为了重振所需要的努力和辛苦工作,为了面前的任务,我们应该明白:危机的阴影已过去,我们的国家现在很强大。
At this moment -- with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, booming energy production -- we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth. It's now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next 15 years and for decades to come。
此时此刻,随着我们经济的发展、财政赤字的缩减、工业的兴旺发展、以及能源生产的蒸蒸日上,我们摆脱了经济衰退,比地球上任何其他国家都更加自由地书写我们的未来。现在我们可以自主选择我们未来十五年、乃至未来的几十年要成为什么样子。
Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well? Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone who makes the effort?
我们要接受一种只有极个别人能大发横财的经济?还是应该致力于发展使每一个努力的人都能够增加收入、得到机会的经济?
Will we approach the world fearful and reactive, dragged into costly conflicts that strain our military and set back our standing? Or will we lead wisely, using all elements of our power to defeat new threats and protect our planet?
我们是否要以一种恐惧和被动的姿态来应对这个世界,被卷入昂贵的冲突,消耗我们的军力,并削弱我们的地位?还是要以一种明智的姿态来引导,尽我们的所能,击败这些新的威胁并保护我们的星球?
Will we allow ourselves to be sorted into factions and turned against one another? Or will we recapture the sense of common purpose that has always propelled America forward?
我们是否要允许自己卷入派别纷争,互相打击?还是我们要重新找到让美国前行的共同目标?
In two weeks, I will send this Congress a budget filled with ideas that are practical, not partisan. And in the months ahead, I'll crisscross the country making a case for those ideas. So tonight, I want to focus less on a checklist of proposals, and focus more on the values at stake in the choices before us。
再过两个星期,我就要向国会递交预算。这个预算里都是现实的想法,并无党派之见。接下来的几个月,我会遍访全国为这些想法争取支持。今天晚上,我不想花太多时间列出这些议题,而是着重谈谈摆在我们面前的选择当中涉及的价值观。
It begins with our economy. Seven years ago, Rebekah and Ben Erler of Minneapolis were newlyweds. She waited tables. He worked construction. Their first child, Jack, was on the way. They were young and in love in America. And it doesn't get much better than that. "If only we had known," Rebekah wrote to me last spring, "what was about to happen to the housing and construction market."
首先让我们谈谈经济。七年前,明尼阿波利斯的瑞贝卡和本•艾勒是一对新婚夫妇。瑞贝卡是饭店服务员,艾勒在建筑工地上班,他们当时即将迎来第一个孩子杰克。他们很年轻,在美国相爱,没有什么比这更好的了。瑞贝卡去年春天写信给我称:“如果我们当时知道住房和建筑市场将发生什么就好了。”
As the crisis worsened, Ben's business dried up, so he took what jobs he could find, even if they kept him on the road for long stretches of time. Rebekah took out student loans and enrolled in community college, and retrained for a new career. They sacrificed for each other. And slowly, it paid off. They bought their first home. They had a second son, Henry. Rebekah got a better job and then a raise. Ben is back in construction -- and home for dinner every night。
随着危机恶化,本的生意越来越少,他只能做他能找到的工作,即便这些工作让他花漫长的时间在路上。瑞贝卡办理了学生贷款,在社区大学上学,为一份新的职业生涯培训。他们为彼此牺牲。慢慢地,他们的努力得到了回报,他们买了首套房子,他们有了第二个儿子亨利。瑞贝卡找到了一份更好的工作,还加了薪。本也重返建筑业,每天晚上能回家吃晚餐。
"It is amazing," Rebekah wrote, "what you can bounce back from when you have to…we are a strong, tight-knit family who has made it through some very, very hard times."
瑞贝卡写道:“这是令人惊奇的,你在被迫的情况下东山再起,我们是一个强有力的、关系密切的家庭,我们一起熬过了一段非常非常艰难的时刻。”
America, Rebekah and Ben's story is our story. They represent the millions who have worked hard and scrimped, and sacrificed and retooled. You are the reason that I ran for this office. You are the people I was thinking of six years ago today, in the darkest months of the crisis, when I stood on the steps of this Capitol and promised we would rebuild our economy on a new foundation. And it has been your resilience, your effort that has made it possible for our country to emerge stronger。
美国同胞们,瑞贝卡和本的故事就是我们的故事,他们代表着那些努力工作,精打细算,作出牺牲,重新培训的数百万人。你们是我竞选总统职位的原因。在那个危机最黑暗的岁月里,你们是我六年前的那一天所想到的人,那天当我站在国会山的台阶上,承诺我们将在一个新的基石上重建我们的经济。你们的努力和坚韧,使美国在危机过后变得更加强大成为可能。
We believed we could reverse the tide of outsourcing and draw new jobs to our shores. And over the past five years, our businesses have created more than 11 million new jobs。
我们相信,我们能够扭转劳务外包的势头,将新就业机会带回国内。在过去五年期间,我国企业创造了1100多万个新就业机会。
We believed we could reduce our dependence on foreign oil and protect our planet. And today, America is number one in oil and gas. America is number one in wind power. Every three weeks, we bring online as much solar power as we did in all of 2008. And thanks to lower gas prices and higher fuel standards, the typical family this year should save about $750 at the pump。
我们相信,我们能够降低对外国石油的依赖,并保护我们的地球。如今,美国的石油和天然气产量位居世界第一。美国的风力发电量位居世界首位。我国每三个星期产出的太阳能,就相当于2008年的总量。由于石油价格下跌和燃料标准提高,一个典型的美国家庭今年会节省750美元油费。
We believed we could prepare our kids for a more competitive world. And today, our younger students have earned the highest math and reading scores on record. Our high school graduation rate has hit an all-time high. More Americans finish college than ever before。
我们相信,我们能够使我们的孩子们为面对一个更具有竞争性的世界做好准备。现在,我国年轻学生们的数学和阅读分数都达到了前所未有的水平。我国的高中生毕业率也达到历史新高。完成大学学业的人数超过了以往任何一个时期。
We believed that sensible regulations could prevent another crisis, shield families from ruin, and encourage fair competition. Today, we have new tools to stop taxpayer-funded bailouts, and a new consumer watchdog to protect us from predatory lending and abusive credit card practices. And in the past year alone, about 10 million uninsured Americans finally gained the security of health coverage。
我们相信,明智的规章能够避免另一场危机,使家庭免于被毁,并鼓励公平竞争。如今,我们拥有新手段,不再使用纳税人的钱来救助企业;我们拥有新的消费者监管机构,保护我们免受掠夺性借贷和信用卡违规行为之害。仅在去年一年,就有大约一千万没有医保的美国人终于得到医疗保险。
At every step, we were told our goals were misguided or too ambitious; that we would crush jobs and explode deficits. Instead, we've seen the fastest economic growth in over a decade, our deficits cut by two-thirds, a stock market that has doubled, and health care inflation at its lowest rate in 50 years. This is good news, people。
在我们采取每个步骤时,我们曾被警告:我们的目标被误导,或者过于雄心壮志,我们将破坏就业或使赤字大幅增长。但与这些观点相反的是,我们看到了过去十年最快的经济增长,我们的赤字减少了三分之二,股市市值翻了一倍,医疗通货膨胀率是过去50年来最低的。这是个好消息,同胞们。
So the verdict is clear. Middle-class economics works. Expanding opportunity works. And these policies will continue to work as long as politics don't get in the way. We can't slow down businesses or put our economy at risk with government shutdowns or fiscal showdowns. We can't put the security of families at risk by taking away their health insurance, or unraveling the new rules on Wall Street, or refighting past battles on immigration when we've got to fix a broken system. And if a bill comes to my desk that tries to do any of these things, I will veto it. It will have earned my veto。
因此,结论是明确的。中产阶级经济行之有效。扩大机会行之有效。只要政治权术不予掣肘,这些政策就将继续行之有效。我们不能允许政府机构关闭或财政关门迫使企业活动放缓,或使我国经济面临危险。我们不能让家庭安全面临危险,所以我们不能剥夺家庭的医保,不能取消针对华尔街的新规则,不能在我们需要休整一个破败不堪的机制时,再为移民[微博]问题争执不休。如果哪个议案想做以上任何一件事,一旦送交到我办工桌上,我将予以否决。它必将获得我的否决票。
Today, thanks to a growing economy, the recovery is touching more and more lives. Wages are finally starting to rise again. We know that more small business owners plan to raise their employees' pay than at any time since 2007. But here's the thing: Those of us here tonight, we need to set our sights higher than just making sure government doesn't screw things up; that government doesn't halt the progress we're making. We need to do more than just do no harm. Tonight, together, let's do more to restore the link between hard work and growing opportunity for every American。
现在,由于经济不断增长,越来越多的人受到经济振兴的影响。工资水平终于开始再次上升。我们知道,自2007年以来,从未有任何一个时期比现在有更多的小企业主计划提高雇员的工资。但需要注意一点,今晚在座诸位需要把眼光放得更远,不能仅仅是确保政府不去阻碍我们正在取得的进步。我们需要做得更多,而不仅是不造成损害。今晚,让我们共同采取更多措施,重建努力工作与每个美国人获得更多机会之间的纽带。
Because families like Rebekah's still need our help. She and Ben are working as hard as ever, but they've had to forego vacations and a new car so that they can pay off student loans and save for retirement. Friday night pizza, that's a big splurge. Basic childcare for Jack and Henry costs more than their mortgage, and almost as much as a year at the University of Minnesota. Like millions of hardworking Americans, Rebekah isn't asking for a handout, but she is asking that we look for more ways to help families get ahead。
因为,像瑞贝卡这样的家庭仍需要我们的帮助。她和本比任何时候都要努力工作,但不得不放弃休假和购买新车,以支付贷款和为退休存钱。杰克和亨利的基本儿童护理费用超出了房贷费用,几乎相当于明尼苏达州立大学一年的学费。与数百万努力工作的美国人一样,瑞贝卡并不是在讨要施舍,但她在要求我们找到更多帮助改善家庭生活的方法。
And in fact, at every moment of economic change throughout our history, this country has taken bold action to adapt to new circumstances and to make sure everyone gets a fair shot. We set up worker protections, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid to protect ourselves from the harshest adversity. We gave our citizens schools and colleges, infrastructure and the Internet -- tools they needed to go as far as their effort and their dreams will take them。
实际上,在我国历史上的每个经济变化时刻,美国都采取果敢行动以适应新环境,确保每个人都得到公平的机会。我们采取了工人保护、社保、医保以及医疗救助等措施,保护我们免于陷入最困难的处境。我们为我国公民提供了基础教育和高等教育、基础设施和互联网,他们需要这些手段使自己的努力获得最大成果。
That's what middle-class economics is -- the idea that this country does best when everyone gets their fair shot, everyone does their fair share, everyone plays by the same set of rules. We don't just want everyone to share in America's success, we want everyone to contribute to our success。
这就是中产阶级经济,只要每个人获得公平的机会,每个人做出公平的贡献,每个人遵循同样的规则,美国就能发展得最好。我们不仅希望每个人共享美国的成功,也希望每个人都为美国的成功做出贡献。
So what does middle-class economics require in our time?
那么,如今中产阶级经济需要的是什么呢?
First, middle-class economics means helping working families feel more secure in a world of constant change. That means helping folks afford childcare, college, health care, a home, retirement. And my budget will address each of these issues, lowering the taxes of working families and putting thousands of dollars back into their pockets each year。
首先,中产阶级经济意味着帮助劳工家庭在一个不断变化的世界中感到更安全。这意味着帮助他们支付育儿费、大学学费、医保、住宅和退休费用——我的预算案将分别应对这些问题,削减劳工家庭的税收以及每年把数千美元放回他们的口袋。
Here's one example. During World War II, when men like my grandfather went off to war, having women like my grandmother in the workforce was a national security priority -- so this country provided universal childcare. In today's economy, when having both parents in the workforce is an economic necessity for many families, we need affordable, high-quality childcare more than ever。
举一个例子。在二战时期,像我祖父一样的男子们奔赴战场,在这种情况下,让像我祖母一样的女子们去工作,就成为维护国家安全的优先选择,因此,美国实行了普遍托儿制度。在今天的经济状况下,对很多家庭而言,父母都有工作在经济上是必需的,我们比以往任何时候都更需要能够负担得起的高质量托儿服务。
It's not a nice-to-have -- it's a must-have. So it's time we stop treating childcare as a side issue, or as a women's issue, and treat it like the national economic priority that it is for all of us. And that's why my plan will make quality childcare more available and more affordable for every middle-class and low-income family with young children in America -- by creating more slots and a new tax cut of up to $3,000 per child, per year。
这不是为了好看而做,而是必须要做。现在,我们应当停止把托儿服务看做一个枝节问题或妇女问题,应当把这个问题看做人人有责的国家经济当务之急。这就是为什么我计划创造更多机会,并且每年再为每个孩子提供最多3千美元免税额度,为每个有小孩的美国中产阶级家庭和低收入家庭提供更容易得到、更容易负担的高质量托儿服务。
Here's another example. Today, we are the only advanced country on Earth that doesn't guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers. Forty-three million workers have no paid sick leave -- 43 million. Think about that. And that forces too many parents to make the gut-wrenching choice between a paycheck and a sick kid at home. So I'll be taking new action to help states adopt paid leave laws of their own. And since paid sick leave won where it was on the ballot last November, let's put it to a vote right here in Washington. Send me a bill that gives every worker in America the opportunity to earn seven days of paid sick leave. It's the right thing to do. It's the right thing to do。
我再举一个例子,今天,美国是唯一一个不向我们员工保证带薪病假或产假的发达国家。4300万员工不能享受带薪病假。4300万人!想想吧,这迫使太多父母在工资和生病的孩子之间作出艰难选择。所以我将采取新措施,以帮助各州通过各自的带薪病假法案。带薪病假去年11月在数州的投票中获得通过,让我们在华盛顿就此进行投票。向我提交一份让美国的所有员工获得7天带薪病假的提案吧,这是一件正确的事情。
Of course, nothing helps families make ends meet like higher wages. That's why this Congress still needs to pass a law that makes sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work. It's 2015. (Laughter。) It's time. We still need to make sure employees get the overtime they've earned. And to everyone in this Congress who still refuses to raise the minimum wage, I say this: If you truly believe you could work full-time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, try it. If not, vote to give millions of the hardest-working people in America a raise。
当然,最能帮助家庭维持生计的就是提高工资。这就是为什么本届国会仍需通过一项法律,以确保男女同工同酬。的确,现在是2015年了。是时候了。我们仍需确保雇员能得到加班费。对本届国会中那些仍然拒绝提高最低工资的人,我要说:如果你真的相信你能全职工作,同时在年收入低于一万五千美元的情况下支撑一个家庭,那么就请试一试。如果你做不到,就请投票赞成提高工作最辛苦的大量美国人的工资。
Now, these ideas won't make everybody rich, won't relieve every hardship. That's not the job of government. To give working families a fair shot, we still need more employers to see beyond next quarter's earnings and recognize that investing in their workforce is in their company's long-term interest. We still need laws that strengthen rather than weaken union s, and give American workers a voice。
当然,这些想法不会使所有人富有,或者缓解所有困难,这不是政府的工作。为了给工薪家庭一个公平的机会,我们需要更多的雇主不要只看到下个季度的收入报表,他们应当意识到投资于自己的员工符合美国的长远利益。我们仍需要强化而非弱化工会的法律,给美国工人发言权。
But you know, things like childcare and sick leave and equal pay; things like lower mortgage premiums and a higher minimum wage -- these ideas will make a meaningful difference in the lives of millions of families. That's a fact. And that's what all of us, Republicans and Democrats alike, were sent here to do。
托儿、带薪病假、同工同酬、降低房贷、更高的最低工资,这些想法将使数百万家庭发生有意义的变化。这是一个事实。这是人们将我们所有人,共和党人和民主党人送到华盛顿来的目的。
Second, to make sure folks keep earning higher wages down the road, we have to do more to help Americans upgrade their skills. America thrived in the 20th century because we made high school free, sent a generation of GIs to college, trained the best workforce in the world. We were ahead of the curve. But other countries caught on. And in a 21st century economy that rewards knowledge like never before, we need to up our game. We need to do more。
第二,为了确保美国人能够在未来不断提高工资,我们需要进一步帮助美国人提高技能。20世纪是美国腾飞的世纪,因为我们取消了高中学费,将一代士兵送入大学,并培养了世界上最优秀的劳动力。但在21世纪,在这个比以往更加重视知识的世纪,我们需要更加努力。
By the end of this decade, two in three job openings will require some higher education -- two in three. And yet, we still live in a country where too many bright, striving Americans are priced out of the education they need. It's not fair to them, and it's sure not smart for our future. That's why I'm sending this Congress a bold new plan to lower the cost of community college -- to zero。
到这个年代末,三分之二的工作都要求一些高等教育。三分之二。而现在,在我们的国家,仍然有太多聪明的、努力奋斗的美国人无钱支付他们所需的教育。这对他们太不公平,对我们的未来也不利。正因为如此,我向国会提交了一份大胆的议案,将社区学校的学费全部减免。
Keep in mind 40 percent of our college students choose community college. Some are young and starting out. Some are older and looking for a better job. Some are veterans and single parents trying to transition back into the job market. Whoever you are, this plan is your chance to graduate ready for the new economy without a load of debt. Understand, you've got to earn it. You've got to keep your grades up and graduate on time。
我们40%的大学生选择社区大学,一些学生是年轻人,刚刚起步,一些人年纪大一些,想寻找一份更好的工作。一些人是退伍士兵,一些人是试图重新过渡至就业市场的单亲父母。不管你是谁,我们的计划是让你可以在没有大量负债的情况下毕业,为新经济作好准备。请明白,你要努力争取这种待遇,你必须保持好的成绩,准时毕业。
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