奥巴马每周电视讲话总统呼吁帮助美国的莘莘学子
Hi, everybody.
大家好!
This is commencement season, a time for graduates and their families to celebrate one of the greatest achievements of a young person’s life.
又到一年毕业季,毕业生和他们的家长一起庆祝一个年轻人一生中最重要的时刻。
But for many graduates, it also means feeling trapped by a whole lot of student loan debt.
但对很多毕业生来说，这同时也意味着陷入高额助学贷款还款压力之中。
And we’ve got to do more to lift that Burden.
而我们应该做些事情帮助他们减轻这一负担。
See, in a 21st century economy, the surest pathway into the middle class is some form of higher education.
显而易见，在21世纪的经济大潮中，跻身中产阶级最稳妥的途径就是接受某种形式的高等教育。
The unemployment rate for workers with a bachelor’s degree is just 3.3 percent-about half what it is for high school graduates.
拥有学士学位的人的失业率只有3.3个百分点，这一数据只相当于拥有高中学历的人的一半。
The typical graduate of a four-year college earns $15,000 more per year than someone with just a high school degree.
一般来讲接受4年大学教育后每年可以比仅仅高中毕业的人多挣1.5万美金。
But at a time when college has never been more important, it’s also never been more expensive.
但在大学教育的重要性变得无以复加的时候，其成本也变得无法承受。
That’s why, since I took office, I’ve worked to make college more affordable.
因此，自我主政以来，我就一直在努力减轻大学教育的负担。
We reformed a student loan system that gave away billions of taxpayer dollars to big banks and invested that money where it makes a bigger bang-in helping more young people afford a higher education.
我们改革了助学贷款制度，取消补助大型银行的数十亿纳税人的税金，转而投资于产生更大效益的领域—帮助更多年轻人接受更高的教育。
But over the past three decades, the average tuition at a public four-year college has more than tripled.
但过去的30年里，公立大学4年的平均学费涨了3倍多。
The average undergraduate student who borrows for college now graduates owing almost 30,000.
贷款上学的本科生毕业时平均每个人都欠下3万美元的债务。
And I’ve heard from too many young people who are frustrated that they’ve done everything they were supposed to do-and now they’re paying the price.
我听说过太多年轻人的故事，他们当初别无选择，现在却必须面对沉重的代价，他们感到快要崩溃了。
I’ve taken action on my own to offer millions of students the opportunity to cap their monthly student loan payments to 10% of their income.
我指导政府出台措施，为数百万学子提供保障，确保他们每个月的助学贷款还款额不超过他们收入的10%。
But Congress needs to do its part.
但国会也需要尽到自己的义务。
The good news is that Senate Democrats are working on a bill that would help more young people save money.
好消息是，参议院的民主党人正在起草法案，帮助更多年轻人省钱。
Just like you can refinance your mortgage at a lower interest rate, this bill would let you refinance your student loans.
就像大家可以以更低的利率重做住房抵押贷款一样，这一法案可以让你重做助学贷款。
And we’d pay for it by closing loopholes that allow some millionaires to pay a lower tax rate than the middle class.
我们将通过消除那些让少数亿万富翁以比中产阶级还低的税率缴税的漏洞来弥补这一资金缺口。
That’s the choice that your representatives in Congress will make in the coming weeks-protect young people from crushing debt, or protect tax breaks for millionaires.
这是你们的国会代表们在未来几个星期需要做出的选择，要么保护我的年轻人免受债务冲击，要么保护对亿万富翁们的税收优惠政策。
And while Congress decides what it’s going to do, I will keep doing whatever I can without Congress to help responsible young people pay off their loans-including new action I will take this week.
无论国会决定走那条路，我都将继续尽我一切能力，即便没有国会的帮助，也要帮有责任心的年轻人偿还他们的贷款，这也包括本周我即将采取的新措施。
This country has always made a commitment to put a good education within the reach of all who are willing to work for it.
我们国家一直以来就恪守为每一个希望得到教育的人提供良好教育的承诺。
That’s what made us an economic superpower.
正是这一点让我们跻身世界经济大国之列。
That’s what makes us special.
也正是这一点让我们与众不同。
And as long as I hold this office, I’ll keep fighting to give more young people the chance to earn their own piece of the American Dream.
只要我还在这个位置上，我就将继续奋斗，为更多年轻人提供机会，让他们去实现他们的美国梦。
Thanks, and have a great weekend.
谢谢大家，祝你们周末愉快。