美国总统奥巴马每周电台演讲2014.03.31

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m Joe Biden. I’m filling in for President Obama, who is abroad.
I want to talk to you today about the minimum wage and the overwhelming need to raise the minimum wage. There’s no reason in the world why an American working 40 hours a week has to live in poverty. But right now a worker earning the federal minimum wage makes about $14,500 a year.  And you all know that's incredibly hard for an individual to live on, let alone raise a family on.
But if we raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, that same worker will be making $20,200 a year—and with existing tax credits would earn enough to bring that family or a family of four out of poverty. But there’s a lot of good reasons why raising the minimum wage makes sense.
 
女士们先生们，我是乔拜登。我现在替正在出访的奥巴马总统尽此职责。
我今天想和你们谈的是最低工资和提高最低工资的迫切需要。世界上哪有这样的道理：美国人每周工作40小时还不得不生活在贫困中。但是现在一个挣联邦最低工资的工人一年收入为14,500美元。众所周知这对一个人来讲生活已经捉襟见肘了，更不要说养家糊口了。
但是如果我们把最低工资提高到每小时10.10美元，同一个工人一年将挣20,200美元--按照现在的税费减免法规，其收入就足以让一个四口之家脱贫了。另一方面还有很多理由证明提高最低工资合理。
 
Not only would it put more hard-earned money into the pockets of 28 million Americans, moving millions of them out of poverty, it’s also good for business. And let me tell you why.
There’s clear data that shows fair wages generate loyalty of workers to their employers, which has the benefit of increasing productivity and leading to less turn over. It’s really good for the economy as a whole because raising the minimum wage would generate an additional $19 billion in additional income for people who need it the most.
 
这不仅让更多的辛苦钱流入2千8百万美国人的口袋，使他们脱贫，在还有利于企业。我来谈谈为什么。
数据清楚地表明合理的工资促成工人们对雇主的忠诚，它有一个好处就是增加产量和导致跳槽。这对整个经济无疑是个好事，因为提高最低工资会给最需要的人们带来190亿美元的额外收入。
 
The big difference between giving a raise in the minimum wage instead of a tax break to the very wealthy is the minimum wage worker will go out and spend every penny of it because they're living on the edge. They’ll spend it in the local economy.  They need it to pay their electric bill, put gas in their automobile, to buy fundamental necessities. And this generates economic growth in their communities.
And I’m not the only one who recognizes these benefits.  Companies big and small recognize it as well. I was recently in Atlanta, Georgia, and met the owner of a small advertising company, a guy named Darien. He independently raised the wages of his workers to $10.10 an hour.  But large companies, as well, Costco and the Gap—they're choosing to pay their employees higher starting wages.
 
提高最低工资和给最富人群提供税费减免的最大区别在于，因为他们生活在贫困的边缘，挣最低工资的工人将出去把增加的这些收入全花掉。他们将把钱花在当地经济。他们要交电费，给车加油，买生活必需品。这会带来他们的社区的经济增长。
不仅是我认识到这些好处。大大小小的公司都认识到了这些。我最近在亚特兰大、佐治亚回见了一个叫Darien小广告公司的所有人。他主动给他的工人的最低小时工资提高到10.10美元。此外诸如Costco和Gap等大公司也提高了他们的雇员的底薪。
 
A growing list of governors are also raising wages in their states – the minimum wage. They join the President who raised the minimum wage for employees of federal contractors like the folks serving our troops meals on our bases.  They're all doing this for a simple reason. Raising the minimum wage will help hardworking people rise out of poverty.
It’s good for business. It’s helpful to the overall economy. And there’s one more important benefit. Right now women make up more than half of the workers who would benefit from increasing the minimum wage.  Folks, a low minimum wage is one of the reasons why women in America make only 77 cents on a dollar that every man makes. But by raising the minimum wage, we can close that gap by 5 percent. And it matters. It matters to a lot of hardworking families, particularly moms raising families on the minimum wage.
 
越来越多的州长们也将提高他们的州的工资--最低工资。他们和为联邦雇主的诸如为基地的部队做饭的雇员们提高最低工资的总统站到了一起。他们全都是为了一个简单原因做这些。提高最低工资将帮助勤奋工作的人们脱贫。
这对企业有利。在对整个经济有利。还有一个更重要的好处。迄今为止妇女站了从提高最低工资中获益的工人的半数以上。各位，最低工资是在美国每个男工挣1美元而女工仅挣77美分的原因之一。但是通过提高最低工资，我们可以把这个工资差减少百分之5。这很重要。这对很多工薪家庭很重要，特别是靠最低工资养家糊口的妈妈们。
 
And one more thing, folks—it’s what the American people want to do. Three out of four Americans support raising the minimum wage. They know this is the right and fair thing to do, and the good thing to do for the economy.  So it’s time for Congress to get behind the minimum wage bill offered by Tom Harkin of Iowa and Congressman George Miller of California—the proposal that would raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 an hour.
So ask your representatives who oppose raising the federal minimum wage—why do they oppose it? How can we look at the men and women providing basic services to us all, like cleaning our offices, caring for our children, serving in our restaurants and so many other areas—how can we say they don't deserve enough pay to take them out of poverty?
 
还有一件事，各位--这是我们美国人想做的。四分之三的美国人支持提高最低工资。他们知道这是合情合理的事，是对经济有益的事。所以现在是国会支持加利福尼亚州的国会议员乔治米勒和艾奥瓦州的国会议员汤姆哈金提出的最低工资法案的时候了--一个将把联邦最低工资从每小时7.25美元提高到10.10美元的法案。
所以问问你们的反对提高最低工资的国会代表们为什么反对？我们怎能眼看着那些为我们所有人提供基本服务的男男女女们，诸如打扫我们的办公室、照顾我们的孩子们、在饭店为我们服务和其它领域的人们--我们怎能说他们不值得获得足够的收入脱贫？
 
The President and I think they deserve it. And we think a lot of you do too. So, folks, it’s time to act. It’s time to give America a raise.
Thanks for listening and have a great weekend. God bless you all and may God protect our troops.
 
总统和我认为他们值得获得足够的收入。我们认为你们大多数也如此。所以，各位，这是行动的时候了。这是给美国一个提高的时候了。感谢收听，周末快乐。上帝保佑你们所有人，愿上帝保佑我们的军队。