美国总统奥巴马每周电台演讲2015.03.15

Hi, everybody.  Earlier this week, I visited with students at Georgia Tech to talk about the importance of higher education in the new economy, and how we can make it more affordable.
 大家好！周二，我在佐治亚理工学院与一名同学谈论了新经济环境下高等教育的重要性，并介绍了我们为让高校学费更亲民所要做的事情。
 
In an economy increasingly built on innovation, the most important skill you can sell is your knowledge.  That’s why higher education is, more than ever, the surest ticket to the middle class.
 在不断依赖创新驱动的经济环境下，最可待价而沽的技能就是你的学识。因此，高等教育也就成为跻身中产阶级的保票，而且越来越明显。
 
But just when it’s never been more important, it’s also never been more expensive.  The average undergrad who borrows to pay for college ends up graduating with about $28,000 in student loan debt.
 但就在高等教育变得越来越重要的时候，学费也贵的无以复加了。平均算下来，每一位贷款上学的在校生在毕业的时候，背负的助学贷款达2.8万美元之多。
 
That’s why my Administration has worked hard to make college more affordable.  We expanded tax credits and Pell Grants, enacted the largest reform to student loan programs in history, and fought to keep interest rates on student loans low.  We’ve acted to let millions of graduates cap loan payments at 10 percent of their income, so they don’t have to choose between paying the rent and paying back their debt.  I’ve sent Congress my plan to bring the cost of community college down to zero – because two years of higher education should be as free and universal as high school is today.
 因此，本届政府一直致力于降低高校学费。我们扩大了税收优惠和佩尔奖学金的发放范围，实施了有史以来最大规模的助学贷款改革计划，积极争取将助学贷款利率保持在较低水平。我们采取措施，让数百万毕业生的助学贷款还款额度限制在其收入的10%以内，避免让他们面临支付房租和偿还贷款的两难选择。我还向国会递交了一份计划，将社区大学的学费降低到0，当今时代，两年的社区大学应该像高中一样免费、普及。
 
But all of us – elected officials, universities, business leaders – everybody – needs to do more to bring down college costs. Which is why this week, I unveiled another way that we can help more Americans afford college.  It doesn’t involve any new spending or bureaucracy.  It’s a simple declaration of values – what I call a Student Aid Bill of Rights.  It says that every student deserves access to a quality, affordable education.  Every student should be able to access the resources to pay for college.  Every borrower has the right to an affordable repayment plan.  And every borrower has the right to quality customer service, reliable information, and fair treatment, even if they struggle to repay their loans.
 但我们所有人，包括民选官员、大学和企业的领导，每个人都需要做出更多努力来降低大学学费。因此，这个星期，我公布了另一项计划来帮助更多美国人更好承担大学学费。这不会产生新的财政支出和官僚主义。这只是对价值观的简单梳理，我取名叫《学生援助权利法案》。该法案声明每个学生都有权获得高质量、低成本的教育。每个学生都应该能够获得支付大学学费的必要资源。每一个借款人都有权利获得可承担的还款计划。每一个借款人都有权利得到高质量的客户服务，可信的信息，公平的对待，即便他们快要还不起贷款了也是如此。
 
That’s it.  Just a few simple principles.  But if we all rally around these principles, there’s a lot that colleges, lenders, and the people you sent to Washington and to your state legislatures can do to realize them across the country.
 主题就是这些。很简单的原则。但如果我们都支持这些原则，大学、放贷人、我们这些华盛顿的官员以及各州的立法者们都有大量事情可做，来实现这些目标。
 
So if you believe in a Student Aid Bill of Rights that will help more Americans pay for a quality education, I’m asking you to visit WhiteHouse.gov/CollegeOpportunity.  Sign your name to this declaration.  Tell your families, and your friends, and fellow students.  I’m going to ask Members of Congress, and lenders, and as many business leaders as I can find.  Because making sure that students aren’t saddled with debt before they even get started in life is in all our interests.
 因此，如果你相信《学生援助权利法案》可以帮助更多美国人民得到高质量的教育，我请求你访问WhiteHouse.gov/CollegeOpportunity。签名支持这部法案。并告诉你的家人、朋友、同学。我也将呼吁国会议员、放贷人、尽可能多的企业领导来支持这部法案。因为确保学生在开始新生活前不被巨大的债务压垮符合我们所有人的利益。
 
In America, a higher education cannot be a privilege reserved for only the few.  It has to be available to everybody who’s willing to work for it.
 在美国，高等教育不应该是只为少数人保留的特权。它应该是每个希望得到的人可以得到的普遍权利。
 
Thanks, and have a great weekend.
 谢谢大家，祝周末愉快！