奥巴马的经济备忘录

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So the banks are making profits, but are they healthy? And why aren't they lending more money? The challenge for this President is to prevent waste and fraud, get the banks healthy and hold back the populist outrage that some say "is overshadowing those efforts".

"…let’s do what’s necessary in order to create jobs, and together..."

Mr. President, your challenge: To heal the banks, fix the economy, keeping it all transparent and accountable. Good luck!

“Never has so much money been pushed out in such a short period of time.” Neil Barofsky is the bailout czar, tracking the billions spent on the banks that made terrible bets.

"We are now charged with overseeing twelve separate programs involving by our calculation up to three trillion dollars."

Billions for bad assets to boost lending for student loans and cars, for small businesses and homeowners. But at the core, a belief held by two administrations, "America can't recover without healthy banks", a belief not shared by many Americans outraged by executive bonuses, lavish corporate jets and retreats and their own mounting bills.

"People are angry that even if they have consistently paid their bills on time and never missed the payment. Their TRAP-assisted banks are unilaterally raising their interest rates or slashing their credit lines."

TARP, of course, is the much-maligned Troubled Asset Relief Program, the bank rescue. But economist John Ryding says that anger against TRAP is holding back the recovery.

"That whole populist issue is providing a roadblock to the plan working more effectively."

Now banks are reporting profits, sort of.

"That is the oxymoron out there. They got, they’re making the money because we gave them money. But they also want them to make money to pay us back."

"(It took) us a couple of days because I like to know what I’m talking about before I speak, all right?”

So, Mr. President, is the bank bailout working?

"I'd say it's a modest success. But it's not enough."

Kenneth Rogoff is among those economists who believe, if anything, it may take more tax dollars.

"We may end up spending more. The recession may end up lasting longer."

Two points here: Is the financial rescue as crafted by this administration working? And if the trillion’s moving into the economy, how much is being wasted and pilfered and vulnerable to fraud? The bailout czar Neil Barofsky just last week revealed there are 20 criminal investigations and six audits into the bailouts.

For cnnMoney.com. I'm Christine Romans.

Vocabulary:

1.       hold back: to prevent someone or something from making progress

2.       populist: relating to or representing ordinary people, rather than rich or very highly educated people

3.       outrage: a feeling of great anger and shock

4.       overshadow: to make someone or something else seem less important使失色

5.       czar: someone who is very powerful in a particular job or activity

6.       be charged with: 承担

7.       oversee: 监督，监管

8.       at the core: 核心地

9.       retreat: A place affording peace, quiet, privacy, or security.休息寓所

10.   mounting: 逐渐增加的

11.   unilateral: Of, on, relating to, involving, or affecting only one side单方面的

12.   credit line: 信用额度

13.   much-maligned: 被恶意中伤的;被诽谤的

14.   oxymoron: a deliberate combination of two words that seem to mean the opposite of each other 矛盾修饰法

15.   craft: To make or construct (something) in a manner suggesting great care or ingenuity

16.   pilfer: to steal stealthily in small amounts and often again and again