美国总统奥巴马每周电台演讲2014.07.14

Hi, everybody.  This week, I spent some time in Colorado and Texas, talking with people about what’s going on in their lives.

One of them was Elizabeth Cooper, who’ll be a college junior this fall.  She wrote to tell me something I hear often: how hard it is for middle-class families like hers to afford college.  And she shared something I know many of you feel when you wonder what’s going on in Washington.  She said she feels “not significant enough to be addressed, not poor enough for people to worry [about], and not rich enough to be cared about.”

大家好。本周我访问了科罗拉多州和德克萨斯州，与人们谈论了他们的日子怎么过。

他们中有一位叫Elizabeth Cooper，今年秋天她将上大三了。她写信告诉我一些我经常听到的事：像她家这样的中产阶级家庭供一个大学生有多么不容易。我知道她说的这些你们很多人质疑华盛顿的所为时也有同感。她说她感到“人微言轻不受重视，又不是太穷受到关爱，又不是富到让人待见。

I ran for President to fight for Americans just like Elizabeth – people who work hard, do everything right, and just want a chance to build a decent life for themselves and their families.

And after the worst economic crisis in generations, our businesses have now created nearly 10 million new jobs over the past 52 months.  The unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest point since 2008.  By almost every measure, our economy is better off than it was five years ago.

But while we’ve created more jobs at this point of the year than any year since 1999, too many families barely earn what they did in 1999.  It’s harder to pay for college, save, or retire, because people’s wages and incomes have not gone up.  Nearly all the gains of the recovery are going to the very top – and aren’t making a difference in your lives.

我竞选总统就是要为了Elizabeth这样的美国人--勤奋工作，没有过错，仅仅希望得到一个机会为自己和他们的家庭打造一个体面的生活的人们--而奋斗。

经过了几十年来最严重的经济危机之后，我们的企业现在过去的52个月里已经创造了近一千万个新就业机会。失业率创2008年来的最低。无论如何衡量，我们的经济都比五年前大大好转了。

但是尽管我们在今年的这个时候创造的就业机会比1999年以来的任何一年都多，很多家庭的收入也仅仅是1999年的收入。支付大学学费、储蓄一部分钱和积攒养老金就显得捉襟见肘了，因为人们的工资和收入一直没有增长。几乎所有复苏的收益都流到了最富的人群--没有给你们的生活带来多大的改变。

And I believe America does better when the middle class does better.  And I’ve laid out an opportunity agenda to create jobs, train workers, educate our kids, and make sure hard work actually pays off.

These are the things we should be doing to grow the middle class and help folks work their way into the middle class.  And it’s pretty uncontroversial stuff. I hope we can work together on it.  And I’m always willing to compromise if folks have other ideas or if it advances generally the interests of working Americans.

But so far this year, Republicans in Congress have blocked every serious idea to strengthen the middle class.  Lifting the minimum wage, fair pay, student loan reform – they’ve said no to all of it.  And that’s when I’ve acted this year to help working Americans on my own– when Congress won’t act.

我认为中产阶级兴则美国兴。我已经定了一个机会计划来创造就业机会，培训工人，教育我们的孩子们，确保勤奋工作得到回报。

我们有很多事可做来发展中产阶级和帮助努力工作跻身中产阶级的人们。这是毫无疑问的事。我希望我们能合作实施。我始终愿意与有其它好主意或增加广大工薪美国人利益的人们协商。

但是今年到此，国会的共和党人否决了每一个加强中产阶级的议案。提高最低工资、公平报酬、学生贷款改革--都被他们否决了。这发生在今年我单独采取行动帮助工薪美国人的时候--国会不作为的时候

I’ve taken actions to attract new jobs, lift workers’ wages, help students pay off their loans, and more.  And the Republican plan right now is not to do some of this work with me – instead, it’s to sue me.  That’s actually what they’re spending their time on.  It’s a political stunt that’s going to waste months of America’s time.  And by the way, they’re going to pay for it using your hard-earned tax dollars.

I have a better idea: do something, Congress.  Do anything to help working Americans.  Join the rest of the country. Join me, I'm looking forward to working with you.

我已经采取行动吸引新就业机会，提高工人的最低工资，帮助学生偿还贷款等等。共和党人现在不打算与我就其中的一些工作合作--相反，他们做的是抗诉我。他们的时间就是花到了这上。这是浪费了美国人几个月时间的政治手腕。顺便提一下，他们打算用你们的血汗税款为此买单。

我有一个更好的设想：国会，做点什么。做任何帮助工薪美国人的事都行。与我国的其他人合作。与我合作，我期待与你们合作。

You know, on Tuesday, I met with Carolyn Reed and her husband David, who own six Silver Mine Sub shops in Colorado.  Two days later, they announced they’re giving their hourly employees a raise to ten dollars and ten cents an hour.

They’re not waiting for Congress.  Carolyn said, “We are happy to be a part of what I hope will be a growing voluntary trend in increased wages.”

Carolyn and Americans like her all across the country are happy to do their part.  Congress now needs to step up and do its part.  And next week, I’ll travel to a couple of job sites to talk about how Democrats and Republicans can work together to grow the economy and protect nearly 700,000 jobs by passing a highway bill by the end of the summer.

I’m here because hardworking Americans like Elizabeth and Carolyn.  That’s something I’ll never forget – it's something I’ll never stop fighting for.  

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

众所周知，周二，我会见了Carolyn Reed 和她的丈夫 David，他们在科罗拉多州开了六个Silver Mine Sub店。两天后，他们宣布把他们雇用的小时工的工资提高到每小时十美元十美分。

他们没有等待国会。Carolyn说，“我们很高兴成为我希望成为的志愿提高工资的趋势的一部分。”

Carolyn和全国各地与她一样的美国人都愿意尽他们的一份力。国会现在应该挺身而出尽他们的一份力了。下周，我将访问一系列工作现场阐述民主党人和共和党人如何合作在今年夏末通过一个快速通道议案就能发展经济和保护近700，000个就业机会。

我为了Elizabeth 和Carolyn一样的美国人来到这里。这是我永远不能忘记的--这是我永远不能停止为之奋斗的。

谢谢，周末快乐。