美国总统奥巴马每周电台演讲2013.12.08

Hi, everybody.  The holiday season is a time for remembering the bonds we share, and our obligations to one another as human beings.
大家好。节日季是我们作为人类感怀连接我们的血脉和我们的相互责任的时候。

But right now, more than one million of our fellow Americans are poised to lose a vital economic lifeline just a few days after Christmas if Congress doesn’t do something about it.
但是迄今为止，如果国会无所作为，那么将有超过一百万我们的美国同胞在圣诞节过去几天后陷入生活困难。

Our top priority as a country should be restoring opportunity and broad-based economic growth for all Americans.  And yesterday, we learned that our businesses created about 200,000 jobs in the month of November.  That’s more than 8 million new jobs in the last 45 months.  And the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in five years.
我们作为国家的第一要务就是为全体美国人恢复机会和全面的经济增长。昨天，我们得知我们的企业在过去的45个月里创造了8百万个新就业机会。失业率创5年来最低。

But we need to do everything we can to help businesses create more good jobs that pay good wages even faster.  Because the hole that we’re still digging out of means that there are still millions of Americans looking for work – often because they’ve been laid off through no fault of their own.
但是我们依然需要近一切努力更快地帮助企业创造高收入的新就业机会。我们仍然没有补上的漏洞意味着仍然有几百万美国人在找工作--他们通常不是因为自己的过失丢了工作。

We also have to look out for the Americans working hard to get those jobs.  That’s why, as a country, we offer temporary unemployment insurance – so that job-seekers don’t fall into poverty, and so that when they get that job, they bounce back more quickly.
我们还要关爱那些得到工作而辛勤劳作的美国人。这就是为什么作为一个国家，我们提供临时失业险--以保证找工作的人们不至于陷入贫困，以保证他们一旦找到工作就可以更快地致富。

For many families, it can be the difference between hardship and catastrophe.  It makes a difference for a mother who suddenly doesn’t know if she’ll be able to put food on the table for her kids.  It makes a difference for a father who lost his job and is looking for a new one.  Last year alone, it lifted 2.5 million people out of poverty, and cushioned the blow for many more.
对很多家庭，它可能是艰难和灾难之别。它给突然不知道还能不能给孩子们端上饭菜的母亲们带来不同。他给失去工作正在找新工作的父亲们带来不同。仅仅去年，它就使2百50万人脱离贫困，而且为更多的人缓解了压力。

But here’s the thing: if Members of Congress don’t act before they leave on their vacations, 1.3 million Americans will lose this lifeline.  These are people we know.  They’re our friends and neighbors; they sit next to us in church and volunteer in our communities; their kids play with our kids.  And they include 20,000 veterans who’ve served this country with honor.
但是还有一件事：如果国会议员们不在他们休假前采取行动，将有1百30万美国人失去经济来源。他们可能就是我们的熟人。他们可能是我们的朋友或邻居；他们的孩子们是我们的孩子们的玩伴。他们中还有光荣地保卫我们的国家的退伍军人。

If Congress refuses to act, it won’t just hurt families already struggling – it will actually harm our economy.  Unemployment insurance is one of the most effective ways there is to boost our economy.  When people have money to spend on basic necessities, that means more customers for our businesses and, ultimately, more jobs.  And the evidence shows that unemployment insurance doesn’t stop people from trying hard to find work.
如果国会拒不作为，那就不仅仅伤害那些苦苦挣扎的家庭--而是伤害我们的经济。失业保险是现有的最有效的助推经济的途径之一。如果人们能在基本需求上消费，就意味着我们的企业有更多的顾客，最终是更多的就业机会。有证据表明失业保险并没有促使人们停止努力找工作。

Just this week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted that allowing benefits to expire will be a drag on our economic growth next year.  A report by the Department of Labor and my Council of Economic Advisors estimated that it could cost businesses 240,000 jobs.  And without the ability to feed their families or pay the bills, many people currently looking for work could stop looking for good.
就在本周，国会无党派预算委员会预计终止福利将拖累明年的经济增长。一份由劳工部和我的经济顾问委员会通过的报告估计这将损失240，000个就业机会。没有钱养家和支付各种开销，很多现在找工作的人们马上就得去找食物了。

So extending unemployment insurance isn’t just the right thing to do for our families – it’s the smart thing to do for our economy.  And it shouldn’t be a partisan issue.  For decades, Congress has voted to offer relief to job-seekers – including when the unemployment rate was lower than it is today.
所以扩大失业保险范围不仅仅是对我们的这些家庭有益--它是有益于我们的经济的明智选择。几十年来，国会一直同意救助失业人员--包括在失业率低于今天的失业率的时候。

But now that economic lifeline is in jeopardy.  All because Republicans in this Congress – which is on track to be the most uNPRoductive in history – have so far refused to extend it.
但是现在经济来源面临毁灭。皆因国会的共和党议员--他们使国会成为历史上最没有作为的一届--他们迄今还拒绝同意扩大失业保险范围。

So this holiday season, let’s give our fellow Americans who are desperately looking for work the help they need to keep on looking.  Let’s make it easier for businesses to attract more customers, and our economy to grow.  And together, let’s keep doing everything we can to make this country a place where anyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead.
 所以这个节日季，让我们给那些正在全力以赴找工作的美国人一些帮助，让他们继续找工作。让我们帮助企业更容易地吸引顾客，发展经济。让我们齐心协力使我们的国家成为任何人只要努力工作就能致富的乐土。

Thanks, and have a great weekend.
谢谢，周末快乐。