奥巴马每周电视讲话总统关注中产阶层的发展
Hi, everybody.
大家好。
This week, I spent a couple days in Minneapolis, talking with people about their lives-their concerns, their successes, and their hopes for the future.
本周，我在明尼波利斯呆了几天，与人们谈论他们的生活–他们的关注，他们的成功和他们对未来的希望。
I went because of a letter I received from a working mother named Rebekah, who shared with me the hardships her young family has faced since the financial crisis.
我去那里是因为我收到了一封来自一个名叫瑞贝卡的工薪母亲的来信，她在信中告诉我他们的年轻的家庭自金融危机以来的艰辛。
She and her husband Ben were just newlyweds expecting their first child, Jack, when the housing crash dried up his contracting business.
她和她的丈夫本新婚燕尔正在期盼他们的长子杰克降生时，正赶上房地产泡沫破灭，本签约的公司破产。
He took what jobs he could, and Rebekah took out student loans and retrained for a new career.
他做所有能做的工作，瑞贝卡偿还学生贷款，为了新的生涯重新培训自己。
They sacrificed-for their kids, and for each other. And five years later, they’ve paid off debt, bought their first home, and had their second son, Henry.
他们为了孩子们牺牲，为了对方牺牲。五年后，他们偿还了债务，买了手套住房，有了次子亨利。
In her letter to me, she wrote, “We are a strong, tight-knit family who has made it through some very, very hard times.”
在给我的信中，她写道，“我们是一个坚强亲密无间的家庭，走过了一段非常非常艰难的日子。”
And in many ways, that’s America’s story these past five years.
在很多方面，这是过去五年里美国的故事。
We are a strong, tight-knit family that’s made it through some very tough times.
我们是一个坚强的亲密无间的大家庭，走过了一段非常艰难的日子。
Today, over the past 51 months, our businesses have created 9.4 million new jobs.
今天，在过去的51个月里，我们的企业创造了9百40万个新就业机会。
By measure after measure, our economy is doing better than it was five years ago.
一个又一个指标表明，我们比五年前好多了。
But as Rebekah also wrote in her letter, there are still too many middle-class families like hers who do everything right-who work hard and who sacrifice-but can’t seem to get ahead.
但是正如在信中还写道的，还有很多他们一样的中产阶级家庭没有过错-他们努力工作付出牺牲-但是没有过得更好。
It feels like the odds are stacked against them.
好像他们的前方有障碍阻挠他们。
And with just a small change in our priorities, we could fix that.
我们对这些的关注还很少，我们必须改正这些。
The problem is, Republicans in Congress keep blocking or voting down almost every serious idea to strengthen the middle class.
问题是，国会的共和党人继续阻挠或投票反对几乎每一个加强中产阶级的认真的设想。
This year alone, they’ve said no to raising the minimum wage, no to fair pay, no to student loan reform, no to extending unemployment insurance.
仅仅今年，他们就反对提高最低工资，反对公平分配，反对学生贷款改革，反对扩大失业保险。
And rather than invest in education that helps working families get ahead, they actually voted to give another massive tax cut to the wealthiest Americans.
他们不是投资于帮助工薪家庭搞得好的教育，而是投票赞同给最富裕的美国人更多的税收减免。
This obstruction keeps the system rigged for those at the top, and rigged against the middle class.
这个障碍保持这个系统为富人服务，不利于中产阶级。
And as long as they insist on doing it, I’ll keep taking actions on my own-like the actions I’ve taken already to attract new jobs, lift workers’ wages, and help students pay off their loans.
只要他们坚持这样，我就继续单独行动-正如我已经采取的吸引新就业机会、提高工人工资和帮助学生们偿还贷款的行动。
I’ll do my job.
我将尽我的职责。
And if it makes Republicans in Congress mad that I’m trying to help people out, they can join me, and we’ll do it together.
如果我努力帮助人民令国会的共和党人不安，他们可以与我合作，我们共同做这些。
The point is, we could do so much more as a country-as a strong, tight-knit family-if Republicans in Congress were less interested in stacking the deck for those at the top, and more interested in growing the economy for everybody.
关键是，我们作为一个国家、作为一个坚强的亲密无间的大家庭可以做得如此之多-如果国会的共和党人不那么热衷于为富人们某私利，而热衷于为所有人发展经济的话。
So rather than more tax breaks for millionaires, let’s give more tax breaks to help working families pay for child care or college.
所以不是为富人们减税，而是让我们推出更多减税来帮助工薪家庭支付育儿和上大学的开销。
Rather than protect tax loopholes that let big corporations set up tax shelters overseas, let’s put people to work rebuilding roads and bridges right here in America.
不是维护让大公司可以在海外设立避税所的税收漏洞，而是让人们可以马上在美国投入重新建设道路和桥梁。
Rather than stack the decks in favor of those who’ve already succeeded, let’s realize that we are stronger as a nation when we offer a fair shot to every American.
不是为已经成功的人们谋私利，而是让我们认识到我们给每个美国人公平的机会，我们作为一个国家才能更加强大。
I’m going to spend some time talking about these very choices in the week ahead.
我将在未来的一周里花一些时间谈论这些选择。
That’s because we know from our history that our economy doesn’t grow from the top-down, it grows from the middle-out.
那是因为我们以史为鉴得知我们的经济自上而下发展不好，而是从中间向两边才发展得好。
We do better when the middle class does better.
中产阶级兴则我们旺。
That’s the American way.That’s what I believe in.
这就是美国的道路。这就是我的信仰。
And that’s what I’ll keep fighting for.
这就是我要继续为之奋斗的。
Have a great Fourth of July, everybody-and good luck to Team USA down in Brazil.
各位，独立日快乐-祝远在巴西的美国足球队好运。
Thanks.
谢谢大家。